World Business Quick Take

■ Chipmaking
Nanya to sue Renesas
The Japanese unit of Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) will file a counter suit against Renesas Technology Corp, which claimed Nanya infringed on its patents, Dow Jones said. Renesas, a venture between Japan's Hitachi Ltd and Mitsubishi Electric Corp, said it filed a claim last Thursday with the Tokyo District Court demanding Nanya stop using Renesas' technology on its computer-memory chips and pay compen-sation. Nanya won't sign a license agreement with Renesas for the patents on acceptable terms, Renesas, the world's third-largest chipmaker, said in a statement. Nanya will attempt to force Renesas to negotiate licensing fees through a counter lawsuit, the Dow Jones report said, citing executive vice president Charles Kau (高啟全). Renesas on Dec. 17 filed a similar complaint in a California court. Renesas plans an initial public offering this year that may raise more than ¥100 billion (US$917 million), bankers said last month.

■ Parmalat
Restructuring plan due
Italian Industry Minister Antonio Marzano said on Saturday that he expected a restructuring plan for bank-rupt food group Parmalat to be presented to his department within days. Marzano said officials had been in talks with the company's government-appointed administrator, Enrico Bondi, who has responsibility for drawing up the recovery plan. "We've met with Bondi several times and the Parmalat plan is being drafted," Marzano told reporters in Naples. "The core business will be retained and strengthened," he said. "And by core business we don't only mean Italian companies. There are also other foreign companies which give good results." Parmalat was declared insolvent on Dec. 27 last year. The company's debts are estimated at 14.8 billion euros (US$18.4 billion).

■ Internet
Check card charges
Internet who spot bills on their credit cards from erotic portals online should not allow those charges to go uncontested. Charges from any online vendors must be paid only when a contract with the vendor has been entered into, say consumer-rights advocacy groups. Vendors are required under the laws of most countries to disclose the terms of any contract that is contested. Problems with Internet charges from sex sites online have frequently been linked to so-called dialer programs, which transmit the phone number and other data of users. Internet users who suspect that such programs have infiltrated their systems would do well to download and install anti-spyware programs such as Spychecker (http://www.spychecker.com).

■ China
New commerce chief named
China's yester-day appointed Bo Xilai (薄熙來) to the powerful post of commerce minister, formalizing the ascendancy of a man considered to be among the country's rising leaders. Bo, 54, previously served as governor of the northeastern rust belt province of Liaoning. His new post was created last March to oversee the country's economic system, combining regulatory powers that were formerly scattered among several departments. Bo replaces Lu Fuyuan (呂福源), who has been on sick leave. Zhang Wenyue (張文岳), has been appointed Liaoning's new governor.