■ Copyright
AFP sues Google
Google Inc, the world's most-used Internet search engine, has removed all Agence France Presse (AFP) content from its site after the French news agency sued over copyright infringement, Le Figaro reported, citing an unnamed Google spokesperson. Google is being sued in US District Court for the District of Columbia for at least US$17.5 million for allegedly including photos, news headlines, and stories from AFP's Web site without the agency's permission. An AFP spokesperson told Figaro that the agency has signed contracts with other Web sites, such as Yahoo Inc and France Telecom SA's Wanadoo, for use of its content but has no agreement with Google.
■ Electronics
Rambus and Infineon settle
Ending a long-running patent dispute over computer memory, Rambus Inc and Infineon Technologies AG settled all legal claims on Monday and granted each other licenses to their respective technologies. Under the deal, German memory chip maker Infineon will pay Rambus a quarterly license fee of US$5.85 million, starting Nov. 15 and ending Nov. 15, 2007. After that, Infineon could continue to pay up to an accumulated total of US$100 million if certain conditions are met. Rambus, meanwhile, was granted a perpetual license for Infineon's memory interfaces and agreed to treat the company as a "most-favored customer."
■ Software
Oracle wins battle for Retek
Retek Inc accepted Oracle Corp's US$643.3 million takeover offer over a competing bid from SAP AG, giving Oracle Chief Executive Officer Larry Ellison his second victory in an acquisition battle in four months. SAP dropped out of the running, Minneapolis-based Retek and Oracle said in a statement today. Redwood City, California-based Oracle raised its bid to US$11.25 a share March 17, topping an US$11 offer from SAP that Retek's board had accepted earlier that day. Ellison's victory, which follows the US$10.3 billion acquisition of PeopleSoft Inc in January, will help him maintain Oracle's No. 1 rank in North American sales of programs that run business tasks such as payroll and human resources. Retek improves Oracle's position with retailers, who are buying more software to manage supplies and track customer demand.
■ Textiles
China cites `self-discipline'
China expects its textile manufacturers to show self-discipline to prevent disruptions to the global textile trade, Commerce Minister Bo Xilai (薄熙來) said in comments published by state media yesterday. Bo's comments, made at an international conference in Beijing, came amid growing friction over soaring exports following the end to global textile trade restrictions at the beginning of the year. Chinese garment and textile companies are "willing to adopt self-disciplinary measures to ensure the quality of their export products," the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Bo as saying. Bo also noted the government's effort to ease tensions over burgeoning exports by raising taxes on textile exports, curbing investment in textile and garment-related industries and limiting their production capacity, the report said. Confronted by a flood of clothing and other textiles from China, the US government said on Monday it was starting special monitoring to keep track of imports now that global quotas have ended.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS