Corbis using photo’s “fingerprint” to nab copyright violators: The photo agency owned by Bill Gates is getting more aggressive in using technology to go after copyright violators.
Corbis Corp., which owns more than 3 million photographs, hides a digital watermark in images it disseminates online so the company can detect if someone is using a Corbis picture without paying licensing fees.
But the watermark can become difficult to detect if a photo is printed, then scanned back into digital form.
So Corbis recently began comparing the pixel patterns of images found online with those of its original photos. Using the new method – think of it as looking at a photo’s “fingerprint” – Corbis has discovered “over 20 high-volume pirates engaging in massive infringement,” said David Green, senior corporate counsel.
“It’s an extremely powerful tool for us,” he said.
No surprise here: Young adults are among the heaviest users of wireless Internet connections, a new study finds.
Tracking wireless usage for the first time, the Pew Internet and American Life Project found 17 percent of Internet users have logged on using an untethered device such as personal digital assistants or laptops. Among 18- to 27-year-olds, 28 percent have connected wirelessly.
“These numbers will continue to grow,” said Lee Rainie, director of the project.
One reason, he said, is laptops built for wireless. One-third of notebook computers sold last year had a wireless card, according to the NPD Group, a technology market researcher.
Google easing its trademark policies: Google is relaxing its policies on the use of trademarks, limiting companies’ ability to block rivals’ ads that incorporate their registered names.
The move could mean more ad revenues for Google, but it also could subject the giant search engine to more legal challenges. Google already has been sued in the United States and France over trademarks in ads, which run on the right side of the regular search results.
In the past, a trademark holder like eBay could request that Google remove ads that mention eBay in the text or that appear when searching under the keyword “eBay.” Under the new policy, trademark holders in the United States and Canada can no longer block keywords.
Policies for other countries remain unchanged, and the use of trademarks in ads themselves will still be restricted.
Army is game for more recruiting tools: The U.S. Army has reached a first-ever deal with a private company to extend the reach of its digital combat video game to the console audience.
The Army will partner with Ubisoft, a French company that already publishes top military titles, including games based on Tom Clancy books. Ubisoft will develop new games designed to entertain, while also serving as a recruiting tool.
The games will complement the Army’s already popular multiplayer online game, “America’s Army,” which was launched in 2002 and is played on a personal computer.
The new games, which could hit the market in late 2005 or early 2006, will run on popular gaming consoles including Sony’s Playstation and Microsoft’s Xbox.
Associated Press
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