Actor Jackie Chan says his Segway dealership in Hong Kong is doing well, though costs are high because the manufacturer won’t let him assemble the battery-powered scooters in China for fear of piracy.
“They’re afraid of people stealing the technology,” the 54-year-old action star said Wednesday at a security fair in Hong Kong.
China is a leading source of knockoffs of American consumer products. Beijing has toughened penalties and cracked down repeatedly, but manufacturers say violations are more prevalent than enforcement.
Chan said he was confident Segway executives would change their minds as Chinese sales grow.
A basic Segway scooter costs about $10,000 in China — pricey in a country where the average worker makes less than $100 a month. The two-wheelers, which balance on their own and glide noiselessly down streets or sidewalks, cost about $5,000 in the U.S.
Chan, who is from Hong Kong, said he didn’t start the business to make money but to bring the clean technology to China. He also sells the scooters in Macau, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
T-Mobile raises “unlimited” cell-phone plan ante: T-Mobile USA on Wednesday said it would let subscribers to its “unlimited” calling plan include family members for half price, adding another wrinkle in a cross-carrier scramble to define new pricing models.
Verizon Wireless introduced a plan with unlimited nationwide calling in February for $99.99 per month and was quickly matched by its competitors. T-Mobile’s plan, which costs the same, also includes unlimited text, picture and instant messaging. Verizon charges $119.99 for that plan.
T-Mobile is now allowing subscribers to add up to four additional lines to an unlimited plan for $49.99 per month each. Competitors charge full price for additional lines on unlimited plans.
The introduction of unlimited plans initially depressed the stocks of U.S. wireless carriers, but Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. have said that the plans actually increase their sales. More people upgrade to unlimited plans from cheaper plans than downgrade from older, more expensive plans, they have said.
Since few cell-phone subscribers use up all the monthly minutes on their cheaper, limited plans, the unlimited plans are good value only for a few percent of consumers. But the plans have become a major point of comparison and competition for the carriers.
A pop quiz with a twist: A tech-savvy university near the Missouri Ozarks is resorting to an old standby to reduce illegal music downloads by students: the pop quiz.
Missouri University of Science and Technology now requires students to ace a six-question quiz on digital copyright law to get six hours of access to peer-to-peer software they can use to share music and movies online.
The quiz has cut copyright complaints on campus from recording industry to eight this academic year, down from 200 in 2006-07, said Tim Doty, a campus systems security analyst.
“We’re still allowing peer-to-peer access,” Doty said, “but in a controlled fashion. We’re providing them the information to make an informed decision.”
Missouri S&T students who violate copyright law may lose their Internet privileges or face fines, community service, extra research assignments or suspension from classes.
Violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act also can draw lawsuits by the recording industry, which often cost several thousand dollars to settle. Universities that fail to stop repeat offenders can face liability too.
Several schools have addressed the problem by eliminating access to peer-to-peer software, even though it is used by academic researchers to share data. Most schools that continue to allow access have toughened penalties for piracy, including completing tests like Missouri S&T’s or watching an anti-piracy DVD provided by the recording industry.
From the Associated Press
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