Berners-Lee applies Web 2.0 to improve accessibility

Accessibility seminars often begin with a quote by Tim Berners-Lee: "The power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect." It's an old quote, but the web's inventor offered fresh ideas the day before yesterday.

Phones4u wins passing off appeal against phone4u

An online seller of mobile phones did not infringe the trade mark of John Caudwell's Phones4u chain when it used the domain name phone4u.co.uk, according to the Court of Appeal. But Friday's judgment concluded that there was passing off.

Dealing with a phishing attack

As phishing attacks have grown, the defences and mysterious counter-measures have evolved. Uri Rivner, Head of New Technologies at RSA Cyota Consumer Solutions, tells a detective's story.

The Business of CANning SPAM

The FTC took a short break from the business of security breach enforcement to remind corporate America that commercial email (a/k/a spam) has its rules, and failing to abide by them has a price. In statement released on May 11, the FTC announced that both Kodak Imaging Network (formerly Ofoto, Inc.) and ICE.com had agreed to settle a series of CAN-SPAM charges brought against them in a pair of FTC complaints. According to the Commission, Kodak allegedly "sent a commercial e-mail message to more than two million recipients that failed to contain an opt-out mechanism, failed to disclose in the email message that consumers have the right to opt-out of receiving further mailings, and failed to include a valid physical postal address, as required by law." Meanwhile, ICE.com purportedly "sent more than 6,000 e-mail messages to consumers who had previously requested not to receive future commercial e-mail messages from the company." Neither company was hit with a very big fine ($26,331 for Kodak, and only $6,500 for ICE.com). But, in addition to agreeing not to violate CAN-SPAM again, both companies agreed to submit themselves to a series of FTC monitoring, record-keeping, and reporting provisions intended to keep them honest.
© Copyright 2006 Steptoe & Johnson LLP

GET YOUR ECOMMUNICATIONS GUIDE NOW
If you want your organisation to be compliant with South African eCommunication legislation then email us (info@vangaalenlaw.co.za ) your details (Fulle Name, name of your organisation, website address, email address and tel. no.) and we will forward you our eCommunications Guide. The eCommunication Guide will include the topic as mentioned above - "how to reflect an 'unsubscribe' opt-out function in accordance with sec. 45 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002"

Appeals Court says Denial of Service is a crime

A judge made a mistake when he suggested that a teenager using a 'mail-bombing' program to attack his former employer's computer system was not breaching the Computer Misuse Act, according to the Court of Appeal.

Others must learn from Morgan Stanley's missing emails

Morgan Stanley last week agreed to pay $15 million to settle a civil action brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to produce tens of thousands of emails requested during SEC investigations from 2000 to 2005.

ISO/IEC standard benchmarks provision of software asset management

A new ISO and IEC standard for managing software assets is expected to result in cost savings for users, whether large or small enterprises, as well as improved efficiency, risk management and customer (internal and external) satisfaction.

Published by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), ISO/IEC 19770-1:2006, Information technology - Software asset management - Part 1: Processes will enable organizations to benchmark their capability in delivering managed services, measuring service levels and assessing performance.

Software asset management (SAM) principles apply to the media, installations, licenses, proof of license, and intellectual property associated with the software. Until now the application of these business processes has been arbitrary and relatively few organizations have been able to implement a comprehensive strategy. The implementation of ISO/IEC 19770-1:2006 will standardize the framework making it possible for companies to integrate SAM into their other compliance and best practice models.

ISO/IEC 19770:2006, which is issued in two parts under the general title, Software asset management, will enable service providers to understand how to enhance the quality of service delivered to their customers, both internal and external.

• 
  Part 1: describes the processes involved in SAM.
• 
  Part 2: defines a product identification that will simplify the software inventory process*.

The standard is intended to align closely to, and to support, ISO/IEC 20000:2005, issued in two parts under the general title, Information technology - Service management.

If you think it is time to audit your existing Software Assest Management ("SAW") process / practise and amend same to reflect the latest standard, then contact van Gaalen Attorneys who will be able to:-

1. Execute a SAW audit;
2. Provide a GAP analysis (incl. recommendations);
3. Deliver and assist with the implementation of the required process flows, policies, notices etc.to ensure that your organisation is compliant with the ISO/IEC standard

Contact van Gaalen Attorneys for more information: info@vangaalenlaw.co.za or tel: 011 782 9511/2 or fax: 0866318898