Exxon Mobile beats Alabama State in Legal Dispute by Barbora Kasparova

Exxon Mobile, the controversial world's largest corporation has won one of its cases (another one - Exxon Valdez Oil Spill case is still on Appeal to the United States Supreme Court) and is saved from paying $3.6 billion. The Supreme Court of Alabama ruled in its favor on Thursday in a dispute over natural gas royalties with the State of Alabama.Exxon Mobile was sued by the Alabama State (the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) in 1999. The Alabama State claimed the corporation intentionally underpaid the state for royalties and accused the company of fraud. The Exxon Mobile representatives objected it was a mere contractual dispute that was the issue. "It affirms what we've said all along that this was never a fraud case," Dave Boyd, Exxon Mobile attorney declared after yesterday's court decision.In 2003 decision, the Montgomery Court ruled in favor of the State of Alabama and as the judge cut the jury verdict, the total damages came down to $ 3.6 billion dollars. On Thursday Nov 01st, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling, by which it overrode the punitive damages clause (which constituted a 3.5 billion dollars) and kept the compensatory damages of 51.9 million for the breach of contract for Exxon Mobile to pay to the State of Alabama. The case was sent back to the circuit court to specify the interest of the sum. As Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Tom Parker stated: "The State bore the burden of proof on its fraud claim, and it did not present substantial evidence!"

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071101/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_protest;_ylt=AhOmTMF8XUmFCabVk7aTDtms0NUE

by Barbora Kasparova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are brought to you by CantellTV, its technology partner SigEx Telecom and its founder Chris Cantell. CantellTV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with enhanced communications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface. CantellTV has relationships with a growing network of international clients delivering millions of videos per day with more than 50,000 new videos uploaded and 200 hours of new TV shows broadcasted daily to a wide range of viewers, from 5 to 7 year olds of LiveCartoons; to 16 to 24 year old active social users of MyJumps; to fortune 50 corporate clients utilizing enhanced broadcasting services. CantellTV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers. Chris Cantell retains consulting arrangements with several pre-IPO companies.

Edited by Iveta Nagyova

Steve Jobs was asked to testify in a backdating options lawsuit by Corina Ciubotaru

Apple's former counsel Nancy Heinen is currently involved in a lawsuit concerning backdated options being awarded to Apple employees in 2001. This isn't something new in the business world, as this is a common practice that gives recipients more money for their options and many companies have had to deal with the law because of it. The illegal part of an operation like this is not reporting it to regulators, not the backdating itself. Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO has been asked to testify in the lawsuit, but he is not being charged. Some claim he couldn't have been involved as he doesn't understand the laws behind backdating options, and a separate investigation cleared him and all Apple employees from any implication in the matter. The former CFO of the company based in Cupertino, California, Mr. Fred Anderson was also charged with backdating by the SEC and paid $3.65 million in fines even though he always claimed he was not guilty. Three subpoenas were issued in this case so far, of which one was addressed to Jobs and one to Heinen; the third recipient's identity is not known and several other subpoenas are expected to be issued soon. Heinen's lawyers initially wanted to have 45 people testify but the court asked them to reduce the number to a maximum of 12, which makes it more difficult for them to prove their client had only acted on her bosses' orders. She was arrested on April 24th, but a trial date is yet to be set.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070920/ap_on_hi_te/apple_jobs_subpoena;_ylt=AugymHESFD4vKRtMX4a4iRSs0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are brought to you by CantellTV, its technology partner SigEx Telecom and its founder Chris Cantell. CantellTV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with enhanced communications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface. CantellTV has relationships with a growing network of international clients delivering millions of videos per day with more than 50,000 new videos uploaded and 200 hours of new TV shows broadcasted daily to a wide range of viewers, from 5 to 7 year olds of LiveCartoons; to 16 to 24 year old active social users of MyJumps; to fortune 50 corporate clients utilizing enhanced broadcasting services. CantellTV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers. Chris Cantell retains consulting arrangements with several pre-IPO companies.

Edited by: Katarina Bosanska

Microsoft bails out

by Claudia Sonea

After years of legal battle with EU Competition Commission, on Monday Microsoft dropped and agreed to share software information with rivals in order to make programs to operate on Windows. The largest software company in the world will smooth access to the open source developers who according to the EU are the only virtual alternative users have and also confirmed that will not appeal anymore a EU Court of First Instance decision on September 17 that rejected its objection to the 2004 order gave by European Commission finding it guilty of monopoly abuse. The settlement is the result of negotiations between EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer during a period of three weeks. Kroes declared that the company will no longer monopolize 95 percent share of all desktop operating system; there will be only a one-time fee of 10000 euros to any software developer, including those operating open source systems like Lynux. Also developers like IBM Corp or and Sun Microsystems Inc that sell software based on Lynux will pay a worldwide patent fee of 0.4 percent of revenues for Microsoft's data. This differs from the initial demands of Microsoft that demanded a percentage of future sales and the original rate for patent fee was 5.95 percent. Moreover, it will charge now for only 31 server protocols instead of 154 originally offered for protocol. EU Competition Commissionier also stated that Vista version might pose problems due to the Internet search, integrated security software, digital rights management tools for copyright protection. Shane Coughlan of the Free Software Foundation Europe although admits to be a big change for Microsoft, prefers to wait and see how will everything go in practice. Nevertheless, this change had added 34 cents at the company's shares. Stay connected and find out if the trust will pay the fine of 497 millions euros and comply to the 2004 EU decisions until the end.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071022/ap_on_hi_te/eu_microsoft;_ylt=ArZFhb6TYFSgRDoWBhkZJj.s0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are brought to you by CantellTV, its technology partner SigEx Telecom and its founder Chris Cantell. CantellTV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with enhanced communications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface. CantellTV has relationships with a growing network of international clients delivering millions of videos per day with more than 50,000 new videos uploaded and 200 hours of new TV shows broadcasted daily to a wide range of viewers, from 5 to 7 year olds of LiveCartoons; to 16 to 24 year old active social users of MyJumps; to fortune 50 corporate clients utilizing enhanced broadcasting services. CantellTV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers. Chris Cantell retains consulting arrangements with several pre-IPO companies.


Posted by: Jana Kalicka

Chris Cantell Discusses Lawsuits: You have 41 new text messages.

by Barbie Kunkelova

Roughly forty-seven people communicating via the same social networking website (the so-called Facebook Inc.) are a pretty strong proof of this phenomenon's success and fame. Originally, it was launched by a Harvard graduate Mark Zuckerberg at the beginning of 2004 for the purpose of improving communication among Harvard students. He named it after the facebooks the college students (freshmen) are given when they enroll at the university. It is designed to help the students to get to know each other easier. Throughout the next few months Facebook expanded to more American colleges in Boston Area and more and more joined it during the upcoming years. Probably due to a globalization stimulus Facebook spread and was available worldwide & to anyone who possessed a college or university e-mail address (India or Israel joined it in 2006). Nowadays you don't have to be educated to join. The sign-in process has now only certain age requirements. After three years of functioning Mark's website made it to worlds seventh most visited webpage and it became the number one among college students (along with beating any other webpage by the amount of uploaded photos (8.5 million daily, according to Wikipedia). It cooperates with companies like iTunes or YouTube. In May, Facebook announced it will launch a new feature, the Facebook Marketplace. Here free classified advertisements are possible. An issue with text messaging arose on Monday. Lindsey Abrams filed a lawsuit against Facebook for receiving offending messages from it to her new cell phone. She was also charged for all of them. After her case was publicized, thousands of people with new phones complained about the same problem. Many huge corporations (like Microsoft, according to WSJ) tried to buy a minority stake in Facebook, but Mark is determined to keep Facebook independent.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071022/ap_on_hi_te/facebook_lawsuit;_ylt=AmcLBwWRFkw5BNaWjPsP5Xqs0NUE

by Barbie Kunkelova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are brought to you by CantellTV, its technology partner SigEx Telecom and its founder Chris Cantell. CantellTV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with enhanced communications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface. CantellTV has relationships with a growing network of international clients delivering millions of videos per day with more than 50,000 new videos uploaded and 200 hours of new TV shows broadcasted daily to a wide range of viewers, from 5 to 7 year olds of LiveCartoons; to 16 to 24 year old active social users of MyJumps; to fortune 50 corporate clients utilizing enhanced broadcasting services. CantellTV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers. Chris Cantell retains consulting arrangements with several pre-IPO companies.


Posted by: Jana Kalicka

Catch me if you can! by Barbie Kunkelova

bet you a $100 bill that any person in this bank knows the name Frank Abagnale Jr. On the contrary, I bet they know everything about him. This young man was a criminal back in the 1960s, a pretty famous criminal indeed. He wrote false checks (worth more than $5.2 million) all over the world and represented himself as a qualified member of professions such as a doctor, attorney, sociology teacher at a university or American Airlines pilot. After 5 prosperous years he got caught but at the same time became so knowledgeable about fraud that he opened a financial fraud consultancy company after expiating 5 years of working for the US government without getting salary. He did all this for fun. What is the situation of "cleaning the money" today? Money-laundering, according to Wikipedia, is the practice of engaging in specific financial transactions in order to conceal the identity, source or destination of money. Both individuals and firms do this deception for personal gains. However, in order to spare some money, people don't have to necessarily hide money's background information. They can also deceive the law by tax evasion and tax avoidance. Or smartly participate by presenting false accounting. This is a natural part of the business world. The fun is keeping the won money. And I bet you even $500 that the Lloyds TSB Bank or Bank of Cyprus are not going to enjoy the outcome of their money-laundering. The US federal prosecutors filed charges against Lloyds of $130 million and of $162 million for Bank of Cyprus. In the case of Lloyds TSB Bank this is not the first fraud & the last one happened in year 2002.

related story: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20071015/tts-uk-lloyds-bankofcyprus-suit-a8bf950_2.html

by Barbie Kunkelova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are brought to you by CantellTV, its technology partner SigEx Telecom and its founder Chris Cantell. CantellTV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with enhanced communications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface. CantellTV has relationships with a growing network of international clients delivering millions of videos per day with more than 50,000 new videos uploaded and 200 hours of new TV shows broadcasted daily to a wide range of viewers, from 5 to 7 year olds of LiveCartoons; to 16 to 24 year old active social users of MyJumps; to fortune 50 corporate clients utilizing enhanced broadcasting services. CantellTV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers. Chris Cantell retains consulting arrangements with several pre-IPO companies.

Edited by Iveta Nagyova

Drunk autopilot.

by Barbie Kunkelova

The Exxon Valdez oil spill took place on March 24, 1989 in Alaska. It was probably the most devastating environmental disaster caused by a human ever to occur at sea. The accident happened at midnight while the ship was on autopilot and hit a coral reef. Around 11 million gallons of crude oil (out of 53 that were on the board) were spilled into the water. No wonder that thousands of salmons (chronic exposure to the oil boosted mortality among salmon eggs for over four years afterwards), sea otters, seals and sea birds (over 250,000, according to Science Daily) were killed. As the scientists found out in year 2003, the effects this spill had on the Prince William Sound are still showing. Those toxic insults to the Alaskan environment have long-term impacts on various plant and animal species. The experiments showed that the oil has persisted in large quantities for years after the accident. It is crucial to get exact results in order to motivate the oil companies to better control their shipping. Revising and enforcing the water quality standards can help restore fisheries' production lost due to pollution. On Monday, October 30, (18 years after the spill) the Supreme Court in Washington D.C. agreed to consider whether a federal jury ordered the oil giant Exxon Mobil to pay illegally high punitive damages. Lawyers supporting Exxon argued that $2.5 billion was way too much as a way of compensation to the fishermen, cannery workers and others. Exxon stated that at issue it a maritime law that says that ship owners are not responsible for damages caused by the ship-master who disregarded the owner's policies and orders - Joseph Hazelwood drove the ship under the influence of alcohol. So far Exxon Mobil paid $3.4 billion in cleanup costs and government fines. According to ANH, the challenge for the remaining $2.5 billion is rumored to start in early 2008.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071029/ap_on_bi_ge/scotus_exxon_valdez;_ylt=AlD8aHlJ3EkBhWA1IqBkSI2s0NUE

by Barbie Kunkelova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are brought to you by CantellTV, its technology partner SigEx Telecom and its founder Chris Cantell. CantellTV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with enhanced communications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface. CantellTV has relationships with a growing network of international clients delivering millions of videos per day with more than 50,000 new videos uploaded and 200 hours of new TV shows broadcasted daily to a wide range of viewers, from 5 to 7 year olds of LiveCartoons; to 16 to 24 year old active social users of MyJumps; to fortune 50 corporate clients utilizing enhanced broadcasting services. CantellTV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers. Chris Cantell retains consulting arrangements with several pre-IPO companies.


Posted by: Jana Kalicka

Apple and Burst.com at peace by Claudia Sonea

On Wednesday Apple and Burst.com ended a legal lawsuit over a patent, after almost 2 years. The dispute started after in 2004 Burst approached Apple to secure a license for the Burst technology and then Burst's attorneys brought on Apple the allegation of infringing on patents. Due to the fact that political debates failed Apple filed with the U.S. District Court in San Francisco a declaratory relief complaint. Technology used in Apple's popular iPod player and iTunes software and service is Discord's apple. Burst.com in a press release that the agreement between the two supposed for Apple to get complete access to Burst.com's patent portfolio with some exceptions (current and pending patents, including three pending patents relating to digital video recorder (DVR) technology) in exchange of $10 million. Furthermore, Burst agreed not to sue Apple over current or pending DVR patents. After the court expenses are deducted, the proceeds to Burst.com will be reduced to $4.6 million. Neither Apple's officials, nor Burst's were found to give any comments on the matter or on the agreement. Despite the fact that Burst won, there is a certain doubt if the giant company actually infringed Burst's pattern or it just settled out an agreement because the lawsuit became more expensive than a deal. The company Burst.com sued Microsoft last year for a similar reason and demanded $60 million compensation. Is there a pattern or indeed the giants dared to steal from them? Don't go away, this problem promises to be more than interesting, therefore: more to come!

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/20071122/tc_macworld/lawsuit20071121;_ylt=AsjvUW971tpZzgaL5aYn85AjtBAF

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are brought to you by CantellTV, its technology partner SigEx Telecom and its founder Chris Cantell. CantellTV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with enhanced communications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface. CantellTV has relationships with a growing network of international clients delivering millions of videos per day with more than 50,000 new videos uploaded and 200 hours of new TV shows broadcasted daily to a wide range of viewers, from 5 to 7 year olds of LiveCartoons; to 16 to 24 year old active social users of MyJumps; to fortune 50 corporate clients utilizing enhanced broadcasting services. CantellTV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers. Chris Cantell retains consulting arrangements with several pre-IPO companies.

edited by Barbora Matulova

Katrina by Zuzana Valkova

You would say how beautiful name. But after the August 2005 in the United States, is this name one of the most hated. Hurricane Katrina came to the New Orleans area and destroyed everything what was in its way. The day before, started one of the biggest evacuation actions in the history. On August 29 died 1464 people, mostly elderly and poor people, who didn't have a chance to leave the city. The main problem caused by this hurricane was that the strength of it destroyed about 50 flood walls and levees near the city. So the water didn't have any other barrier and could easily drown the city. Many people weren't able to leave the city, so they had to swim in that dangerous, dirty, cold water and try to find a place where to stay. Others had to hide on the roofs of their houses or in totally strange buildings. 80 % of the city was under the water. Somewhere was the water level 15 feet high. New Orleans stadium called Superdome became the refugee camp for people who remained there. People from all over the country came to help to army and doctors to save and care about injured or weak people. Many people brought food, clothes, and many donate their money. Lots of people help with searching for people alive and cleaning the mess. All the country came together. It's sad that they could do this only because of hurricane like this.Katrina was hurricane category 5. It didn't affect only Louisiana and New Orleans, but also Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Cuba and Bahamas.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080131/ap_on_re_us/katrina_levee_suit;_ylt=AgPDO5VLXyyXKQXI9xykdXOs0NUE

by Zuzana Valkova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are brought to you by CantellTV, its technology partner SigEx Telecom and its founder Chris Cantell. CantellTV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with enhanced communications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface. CantellTV has relationships with a growing network of international clients delivering millions of videos per day with more than 50,000 new videos uploaded and 200 hours of new TV shows broadcasted daily to a wide range of viewers, from 5 to 7 year olds of LiveCartoons; to 16 to 24 year old active social users of MyJumps; to fortune 50 corporate clients utilizing enhanced broadcasting services. CantellTV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers. Chris Cantell retains consulting arrangements with several pre-IPO companies.

Edited by Zuzana Tylkova

Is there any privacy on internet? by Romana Schlesingerova

Internet opens the world of products and services that can be hard to find in your closer area. You will find the information easy and comparing prices in several stores will take just few minutes. Purchasing via internet is offering to shop from the comfort of your home in places; you will maybe never visit at all. There are no closing hours and if you want, you can shop all day and night. Are you looking for a book or a suitable gift for friends? Without a bigger effort, you will find it on the internet, even with a cup of coffee and slippers on your feet.What is the actual price of this luxury?Penetration of your privacy is one of them. Many website ask you about your personal information for finishing the transaction alone, or just for marketing purposes. Some companies have the rights to use these information, although, some can misuse them.When you present your credit card`s number via the internet, it is possible, they will be caught by thieves. Your financial information saved in the company`s database can be stolen by computer hackers or even the employees of the company alone.Internet is way too full to be controlled. Next to the legal salesmen and corporations, you can get stuck with cheaters. It is very easy to create a perfect website and present yourself as a serious merchant on any of online auctions. Sending e-mail offers is also very economic and doesn't take a lot of time.Some people get angry talking about the issue of privacy. They say, there is any. Our phone calls are being recorded and Bushes administration allowed the security services to read our e-mails. Considering this, the boundaries of the internet communication is kind of ironical. How about if we use the same rules as in the real life- just being careful.

by Romana Schlesingerova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are brought to you by CantellTV, its technology partner SigEx Telecom and its founder Chris Cantell. CantellTV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with enhanced communications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface. CantellTV has relationships with a growing network of international clients delivering millions of videos per day with more than 50,000 new videos uploaded and 200 hours of new TV shows broadcasted daily to a wide range of viewers, from 5 to 7 year olds of LiveCartoons; to 16 to 24 year old active social users of MyJumps; to fortune 50 corporate clients utilizing enhanced broadcasting services. CantellTV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers. Chris Cantell retains consulting arrangements with several pre-IPO companies.

edited by Barbora Matulova