P2P Needs a Fix, but What?Wired, December 17, 2004
As the Federal Trade Commission's two-day workshop exploring peer-to-peer technology ended Thursday, both sides in the debate expressed a willingness to work together but found little common ground. The FTC is collecting preliminary information on P2P technology and software, which detractors claim often mislead consumers by giving them the impression that they can legally download copyright works without permission.
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AOL Settlement Includes Tight ControlsWahsington Post, December 17, 2004
America Online Inc.'s settlement with the Justice Department imposes a strict new set of controls on the company, including requirements that the Internet giant hire a corporate monitor and disclose serious wrongdoing discovered internally to the government.
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FTC Issues Final Rules Defining CAN-SPAMClickZ, December 17, 2004
One year to the day after the original CAN-SPAM bill was signed into law, the Federal Trade Commission issued final regulations specifying what constitutes an e-mail with "commercial primary purpose". The ruling closely follows the text of the proposal released on August 13, with important new specifics that seek to dispel the ambiguity around determining the primary purpose of dual-use messages, said Catherine Harrington-McBride, staff attorney for the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
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eBay to buy Rent.com for $415 millionCnet, December 16, 2004
eBay announced late Thursday that it had agreed to acquire the apartment rental service Rent.com for $415 million, the latest move in its expansion beyond Internet auctions.
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