|
April 2003 Volume 4, Issue 4
Editors Cherie W. Blackburn Robert W. Pearce, Jr. John C. McElwaine
1-800-237-2000 Nelson Mullins has more
than 275 attorneys firm-wide, with over 25 attorneys having
significant representation of e-commerce clients in areas including
patent, copyright and trademark protection; business planning,
securities and venture capital; and licensing, distribution and
contract preparation. Atlanta Contacts Neil Grayson Cherie
Blackburn Robert
Pearce John
McElwaine Charlotte Contact Jason
Sprenkle Myrtle Beach Contact Franklin
Daniels Columbia Contact Mark Dukes Greenville Contact Marvin
Quattlebaum William
Herlong CyberWatch is an Internet Law Group news digest published as a service to Nelson Mullins’ clients and friends. The articles are summaries of particular developments in the law and are not intended to be a solicitation or to render legal advice. This publication can be considered advertising under applicable laws.
CyberWatch
is a trademark of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, L.L.P. |
 |
|
|
(Editor’s Note: We apologize for the delay in getting the April issue of CyberWatch to you. We hope you will enjoy reading it, and we’ll send the May issue in two weeks.) China Arrests 4 People for SARS Internet Rumors The spread of the virus which causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has resulted in the death of more than 200 individuals in China, while thousands of others have been infected with the virus. Chinese officials are attempting to stop the spread of the virus, and of the Internet rumors about it. According to the official Chinese news agency, four individuals have been spreading rumors, alleging that Beijing will be sealed off to prevent the spread of SARS and that the virus avoids people who chain smoke cigarettes and overindulge in alcohol. The news agency said, “using SARS as an excuse, they purposefully spread harmful rumors causing social panic, undermining the fight against the spread of disease and destroying social order.” Source: The Financial Gazette Wacky Iraqi Information Minister On the Internet Iraq’s former Information Minister, Mohammad Saeed al-Sahaf, is rapidly becoming a major Cyber-Celebrity. He has become the subject of fan sites, spoof weblogs, petitions for new television shows, t-shirts and other merchandise. Mr. al-Sahaf was dismissed by many as a complete liar, but others saw a unique type of humor in him, in the face of overwhelming defeat. Some believe that the information minister was enjoying an outrageous private joke by making his patently absurd claims about the Iraqi war. One Internet site, “WelovetheIraqiInformationMinister.com,” has called Mr. al-Sahaf “history’s funniest straight man.” One of the best selling items on a website dedicated to the minister was an apron containing one of his statements: “God Will Roast Their Stomachs In Hell.” Several of the sites are trying to petition networks to set up a talk show for Mr. al-Sahaf if he has survived the war. One Web site went so far as to say that he would have a great future working for Enron right now. Source: Wired.com Certain Dot-Com Survivors Show Big Stock Market Gains Following the spectacular crash of many Internet-related companies, a few of the Internet survivors have shown sizable market gains through the end of April, 2003. Ebay shares have shown a 37 percent gain for 2003, while Yahoo’s stock climbed 51 percent through the end of April. Amazon, another clear Internet survivor, has seen its stock climb 52 percent. According to analysts, the surge of certain Internet stocks has been fueled by rapid revenue growth not found in the brick-and-mortar competitors of these companies. With many investors having been badly burned by the market downfall over the past three years, analysts are unsure whether these and other survivors have revolutionary breakthroughs for their businesses or whether another internet bubble is being formed. One analyst says it may take as long as 10 years to determine who truly will be the Internet company survivors. Source: ABCNews.go.com Kellogg Erroneously Awards Sweepstakes Grand Prizes In what is being blamed on a computer glitch, Kellogg Co.’s online sweepstakes resulted in erroneous e-mails being sent to thousands of contestants saying they had won a grand prize of 25,000 frequent flyer miles on American Airlines. Each of the awards would be worth a round-trip coach fare anywhere in the United States, and each had a retail value of $700. Only 60 grand prize awards should have been issued. A spokesperson for Kellogg said that they were apologizing for the technical error, and as a goodwill gesture, were issuing credits for 500 frequent flyer miles on American Airlines to each household that received an accidental grand prize notification. Source: Washingtonpost.com Online Travel Site Sees Profit Soar During First Three Months of 2003 Expedia, the largest travel site on the Internet, recorded record financial results during the first three months of 2003, despite war and terrorism related concerns of travelers. The company said net income quadrupled to $26.9 million. Evidencing the growing importance of online travel booking, Expedia reported a 71 percent increase in gross bookings this year. Source: SeatleTimes.NWSource.com Editor’s Note: Nelson Mullins partner, Richard Farrier, served on the editorial board for the recent publication Computer and Intellectual Property Crimes, by Bart Daniel, Matt Hubbell, and Miller Shealy. |
||
