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There is no more influential business lobby group in the world than the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which boasts that its "core purpose is to fight for free enterprise" and "individual freedom."

Which is why the Chamber's unflagging--even unyielding--support of a controversial copyright bill loathed by Silicon Valley might come as something of a surprise. Not only do critics view the Stop Online Piracy Act as antithetical to the individual freedom the Chamber applauds, but the technology industry has contributed more to economic growth and free enterprise in the last decade than Hollywood has. … Read more

As Cyber Monday draws near and debate continues about the Stop Online Piracy Act, the U.S. government has again seized a bevy of domain names it says belong to Web sites that deal in counterfeit goods.

Blog TorrentFreak ran a list of more than 130 domains it said were seized by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security's Immigrations and Customs Enforcement division as part of "Operation in Our Sites." TorrentFreak called the move the largest such round of seizures to date.

Most of the domain names suggest sites that traffic in counterfeit … Read more

As I look at my iPad 2 sitting next to me, I wonder how a device with the same basic proportions could actually be thinner. Yet, the latest rumor says that Apple will forgo the IPS (in-plane switching) display for the iPad 3, instead favoring a Sharp-manufactured display that will be thinner and lower-powered than IPS can manage.

Sharp, as it turns out, is also at the top of the rumor list for the heavily expected iTV (Apple's television project hinted at by Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson) as the primary display manufacturer.

Analyst Peter Misek claimed in the … Read more

Break out the parachute pants and that red leather Michael Jackson zipper jacket you have stashed in the back of the closet. iHome's iP4 portable boom box for iPhone is going retro with a vengeance.

Just looking at the ghetto blaster design of the iP4 iPhone and iPod stereo dock makes me want to get a perm, rock some Cyndi Lauper, and see what Geraldo is up to these days.

The iP4 has more in common with a traditional boom box than just looks. It also runs on six D batteries so you can heft it up on your shoulder and strut down the street blasting the "Footloose" theme song. The original, not the remake.

Nostalgia doesn't always come cheap. The iP4 costs $199.99. At least the technology has come a long way. The 7.5-pound boom box features a five-band graphic equalizer with an LCD display, FM radio, and backlit buttons.

The speakers are composed of 4-inch carbon composite woofers and 1-inch ferrofluid-cooled tweeters.

Now all you need is one of those brick-size '80s cell phones to complete the tech look. Totally tubular!… Read more

commentary The introduction late last week by members of the House Judiciary Committee of the "Stop Online Piracy Act," or SOPA, may test a long-standing reluctance by technology companies to take up arms in the legislative battleground.

The bill, introduced as the House version of the Senate's Protect IP Act, solves few of the glaring problems of the Senate bill and introduces many all its own. While Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) may have given in to hyperbole in calling SOPA "the end of the Internet as we know it," there is certainly a great deal … Read more

Now that we've had a few days to digest the MPAA-backed Stop Online Piracy Act (PDF), can we all finally agree that the MPAA is evil and Hollywood wants the Internet to die? And then can we stop letting them write laws for us?

SOPA is the latest--and perhaps the most brazen--effort in a string of attempts by the MPAA and RIAA to bend the Internet to their corporate will and undermine all kinds of consumer rights. It's a breathtaking piece of work that would give Hollywood and private companies free reign to censor, remove, or prevent the … Read more

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the California Democrat whose district includes the heart of Silicon Valley, is preparing to lead congressional opposition to the new Stop Online Piracy Act.

The antipiracy legislation, introduced yesterday in the House of Representatives to the applause of lobbyists for Hollywood and other large content holders, is designed to make allegedly copyright-infringing Web sites, sometimes called "rogue" Web sites, virtually disappear from the Internet.

"I'm still reviewing the legislation, but from what I've already read, this would mean the end of the Internet as we know it," Lofgren told CNET.

Lofgren, … Read more

Hollywood's lobbyists have launched a bold new anti-piracy offensive in Washington that will face strong opposition from Internet companies and users who worry it goes too far and jeopardizes free speech rights.

A dozen members of the U.S. House of Representatives today announced they've jointly introduced a new bill intended to make allegedly copyright-infringing Web sites, sometimes called "rogue" Web sites, virtually disappear from the Internet.

The bill, called the Stop Online Piracy Act (PDF)--although because the sponsors dubbed the Web-blocking portions the "E-PARASITE Act," it's likely to become known by … Read more

Microsoft has completed its $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype Global, giving the software company a major foothold in the growing market for Internet telephony services.

"Skype is a phenomenal product and brand that is loved by hundreds of millions of people around the world," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement late last night. "We look forward to working with the Skype team to create new ways for people to stay connected to family, friends, clients and colleagues--anytime, anywhere."

Microsoft announced in May the deal to acquire Skype. A final hurdle was cleared last … Read more