China: Gmail vs Gmail.cn

Seem like Google Mail (Gmail) is engaging in another battle for domain name. This time in China.
Gmail is trying to buy the domain name from Gmail.cn, owned by an ISP company in China. Beside China, Google Mail is also facing the same issue in other countries.

Sources for reading:
1. CNNMoney.com - Google fights for Gmail domain
2. CNet News.com - In China, Google grapples with Gmail domain dispute
3. Gmail.cn website (Chinese) - Google在中国受挫 购买Gmail.cn遭拒绝

Smallest RFID Chip: Made in Malaysia

Product: Smallest RFID chip with built-in antenna
Producer: Malaysia Microchip (MM) Project

Features:

• Multi-band frequencies
• Can be embedded on paper
• Has its own serial number

Applications:
1st government application - RFID-enabled B certificates (holographic security labels to verify the authenticity of film discs)

Future Applications:

• Marriage certificates
• Birth certificates
• Foreign workers' identification cards
• Malaysian passports (Its already contained the smartest chip in the world)
• Road Tax
• Bank Cheque
• Bank Notes (No more counterfeit notes in the market)
• University diploma and certificates (can counter forged or bogus university certificates)
• e-baggage management application in airports

RFID in Education:
Universiti Teknikal Melaka on Student IDs to monitor time and examination attendance as well as for asset management system.

Source: TheStar, 25th Feb 2007

Personal Opinion:
RFID proved to be a very versatile and useful identification tag which will lead to improvement on the effectiveness and efficiency of any work process and supply chain. However, the main concerns are still lingering on the two main issues namely COST and PRIVACY.

Cost - Will the manufacturers transfer the higher cost of using RFID to the consumers instead?
Privacy - Will the privacy of the document/certificate holders be intruded, where their location can be easily traced with the use of mobile handheld devices?

Domain Names Dispute - Gmail vs G-mail

Familiar with Gmail? It's Google Mail.
How about G-mail? Is it the same as above? NO. It is Giersch mail, an electronic postal delivery business in Germany and Switzerland run by Daniel Giersch.

This Domain Names dispute is happening in Switzerland. The funny part is that both Giersch and Google received Swiss rights to the name in 2005, although Giersch applied for his trademark several months before Google did, and both remain in possession of those marks.

Last year, Giersch has won in Germany court on the German trademark for G-mail , also against Google.

Google also involved in another legal battle in Poland for Gmail.pl. Why? GMAiL.pl is currently being used by Grupa Mlodych Artystow i Literatow (GMAiL), or Group of Young Artists and Writers.

An interesting fact from Wikipedia - gmail.com was belonged to Garfield.com. It was used as a free online e-mail services offered by Garfield.com. Now it has moved to e-garfield.com.

Personal opinion:
These issues of domain names disputes happen when Google going for localisation of its services. Is it a good idea for Google to go local rather than sticking to their own famous brand - gmail.com? How about gmail in Malaysia - gmail.my? Are we foreseeing any dispute on this in the future? Who will prevail in the end of these Goliath vs Davids? Enough questions for everyone to ponder here.

Software Piracy 2006 report on Malaysia

These are some statistics from the IIPA's (International Intellectual Property Alliance) 2006 report on piracy.

• Malaysian music piracy is down 4% last year from 49% to 45%.
• At the same time, the business software piracy is up 1% to 61% from 60% the previous year.
• Motion pictures piracy is high at 91%.
• Entertainment software decrease 1% from 91% to 90%.
• Estimated losses from the books piracy is US$9 million (RM31.5 million)

With these results, Malaysia remained in the Watch List (less critical from the Priority Watch List) of the US Trade Representative (USTR) Piracy Watch since 2001. Our country once occupied the list of the Priority Watch List before.

The current Priority Watch List consisted of:

• Asia - India, China & Thailand
• Europe - Russia, Ukraine
• America - Argentina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela
• Africa - Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey

Seems like we are not too bad as compared to these countries.

IIPA also published a summary of its global initiatives in 2007.

Two positives reports on Malaysian's effort in combating software piracy were also mentioned, namely:

• The closure of 11 CD plants, a commendable efforts to tackle the optical over-production problem (resulting in less supply)
  
• Sustained efforts against retail outlets that sell pirated software like raids on the shopping complexes such as Low Yat, Imbi Plaze and many more (resulting in less marketplaces)
  

IIPA concerns for Malaysia:

• Backlogs of IP (Intellectual Property) cases in court. (An IP Court will be most likely to be established this year in Malaysia by Malaysian Government)
• Clamp down on the export of pirated product from Malaysia (Made in Malaysia pirated software are well distributed worldwide)
• Increase in mobile music piracy (shopping complexes, night market etc)
  
• Emergence of more 'hard goods' websites distributing pirated movies.

Sources:
TheStar, 22 February 2007 (Malaysia to remain on piracy Watch List?)
IIPA website

Minister: Malaysian Telcos need to improve their services!

Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik highlighted that telecommunication companies in Malaysia need to improve on the following four key areas:

1. Extending coverage throughout the country - putting up more transmission towers and units to cover every town and village (achieving full coverage nationwide), providing uninterrupted services all the time at every location. No more excuses such as "no line la"...
   
2. Conducting audit checks on the authenticity of registered pre-paid line users - 17.8 million pre-paid users (90%) registered as at 16 December 2006 in an compulsory exercise. An additional 2 weeks extension was given for the remaining 10% to register.
   
3. Providing number portability - changing mobile operator will not be a major hassle for the users as they can retain their favourite number should this be implemented.
   
4. Better broadband connectivity - with more channels made available to the users such as 3G, Wimax and direct fiber optic connection. Hopefully with this, Internet connection speed can be further increased tremendously.
   

This is aimed to provide better mobile phone access and broadband services by the end of the year by translating the huge profits obtained each year.

(Source: TheStar InTech, 20 Feb 2007)

E-Filling in Malaysia - Taxpayers to receive PIN via mail

In the effort to encourage more citizens to use the e-fillilng, Malaysian's Inland Revenue Board (IRB) will send the PIN for online tax registration through mail to the taxpayers.

I believe this initiative come after the numerous feedbacks on the inconvenience of collecting the PIN from the IRB offices. Definitely, I am in support of this move as it helps to reduce the inconvenience caused last year and it will encourage more citizens to use the e-Filling.

Revolutionise the court proceeding in Malaysia

A few suggestions has been brought up to revolutionise the court proceedings in Malaysia. These include:

• using computers to take down notes of court proceedings
• the possibility of using video conferencing in all cases
• the court should records notes using audio or visual aids

(TheStar, 7 February 2007, pg 10)