Where Law, Technology and Life Meet…
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Interesting interview of the head of the FTC and her viewpoint on regulation of the net. I wonder why they are still only studying the issue of net neutrality- with the legislation pending, they should make more of an effort to join the dialogue.
Here is an interesting article from CNET on the silver lining of the Bubble- the bubble is a gentler bubble and since the cost of technology is far less in terms of capital and talent requirements, this bubble will hurt less as it bursts.
That is is a glass half full view, but one that is not without merit.
Though this commentator portrays this as an old dog learning new tricks, Angel investors have been offering this form of investment vehicle for years.
Charles River Ventures introduces friendly “convertible” seed round
Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks… CRV, one of the oldest venture partnerships in the country, has launched a program they are calling Quickstart to seed invest up to $250k in the form of convertible loans.
This may be the first instance of a web mashup facing litigation based on the manner and effect of the data that it presents.
from cnn.com
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Zillow.com, a real estate valuation Web site, has been named in a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission by a consumer advocacy group, which charges the site’s home valuations mislead consumers, real estate professionals and lenders.
from cnet.com
Here is a great article on Google’s evolving strategy.
Google has the leg up on all of them, though, not because it’s markedly easier to use or has more features–it isn’t and it doesn’t–but because of the direct AdSense connection.
Last Thursday I attended the SDForum re-launch of the Open Source Software SIG. For those of you who don’t know, SDForum (Software Developer Forum) is a Silicon Valley not-for-profit organization providing an unbiased source of information and insight to the technology community for the past 23 years. SDForum provides a venue for engineers, executives, researchers, technology leaders, and venture capitalists to exchange information on emerging technologies and best practices.
The Open Source SIG (Special Interest Group) was re-launched after a few month hiatus. The speaker panel included Mark Brewer, CEO Covalent, Munwar Shariff, COO Cignex, Roy Singham, Thoughtworks, and was moderated by Andrew Aitken, Managing Director, The Olliance Group.
Here are some of the top themes that emerged from this meeting:
It sounds funny to me that the regulators are just discussing the danger that this represents.
from reuters.com
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - High-tech crooks are hijacking online brokerage accounts using spyware and operating from remote locations, sometimes in Eastern Europe, U.S. market regulators said on Friday.
The computer “incursions” are a growing problem, said Walter Ricciardi, deputy enforcement director at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“It’s something we’re very concerned about,” he said in remarks at a legal conference in Washington.
from law.com
nternet domain-name arbitration disputes have risen by more than a quarter since January 2005 — despite the expansion of generic top-level domain addresses like .biz and .info — as cybersquatters find more sophisticated ways of encroaching on legitimate Web sites.
The Minneapolis-based National Arbitration Forum reported a 25 percent hike in domain name-related disputes it administered in 2005.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which handles about half of such disputes, experienced a 24 percent jump in cases filed to 1,457 in 2005. For the first six months of this year, 900 cases were filed with WIPO. Complainants can choose an organization to handle their domain name disputes. The two providers that handle the vast majority of cases are WIPO and NAF.
from MSNBC.com
One media outlet’s discussion of the behind the scenes action in the Google/Youtube deal.
NEW YORK - YouTube Inc. announced deals Monday to license content from two major record companies just hours before the wildly popular video Web site agreed to be bought by Google Inc.
YouTube reached deals with Vivendi’s Universal Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment that will let the Web site post music videos and content from users that includes copyrighted material in exchange for sharing ad revenue.
I think the real question will be the ability of these smaller funds will be their ability to remain as an aligned interest if the startup takes a longer than expected time for an exit event.
from mercurynews.com
To be a serious player in Silicon Valley, you’ve long had two options: working for a venture capital firm or becoming an angel investor and plowing your own considerable wealth into budding technology start-ups. Now a new model may be emerging, that of the microfund manager.
For a variety of reasons, a growing number of investors are raising their own, small funds of $10 million to $15 million. Three, all with a slightly different makeup, have sprung up in the past month alone, all with one thing in common: Each is run by one individual who is showing up at the table with other people’s money.
Some of these investors are frustrated with the structure of venture capital partnerships, while others want to invest in extremely small start-ups that traditional VC firms that have been ballooning in size have begun to ignore.
“It’s sort of the next step of angel investing,” says Mark Heesen, the president of the National Venture Capital Association. “VCs just don’t have ability to invest in extremely early stage companies any more, and someone needs to do that in organized fashion. So I think there is a market there, that the timing is right.”