Internet radio faces fee spectre

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to stop an increase in royalty and broadcasting fees, jeopardising the future of some stations. As a result of the decision, handed down on Wednesday, fee increases will take effect in two days, says Washington Post.

The Copyright Royalty Board, which is part of the Library of Congress, decided in March to almost triple royalty rates by 2010 and impose an annual $500 fee per station or channel.

The decision was urged by SoundExchange, an organisation created by the recording industry.

A report in this week's New England Journal of Medicine describes how a man running in a thunderstorm was burnt along the path of the earphones of his iPod and had his eardrums and jaw injured when he was struck by lightning, says Mac News World.

The emergency physicians reporting the incident say "the combination of sweat and metal earphones directed the current to, and through, the patient's head".

Does this mean having an iPod, mobile phone or any other personal electronic device increases the carrier's chances of being struck by lightning? Not at all, according to Michael Utley, lightning strike survivor and founder of non-profit educational organisation Struckbylightning.org. "Nothing attracts lightning, except height and isolation."

Americans have two choices for getting high-speed Internet access: the local cable company or the local telephone company, reports Forbes.

Hoping to increase competition, regulators have promised a third choice will become available when TV broadcasters abandon part of the airwaves as part of the digital revolution.

But a proposal previewed this week by the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission suggests dreams of a "third pipe" for broadband is really a pipe dream. A critical provision that some say is needed to attract a new broadband competitor did not make it into the draft.

Warner Music Group is dropping its copyright infringement lawsuit against Imeem, a music-based social networking site, and will instead partner with the start-up, says NZ Herald.

Warner says it will make its songs and videos available to Imeem users in North America for free, on-demand streaming that will be supported by advertising.

The music giant, home to artists including Madonna and Red Hot Chili Peppers, filed a lawsuit in May against San Francisco-based Imeem for allowing fans to share its music without permission. Warner claimed the company built a base of over 16 million users by capitalising on the "illegal use of 'free music'."