Intel takes out $1.25bn insurance policy

Intel's take on yesterday's settlement of its multiple legal entanglements with rival AMD is simple: we didn't do anything wrong, we're not going to change, and we think $1.25 billion is a reasonable amount to spend to avoid trial - and, possibly, to guard against even more serious legal challenges, reports The Register.

Or, as Intel executive VP and COO Andy Bryant told reporters during a Thursday morning conference call: "The risk/reward relationship said that this was better than taking [our] chances in front of a jury."

Intel CEO Paul Otellini agreed with Bryant's assessment. In his prepared statement he noted: "The vast majority of anti-trust cases are settled out of court, not because the company being sued believes it acted wrongly, but because anti-trust lawsuits are massively complex, and because under US law, damages triple. These cases can be extremely expensive, and the risk is very high."

Thousands of Xbox 360 owners who have been cut off from Microsoft's Xbox Live service will have to buy a new console if they want to play online again, writes the BBC.

Microsoft told BBC News that banned machines will be permanently barred and "unable to connect to Xbox Live".

A message displayed on affected consoles said there was "no recourse for terms of use violations".

After years of talk but little action, the government's plan to open up state data online is finally gathering momentum, says Computing.co.uk.

Last month, the Cabinet Office set up a beta version of www.data.gov.uk with more than 1 000 datasets for developers to test the potential for re-using information. Currently, the site can only be accessed by registered developers, but the government hopes to open it to the public next month.

In addition, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, brought in by Gordon Brown earlier this year to oversee the project, recently met the Cabinet to update them on progress ‑ reportedly leaving them in awe.

Accused Nasa hacker Gary McKinnon has won the support of a key Parliamentary committee, which has called on the British government to block a request to extradite him to the US, reports The Register.

In a letter to home secretary Alan Johnson, the Home Affairs Committee said there was a "serious lack of equality" in the extradition treaty invoked in McKinnon's case. The missive comes as Johnson's office reviews its authority to stop the forced transfer of the 34-year-old hacker, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome.

"Because of McKinnon's precarious state of mental health, the committee is of the view that he should not be extradited to the US and that you should exercise your discretion in this case," the letter stated.