MS gets patent verdict overturned

A federal court has reversed an earlier ruling that Microsoft's product activation technology infringed on another company's patent, overturning a $388 million verdict in the case, reports CNet.

In a ruling on Tuesday, the court vacated the earlier decision and decided the case in Microsoft's favour.

The new ruling is the latest twist in a case that has had plenty of them. Microsoft initially won a summary judgment ruling, which would have ended the case in its favour, but Uniloc appealed that ruling and a federal appeals court last year ruled the case needed to go to trial with regard to two counts.

UK prime minister Gordon Brown ruled out the possibility of compulsory ID cards for British nationals in the next Parliament during his speech at the Labour Party conference, says Computing.co.uk.

The statement was largely a reiteration of an earlier announcement made by Labour MP Alan Johnson, saying the government would not introduce legislation to make the cards compulsory.

"And so conference, I can say to you today, in the next Parliament there will be no compulsory ID cards for British citizens," said Brown, receiving one of the loudest cheers of his 59-minute speech.

Two Romanian men, accused of Internet scams that defrauded customers of PayPal, Citibank and other financial institutions, have been extradited to the US to face charges, reports The Register.

Petru Bogdan Belbita, 25, of Craiova, Romania, was arrested in Montreal, Canada, in January, and formally extradited to the US late last week, prosecutors with the US Attorney in New Haven, Connecticut, said Tuesday. A separate defendant, Cornel Ionut Tonita, 28, of Galati, Romania, was arrested in Croatia in July and brought to the US earlier this month.

The two men and five other Romanians were charged in January 2007 with taking part in a sophisticated phishing scam that cost financial institutions at least $150 000.

A new report has found that cyber criminals have developed sophisticated ways to remain undetected, says the BBC.

The report, from security firm Finjan, describes how one gang, based in the Ukraine, stole 300 000 euros in 22 days.

It used a sophisticated piece of malicious software, which fooled banks' anti-fraud systems, as well as forged bank statements to hide the thefts.