In brief: Microsoft sues 117 alleged phishers

Microsoft last week filed suit against 117 operators of phishing Web sites in an attempt to clamp down on what has become a top consumer problem.

The Federal Trade Commission listed identity theft, which often is facilitated by phishing Web sites that lure visitors to enter personal or financial information, as the No. 1 consumer complaint in 2004. The 117 cases were filed against "John Doe" defendants who have not been identified. The company, along with the FTC and National Consumers League, also outlined precautions consumers should take to protect against phishing scams, such as being suspicious of someone asking for personal information in an e-mail and of links embedded in e-mails that lead to a Web site asking for such information.

VeriSign is the leading contender to operate the .net registry, according to an outside analysis of five bids that was released last week by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Compiled by Telcordia Technologies, the analysis ranked VeriSign slightly ahead of the other bidders, Sentan Registry, Afilias Limited, Denic and Core++. These five companies bid to operate the highly available and redundant servers around the globe that handle billions of .net queries per day.

The .net registry also supports a massive database that includes information about each .net name and handles additions, deletions and changes to that information. In a statement issued last week, ICANN said it would "promptly enter negotiations with the top-ranked applicant to reach a mutually acceptable registry agreement. VeriSign's current contract to operate the .net registry is set to expire June 30. The new .net contract will last for six years.

A report by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has rebuked several countries, most notably China, Japan and India, for hampering the access of U.S. companies to their domestic markets for telecom services and equipment. "We are deeply concerned by the tepid commitment some of our trade partners have shown to competition in the telecommunications sector," said Peter Allgeier, the acting U.S. trade representative, in a statement. Allgeier's comments accompanied the results of an annual USTR review of foreign compliance with international telecommunications agreements. USTR singled out China, Japan and India for criticism, saying that operators from these countries were competing globally, while benefiting from relatively closed markets at home.

Among the issues that concern the U.S. government, USTR cited restrictions on capitalization levels and joint ventures in China, and criticized Japan's failure to allocate additional spectrum for mobile operators. USTR also cited excessive licensing requirements for new market entrants and a failure to address restrictions on access to submarine cable capacity in India.

SunGard Data Systems last week confirmed that it has approved an $11.3 billion buyout offer from seven investment firms: Silver Lake Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Bain Capital, The Blackstone Group, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Providence Equity Partners and Texas Pacific Group. CEO Cristobal Conde said in a statement that the deal represents an endorsement of SunGard's business model and financial strength, and that its management team will remain intact. However, many analysts and users believe the company will be broken up and sold off as separate businesses. The spinoffs could include SunGard's software and processing businesses or its disaster-recovery and business-continuity services.