In The News

No Booze or Jokes for Googlers in China

Declan McCullagh January 27, 2006
By launching its search engine in China and following Chinese government censorship laws, Google has sparked controversy. But the controls seem more haphazard than just dictated by political consideration, according to a CNET News.com survey of the new search engine. Sites opposing the Communist government do not show up in Google searches, but can be reached through links and foreign-service...

India to WTO: Help Us Protect Herbs, Tea, Yoga

Eric Bellman December 19, 2005
India is spearheading a drive among developing nations to ensure that the WTO address “biopiracy” at this year’s meetings in Hong Kong. Along with countries like Brazil and China, India is seeking to prevent the international pharmaceutical industry from exploiting its native plants, animals and traditional remedies. Countries like India perceive biopiracy as a threat, particularly if a...

India Concern to Design IBM Chips

Saritha Rai November 21, 2005
India is already well known as the center of software development outsourcing, but following an I.B.M. agreement, it may soon be recognized as a hub for microprocessor design as well. I.B.M. has announced that the first design center for Power Architecture chips outside of the company’s walls will be HCL Technologies, an Indian outsourcing company. The move is part of a strategy to set up...

America’s Future is Stuck Overseas

Stuart Anderson November 16, 2005
The numbers are better, but not good. Since hitting a low in 2002, post September 11, the number of foreign graduate students enrolled in the United States has been improving, albeit slowly. The importance of these international students to American technological and economic superiority cannot be understated, as former US immigration official Stuart Anderson writes. Foreign graduates...

Other Nations Hope to Loosen U.S. Grip on Internet

Victoria Shannon November 15, 2005
In countless contexts and from every corner of the world, the internet is hailed as a revolutionary force, breaking down traditional barriers of class and nation with an inexorable flow of information. As its accessibility increases, the internet becomes more and more a tool of democracy and international cooperation. But this leveling playing field cannot smooth over an underlying reality: the...

Protecting Ideas is Crucial for U.S. Business

Alan Murray November 10, 2005
Regulating copycat products and services internationally may become the capitalist struggle of the 21th century. Brands, patents, and copyrights fuel a large portion of the international economy. Intellectual property in the United States has become a $5 trillion industry. As access to information and products becomes simpler and ever more rapid, idea theft has become a costly proposition. The...

Migrant Birds "Should Not Be Bird Flu Scapegoats"

Mike Shanahan October 26, 2005
Since the avian flu broke international headlines again this year, most reports have focused on the poultry business and how governments can best tighten health standards within the industry. Many scientists are now concerned about the spread of the potential pandemic in the wild, beyond the control of health officials and government regulators. Worse still is the possibility that migratory birds...