Daily News Links

• The judge in the first copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube has denied both sides' motions for summary judgment, ruling that more evidence is necessary to determine whether Google's video-sharing giant is shielded from liability by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The order issued Thursday by US District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper in Los Angeles sets up a potential discovery battle between Google-YouTube and Robert Tur, the photojournalist who sued in July when his videos of the LA riots and O.J. Simpson's slow-speed chase appeared on the video-sharing Web site.  Read more here (from Hollywood Reporter, Esq).
• People who bank online are far more likely to engage in e-commerce activity, according to a study from Moda Solutions, a company which links the two by bringing online banking to the virtual checkout.  Read more here (from Media Post).
• Doctors say more study is needed before excessive use of video and online games could be considered a mental illness.  Read more here (from ZDNet News).
• Job advertising is entering new territory - from the virtual terrain of Second Life to sculptures in shopping centres.  Read more here (from Technology Guardian).
• A new study has been released showing that Windows Vista has the fewest software vulnerabilities compared to other operating systems such as Linux and OS X, and it is certain to set off a spirited debate.  Read more here (from Ars Technica).
• A study says high levels of computer technology can improve school results, but the picture is mixed.  Read more here (from BBC News).
• Journalists Michael Harvey and Gerard McManus have escaped a jail term for contempt of court, but have lost their bid to avoid conviction on the charges.  Read more here (from The Australian).
• The iPhone doesn’t go on sale until Friday, but Steven P. Jobs, the chief executive of Apple, is already changing the perception of the mobile phone, from a quick way to call a friend to a hip, media-friendly device. In doing so, he has forced mobile phone and Hollywood executives to react by chasing hungrily after the newest thing or face being left behind.  Read more here (from the New York Times).
• By combining its search and display ad sales teams under one executive leader--search side's David Karnstedt--Yahoo is catering to what its customers want, but in a platform-agnostic fashion. It also lays the groundwork to become a leader in auction-based media, says one observer.  Read more here (from Media Post).
• Tasmania has raised concerns about the federal Government's broadband plans, saying it has no right to grant access to the Basslink cable.  Read more here (from Australian IT).
• Boingo Wireless introduced on Monday what it says is the first worldwide flat-rate plan for Wi-Fi hot spots.  Read more here (from the New York Times).
•  A Reuters article discusses how media companies fear that video recording software will facilitate copyright infringement. Stream rippers, or software that records any online video and downloads it onto a computer hard drive, can be bought on the Internet these days for under $100. The technology is expected to move into the mainstream with the introduction of several new video players in the coming months.  Read it here (from CNET News.com).
• The number of college students taking courses online is surging, creating a dilemma for educators who want to prevent cheating. The dilemma is one reason many online programs do little testing at all. However, some new technology that places a camera inside students' homes may be the way of the future, as long as students do find it too disturbing.  Read more here (from SiliconValley.com).
• Australian lonely hearts with health conditions are turning to a specialised online dating service in their quest to find love.  Read more here (from The Age).
• Google is in acquisition discussions with telephone management startup GrandCentral.  Read more here (from TechCrunch).
• Spotplex , a Digg-like news ranking site that ranks articles by the number of views they’ve received, launched officially on yesterday.  Read more here (from Mashable).
• Google's director of staffing programs, Judy Gilbert, discusses the Web giant's strategy in attracting talented students.  Read it here (from CNET News.com).
• A YouTube video detailing how to manipulate foreigner hiring visas irks key US senators. Giving the video a big down vote, they call for an investigation.  Read more here (from Wired).
• The FBI is educating academics about the dangers of economic espionage, but critics see the possibility of chilling effects on research and a suspicion of foreign professors and graduate students.  Read more here (from Ars Technica).
• Nicole Kidman is to front a pan-European TV ad campaign for Nintendo.  Read more here (from Media Guardian).
• Video search startup blinkx today plans to launch an AdSense-like ad platform named blinkx AdHoc. Very much in its beta stage, the technology is designed to help advertisers target ads alongside or in Web videos based on speech-recognition technology. Advertisers can buy specific words and categories.  Read more here (from Media Post).
• Radio broadcaster John Laws, the man known as the "Golden Tonsils", has announced he will retire later this year at the age of 71.  Read more here (from The Australian).
• Recipe searches are among the most popular online endeavors for women, and major advertisers want to be there to greet them.  Read more here (from the New York Times).
• Blinkx is now offering contextual ads for video.  Read more here (from CNET News.com).
• A Canadian Parliamentary committee suggests passing a host of new rules to crack down on piracy, digital and otherwise. Unfortunately, the industry-supplied data they've been using isn't based on actual evidence.  Read more here (from Ars Technica).
• Programmers have begun serious work to cut consumption, extending PC Linux battery life and easing server costs.  Read more here (from ZDNet News).
• Browser maker Opera has reshuffled its board after a reported power struggle with chief executive and founder, Jon von Tetzchner.  Read more here (from Australian IT).
• While networks tussled over which would land the first interview with Paris Hilton after her release from jail, the upstart Web site TMZ.com was breaking most of the news.  Read more here (from the New York Times).
• Ad spend in the UK rose by 3% in the first quarter but only the internet, outdoor and cinema sectors saw annual increases.  Read more here (from Media Guardian).
• Microsoft has tapped Reprise Media to manage search marketing across its product and brand portfolio, just two months after Reprise was acquired by the Interpublic Group.  Read more here (from Media Post).
• Corbis, the online stock photo company founded and owned by Bill Gates, has introduced a Web site that allows anyone to upload photographs for sale.  Read more here (from the New York Times).