Alcatel
Honduras probe
Honduras said Wednesday that it will reopen investigations into alleged bribes paid by Paris-based telecom giant Alcatel, after the company agreed to pay more than $137 million to settle charges brought against it by the U.S. government. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s complaint said Alcatel’s bribes went to government officials in Costa Rica, Honduras, Malaysia and Taiwan. Honduran anti-corruption prosecutor Henry Salgado said Honduras will ask the SEC to supply the information on which the settlement was based, to identify those involved.
— Associated Press
Skype
Offers updated app
Skype will offer a new version of its free iPhone app that will let users make and receive video calls. Users of the Internet calling and messaging service will be able to use both Wi-Fi and AT&T Inc.’s 3G cellular network. FaceTime software, which comes with iPhones, works only with Wi-Fi. The app, which is being released today through Apple’s iTunes Store, will let iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users make free video calls to others who are using the app or have access to the feature using Skype on their computer or other video phone. The latest iPod Touch will be able to make video calls over Wi-Fi; the iPad and previous-generation iPod Touch can receive video calls.
— Associated Press
Sony
Dispute with LG
Sony, Japan’s biggest exporter of consumer electronics, filed patent-infringement claims seeking to block LG Electronics from shipping mobile phones to the U.S. Sony filed the complaints Wednesday with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, and in a federal court in Los Angeles. The International Trade Commission, which is considering at least a dozen cases related to the expanding market for smartphones, has the power to block imports of products found to violate U.S. patents. The federal court can impose financial penalties. LG phones including the Lotus Elite, Neon, Remarq, Rumor 2 and Xenon are using Sony technology without permission, Tokyo-based Sony said in the civil lawsuit. John Taylor, a spokesman in the U.S. for Seoul-based LG, said the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
— Bloomberg News
