News Review 13/9/10 - Rebel Germans, Google, Ping, etc

Here's the pick of the last week's news stories that are likely to impact your business. The Germans are certainly having a laugh with a couple of them, but there's potentially serious implications:

1. YouTube Loses in German Court: Held Liable for Copyrighted Videos. Will this spread further, spell the end of simple video loading, and even YouTube itself? Unlikely but who knows what tomorrow brings.
   
   
2. No Crackdown (Yet) but Questions in Europe About Data Protection and the Cloud. The Germans try to spell the end of the "Safe Harbor" arrangement that could make it illegal for European businesses to use cloud SaaS systems that hold data in the USA. That's salesforce.com et al which many use. Contingency plans anyone, for the other cloud SaaS risks if not for this ?
   
   
3. Three Ways Google Will Invade Your Enterprise. For all sizes of business: Telecoms, ERP SaaS, and Software Development
   
   
4. 10 Things You Need to Know About Apple's New Social Network, Ping Apple's attempt at extending the iTunes user database into a social networking system. With the man responsible for the iPhone 4 dismissed, are Apple losing their touch?

And here's one other story and photo which almost defies belief:
Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Joins World Wide Web Foundation’s Board of Directors He's having a laugh at us all too. God help the Africans!

.