Their new offering, RealDVD, had been available about an hour this morning before Hollywood expressed concern about copyright protection.  In reaction, the lawsuits started flying with Real filing against the DVD Copy Control Association, Disney, Paramount, Sony among others.  The arguments are the usual ones: Hollywood claiming ripping DVD’s on computers is wrong and Real saying that a new layer of DRM provides enough protections.

After a year-long study of state election systems, the US Government Accountability Office says that states are reporting difficulties in a number of areas in the certification and testing of new voting systems. The scope of the problems are unclear as local agencies charged with running elections are not required to report troubles. The report is based on responses to survey questions posed to state election officials from 47 states (3 states declined to respond).  Election officials reported challenges that included properly configuring voting systems and finding the money and qualified personnel to test the systems. Sixteen of the reporting states and territories reported “major” difficulties with voting systems.  

Read the GAO report HERE

Let’s run a dek that says:  “For all of you Tivo lovers out there: here’s new software that turns your Windows PC into a Tivo digital video recorder.  It’s called LiquidTV from Nero Inc., and it’ll be available, for about $200 (including the Tivo service), beginning next month.  Frankly, it can’t come soon enough:  there’s been similar software around for a couple years now — think ATi’s All-in-Wonder — but this is the first one that doesn’t just emulate the Tivo interface, but actually is Tivo, in the sense that Nero uses the same scheduling service and remote.  So, for all Tivo fanatics sufficiently inflexible to adapt to a new interface, LiquidTV is for you.”

Eleven lawmakers, led by Silicon Valley Reps Anna Eschoo. Zoe Lofgren and Mike Honda have expressed their support for the proposed Google/Yahoo advertising deal saying that blocking the agreement could hurt innovation and competition.  The controversial deal is still under review by the Feds, with indications that there will be substantial hurdles to overcome before the agreement is approved. Concerns revolve around the possibility of the duo controlling up to 90 percent of all net advertising with an international trade group representing large advertisers weighing in against the deal recently.

The web has promised everything from more entertainment to a better democracy and more perfect union. Tech guru and Edgelings contributor Rob Enderle sees the current political landscape as motivation for web users and a more informed voting public.

Congress is discussing whether satellite radio receivers should be made to pick up digital signals. Public hearings are scheduled but Rep. Ed Markey already has his answer – yes and he’s filed a bill to mandate the carriage. The sides are taking their positions, readying for the debate, but support for the idea seems to be bi-partisan and with the rumble of the coming TV conversion in Feb., digital is the beltway baby.

It's beauty versus "the beast": The proliferation of cell phone towers interfering with the aesthetic beauty of the neighborhood. And in San Francisco. the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has come down on the side of the the visual versus the functional. On the surface, the decision seems insignificant, however, Wireless Guru and Edgelings contributor Andy Seybold sees looming trouble for wireless carriers.

The ongoing EU campaign to force Apple to make the iTunes store compatible with players other than iPod is moving forward.  The two year effort is coming to a head with Norway’s top consumer advocate taking Apple before the government’s Market Council for a decision. Under Norwegian law, the council has the power to order companies to change trading practices they believe to be unfair. This is considered a test case that will be watched closely by the entire EU with France, Germany, Finland and Denmark backing the Norwegian efforts. A decision is expected before the end of the year.

If you want a good idea of how much the Apple iPhone has scared established cell phone companies, consider this item from TechCrunch: it appears that Motorola, which already had 50 people dedicated to producing applications for the new Google Android smartphone open platform, is now beefing that operation up to 350 technologists. That's a major investment, and Motorola has headhunters fanned out looking for the best talent around. An operation this size is not an insurance policy, but a serious market thrust designed to make Android a serious competitor (and counterbalance) to Apple's current hegemony. How successful these headhunters are a recruiting will also be an excellent barometer on just how strong the backlash is against Apple's current heavy-handed treatment of its own developers. Meanwhile, Nokia too, though already committed to the Symbian OS, may be headed down the same path as Motorola.