Stories by Philip Willan

Police arrest Anonymous suspects in Italy

Italian police arrested four suspected hackers Friday, accusing them of having taken control of the Italian branch of the Anonymous network.

Milan court overturns Google privacy convictions

A Milan appeals court Friday overturned the conviction of three Google managers for violating Italy's privacy laws by allowing the posting of a video showing the bullying of a handicapped student.

Italian party uses Internet to select parliamentary candidates

Italy's innovative 5-Star Movement last week organized an online vote to choose its candidates for next year's national election in what it said was the first such exercise ever to be attempted.

Italians find Google's Irish tax 'sandwich' indigestible

Tax police in Milan have launched a special investigation into Google Italy for a suspected tax evasion scheme involving affiliates in several countries.

Italian consumer associations launch Apple guarantee lawsuit

Two Italian consumer associations are launching a class action lawsuit against Apple for failing to respect Italy's national warranty regulations, the lawyer coordinating the action confirmed Wednesday.

Vatican launches social network challenge to Facebook

An Italian startup backed by the Vatican Thursday launched a global portal for Catholic websites intended to provide reliable information for people seeking the truth about the Christian religion.

Allegations over fake Twitter followers stir Italian political storm

A communications expert claimed last week that more than half of the Twitter followers of the rising star of Italian politics were fake, sparking a fierce controversy over the use of Internet as a political instrument.

Trentino joins Italy's open source alliance

The Autonomous Province of Trentino - Alto Adige this week joined the ranks of Italian regional administrations that are turning their backs on proprietary software in favor of free and open source alternatives.

Italy goes after Apple over warranty issue

In a case that could have implications for Apple's business across the European Union, Italy's competition and markets authority has opened new proceedings against Apple for failing to respect the country's consumer law that gives a free two-year warranty for electronic products, a spokeswoman for the Antitrust Authority confirmed Tuesday.

Italian court upholds Apple warranty fine

An Italian court has upheld a €900,000 (US$1.2 million) fine imposed on Apple by Italy's competition authority for allegedly violating consumer protection laws, Italian media reported late Friday.The Regional Administrative Tribunal (TAR) of Lazio rejected Apple's appeal against the fine imposed by the Antitrust Authority last December for "unfair commercial practices that damage the consumer."The court found that Apple Italy was not fully applying a two-year guarantee that is obligatory under European law and was providing unclear information on its own additional commercial warranties, the online edition of the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported.An Apple Italy spokesman was not immediately available for comment.The Antitrust fine applies to Apple Sales International, Apple Italia and Apple Retail Italia and concerns their alleged failure to inform customers of their right to a 24-month warranty from the vendor under European Union regulations and insufficiently clear information on the company's own AppleCare Protection Plan and its partial duplication of the existing legal warranties.A campaign to force Apple to modify its behavior in Italy was spearheaded by the Milan-based consumer association Altroconsumo.

Italian court restores Mediaset's .com domain

Italy's largest private broadcaster Thursday welcomed the decision of a Rome civil court to restore its right to use the mediaset.com international Internet domain after failing in a bid to recover it from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in February.

Italy's Mediaset loses its .com domain

Italy's biggest private broadcaster has lost its right to use the international Internet domain www.mediaset.com after failing to renew its registration and losing an appeal to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) last month.

Apple loses first round of appeal against Italian fine for unnecessary warranties

A Rome court has upheld a €900,000 (US$1.2 million) fine imposed on Apple last December by Italy's Antitrust Authority for circumventing consumer protection laws, Italian media reported Friday.

Vatican confirms second hacker attack, Anonymous claims responsibility

The Vatican has confirmed that its website suffered a second hacker attack in the space of six days but declined to comment on the event.

Italian court: Online editors not responsible for reader comments

Online commentators Wednesday welcomed a ruling by Italy's highest court that the editors of online publications cannot be held legally responsible for defamatory comments posted by their readers.