THE NEWS WRAP: iiNet to hand over details of downloaders in landmark ruling

A Federal Court judge has ruled that iiNet will have to hand over the details of customers who illegally downloaded the film Dallas Buyers Club.

Several other internet providers including Dodo, Internode and Amnet Broadband will also be required to hand over customer details, according to Fairfax.

However, Justice Nye Perram put several restrictions on Dallas Buyers Club LLC, the company behind Dallas Buyers Club, ordering it to not publicise the names of people who downloaded the film.

The studio will also have to send all legal letters to Australian internet account holders to Justice Perram first to prevent speculative invoicing.

Chief executive of iiNet, David Buckingham, said in a statement the company was pleased that significant safeguards have been put in place to protect Australian consumers.

“By going through the process we’ve been able to ensure that our customers will be treated fairly and won’t be subjected to the bullying that we have seen happen elsewhere,” he said.

“We’re very happy with Justice Perram’s judgment and his balanced approach to both the studio’s and consumers’ rights.”

The ruling is expected to affect more than 4000 Australians.

Researchers have developed a battery that can recharge in one minute

Researchers at Stanford University have developed what they call an “ultrafast” aluminium-ion battery that can be recharged within one minute.

If the technology is commercialised it could mean people will be able to recharge their smartphones within seconds.

Co-lead author of the study, Ming Gong, said in a statement the battery also has a number of other features including durability and flexibility.

“Another feature of the aluminium battery is flexibility,” he said.

“You can bend it and fold it, so it has the potential for use in flexible electronic devices. Aluminium is also a cheaper metal than lithium.”

Uber pocketing millions in employee travel expenses

Uber accounted for almost half of all employee travel expenses for US companies using expense management software Certify.

A study by Certify in March last year found Uber accounted for 15% of travel expenses processed on the platform.

Chief executive of Certify, Robert Neveu, told Bloomberg Uber’s rival Lyft accounted for just 1% of processed expenses.

“Uber has changed the dynamic of business travel,” he said.

“They were first to market with a phenomenal service; they expanded rapidly, and the results are that users are adopting the heck out of it.”

Overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 5.43 points, falling 0.03% to 17,875.42. The Aussie dollar is currently trading at around 76.4 US cents.

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