Technology

Published on Saturday 23 August 2008 22:07

EBAY'S LATEST BID eBay is making it easier for entrepreneurs and retailers to list products in bulk at fixed prices. The announcement follows an expansion of the site from its original auction format towards a greater emphasis on fast, fixed-price or "buy it now" sales.

The site estimates that 178,000 people in the UK earn a primary or secondary living from running a business on the site. "Buy it now" sales now account for 43% of sales, up from 39% a year ago.

EBay said the changes would enable all sellers to choose between fixed-price sales and auctions. Among the new measures are reduced up-front listing fees for fixed-price sellers to offer all their stock. More fees will be payable only after an item has sold. The majority of sellers would see their overall fees go down as a result of the changes, eBay said.

NET FILE-SHARE FINE

A woman has been ordered to pay 16,000 after a swoop on Britons who illegally share games and films over the internet. The woman, who has not been named, is among the first to be taken to court in the UK by computer game makers seeking to protect their copyright.

The Patents County Court in London ordered that she pay damages of 6,086.56 and costs and disbursements of 10,000 to Topware Interactive, owner of the computer game Dream Pinball 3D, law firm Davenport Lyons said.

The firm has launched civil suits against 100 people on behalf of Topware. The case is focusing on peer-to-peer networks, which give subscribers access to each others' computers, allowing people to download files without paying fees.

MAN DISCOVERS ELECTRICITY

A man who relied on gas and candles for 50 years has finally had electricity installed in his 300-year-old cottage because he could not longer get the lamp fittings he needed.

When gas started leaking into his single-story home in Kilgetty, near Tenby in Pembrokeshire, Hubert Hilling, 60, had no choice but to get wired up. He has ived there since the age of seven.

"It came to the stage where I had to get electricity," said Hilling, a tour guide.

He returned from a day at the Royal Ascot races to find that the wiring work had been finished and he could now enjoy the novelty of electric lightbulbs in the mud-built cottage.

"I was stunned. It was fantastic. I couldn't speak. I put all the lights on for a little while," he said.

IRAN'S SPACE RACE

Iran plans to send a manned rocket into space in the next 10 years, state television said, just days after the Islamic Republic announced that it had put a dummy satellite into orbit. "Within the next six months to one year, the exact date of this mission will be determined," Reza Taghipour, the head of Iran's aerospace organisation, was quoted as saying.

US security officials said Tehran's attempted satellite launch fell short of claimed successes.