Business

E-commerce consultants are loudly proclaiming the importance of customer service, while customers themselves are demonstrating -- via their wallets -- that they simply will not accept bad service. And yet, e-tailer reaction has been slow.

A new study covering 30 countries and nearly 5,000 Information Technology (IT) professionals shows that hacker attacks will cost the world economy a whopping $1.6 trillion (US$) this year.

Just seven months after rolling out its much-touted WebPC, Dell Computer Corp. has reportedly stopped selling the consumer-oriented product line.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) -- the United Nations tribunal responsible for overseeing Internet domain name disputes and other intellectual property issues -- is launching a new offensive against cybersquatters.

What laws apply in cyberspace? That is the question the American Bar Association (ABA) set out to answer two years ago when it began the ABA Global Cyberspace Jurisdiction Project.

Online coupon distributor Coolsavings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSAV) cleared two patent infringement lawsuits off its plate Monday when it reached a settlement with rival Planet U.

According to a report from market analysis firm Datamonitor, poor online service cost Internet retailers a combined $6.1 billion (US$) in sales last year, and could balloon to more than $173 billion.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint Monday in federal court to block financially strapped e-tailer Toysmart.com from selling customer data to help pay off its debts.

The battle for e-commerce supremacy continued to rage between Amazon.com and America Online in June, according the NextCard eCommerce Index, a monthly listing of online merchants with the greatest number of transactions by NextCard customers.

Lloyd's of London, one of world's largest insurance firms, has partnered with San Jose, California-based Counterpane Security, Inc. to offer insurance against business losses due to mischief by hackers.

More than 10 million people in the UK now have access to the Internet -- more than in any other country in Europe, but still far less than in North America, according to a new survey.

The world's leading chief executive officers are calling on the G8 heads of government to advance a comprehensive approach on e-commerce and information technology at the G8's July summit in Okinawa.

As online shopping rapidly gains acceptance in U.S. society, the auction houses of cyberspace have begun to sell some of the most cherished items of American culture to the highest bidder.

After a crazy couple of months -- during which a bevy of big name dot-coms had their survivor torches extinguished for good -- things seemed to have quieted down a bit. Maybe the long days of summer invited languishing, and seaside vacations temporarily soothed investor jitters.

The battle between Napster and the recording industry is still a David versus Goliath proposition. But with a steady diet of venture capital flowing into Napster and its cousins, David is laying on some serious muscle -- and getting harder to cheer for every day.