Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.tech From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: tech Mon, Jun 15 1992 Date: Mon, 15 Jun 92 05:41:48 EDT Message-ID: 06-15 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update June 15, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network CARPAL TUNNEL LAWSUITS FILED: A legal showdown is brewing over whether design flaws in computer keyboards are responsible for hand injuries among workers. U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein of New York has consolidated 44 lawsuits against AT&T, Apple Computer, IBM, Northern Telecom and other technology companies. Dozens or even hundreds more lawsuits are expected to be filed. (For more, see special Lawsuit package below.) COMPAQ TO UNVEIL LOW-COST LINE: Compaq will unveil a low-cost line of personal computers Monday that analysts say may spark a new round of price cuts. Compaq is expected to introduce a low-cost notebook line called Contura. Other new PCs include Prolinea, a line of 386 and 486-based desktops priced at less than $1,000. PEROT MISSED OUT ON MICROSOFT: Undeclared presidential candidate Ross Perot once considered buying Microsoft and still regrets the lost opportunity, the Seattle Times reports. In 1979, Perot met with Microsoft founder Bill Gates to discuss buying the software company, but decided the asking price of about $50 million was too high. Microsoft's market value hit $21 billion this year. ELECTRONIC FRAUD GROWS: Since the Internal Revenue Service introduced electronic filing in 1986, electronic tax fraud has taken root. According to the IRS, crooks have found a way to claim $17.6 million in phony electronic refund claims this year. "It's a major problem everywhere," said IRS spokesman Steve Yost. "It doesn't take a whole lot of extra thinking to know that new technology brings extra schemes." JAPAN NOT BUYING U.S. CHIPS: The Semiconductor Industry Association says first-quarter U.S. share of the Japan semiconductor market was well below the 20% target set in a 1991 trade agreement. U.S. Trade Representative Carla Hills says the report shows little progress, but says Japan has shown a willingness to correct the problem. Hill's office is reviewing the trade deal and will report its findings by Aug. 1. SOFTWARE TUTORIAL IS AVAILABLE: Personal Training Systems, a developer of self paced interactive software training tutorials, said Friday it has started shipping training modules for Microsoft Excel 4.0 for Windows and Mac. They are designed to help both novice and experienced Excel users get the most from the Windows spreadsheet program, the firm says. They retail for $99.95. LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST PROTOCOL: A lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon against Protocol Systems Inc., the firm said Friday. The lawsuit alleges Protocol violated the federal securities laws and other laws in connection with Protocol Systems' public stock offering and the subsequent release of information to the public. Protocol markets patient monitoring instruments. GROUPS TO DISTRIBUTE LAB INFO.: The National Technology Transfer Center and the National Technical Information Service have entered into a formal agreement to prepare and distribute information on federal laboratory resources, the groups said Friday. The initial product, the Directory of Federal Laboratory & Technology Resources, contains summaries of and contacts for 1,100 resources. DIGITAL GAINS INJUNCTION: Digital Equipment Corp. said Friday an injunction has gone into effect barring Micro Technology Inc. from distributing, selling or offering for sale in Germany SDI:STI products that infringe a Digital patent. The patent involved is for the SDI:STI encoder:decoder and is the first of four patents that Digital has asserted in an infringement action in Hamburg, Germany. CABLE LABS MAKING SELECTIONS: Cable Television Laboratories says it is now selecting digital compression and transmission systems for tests and that Tele-Communications Inc., Viacom Networks and PBS will contract to acquire equipment by early 1993. AT&T, General Instrument, Philips Electronics, Scientific-Atlanta, Sarnoff Research and Toshiba Imaging are among the firms with proposals being considered. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON LAWSUIT: JURY AWARDS COULD BE LOW: The possible outcomes of a consolidated court case in New York over carpal tunnel syndrome and related injuries includes a flood of big jury awards - or no awards at all. Most payments received by people with repetitive stress injuries (RSI) have been limited to benefits under state workers' compensation laws. Under product liability law, victims can claim big damages. EMPLOYERS TO TAKE CLOSER LOOK: Lawsuits on carpal tunnel syndrome are likely to prompt businesses to replace equipment or change workers' procedures to combat RSI. "This will get industry to wake up and smell the coffee: These cases are expensive and aren't going away," said Deborah Berkowitz of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. LAWYER SAYS FIRMS ARE AT FAULT: Lawyers plan to ask what computer makers knew about risks of RSI and when they knew it. Steven Phillips, a New York lawyer who represents 37 plaintiffs, said the companies ignored evidence that the spaces between keys are excessive, forcing people to twist their wrists while typing. Computer makers say they don't want to discuss pending litigation. POSTURE COULD CAUSE PROBLEM: One obvious defense against the lawsuit is that people cause their own problems with bad posture. Experts recommend that computer users keep their forearms parallel to the floor and that the top of computer screens be at eye level. "It's difficult to legislate how high a person sits or how they adjust a PC screen," said Brian Doyle, an IBM spokesman. (End of package.) Technology Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM