Balance Sheet.

• Author: Taylor, Jeff A.
• Position: News Briefs - News Briefs - Brief Article

ASSETS

* Linked Up. A federal judge in Los Angeles rules that so-called "deep linking"--jumping past a Web page's front door to get to content via another site--is not copyright infringement. Surfers are "automatically transferred to the particular genuine Web page of the original author. There is no deception in what is happening."

* Play Ball. Baseball opening day in San Francisco means a new privately funded $345 million ballpark. Pacific Bell Park is the first privately built Major League Baseball stadium in 38 years. Other cities still try to fend off demands for public cash from sports moguls.

* Weight Gain. The IRS mulls making the cost of weight-loss programs tax deductible. Anti-fat groups lobby with the message that excess weight is closely tied to disease. The IRS recently ruled that anti-smoking programs count as a medical expense. Maybe moderate alcohol consumption can be next.

* Blow Out. The Supreme Court rules that the FDA can't regulate tobacco products. Justices say that Congress never explicitly gave the FDA that job, and so the bureaucrats can't claim it no matter how lofty the goals.

* Voice Lessons. While the feds futz with new regulations for Web site accessibility, the private sector actually does something about it. The VoiceXML Forum, made up of Lucent, IBM, Motorola, and AT&T, creates a spec that will transform web links to speech.

* Chain Gang. A funny thing happens when big chain drugstores set out to kill Mom & Pop shops: They fail. After seeing their numbers fall by nearly a quarter since 1992, the National Association of Chain Drugstores reports that indie drugstores are again on the rise. Willingness to experiment, nimble stocking to produce bargains, and good service explain why.

LIABILITIES

* Farmed Out. Government surveys show American farmers...