TECHNOLOGY - Dec. 16, 1998

* Softbank Corp., Japan’s largest software distributor, will make a $30-million investment in closely held InsWeb, which provides insurance quotes via the Internet. Redwood City-based InsWeb is majority-owned by its 135 employees. Softbank has made a series of investments in Internet companies in recent months. Controlled by billionaire Masayoshi Son, Softbank owns about 30% of Internet directory Yahoo Inc. and 30% of GeoCities, an online “community” that allows people to build personal Web sites. Softbank also owns 71% of Ziff-Davis Inc., the biggest U.S. publisher of computer magazines.

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A Southern California computer hardware company has sued Microsoft Corp. in a U.S. District Court in Texas for copyright infringement and for stealing the trade secrets for an ergonomic mouse. Microsoft’s Intellimouse Pro is a knockoff of the Goldtouch Mouse made by Irvine-based Goldtouch Technologies Inc. and was made after officials from both companies had discussed the design, the lawsuit said.