AOL Bertelsmann - made up of America On Line and German media giant, Bertelsmann - is creating 500 jobs out in Dublin's East Wall in a new technical support centre for the group's internet operations.

Back in Germany, however, the joint venture is in the headlines for less desirable reasons - the Hamburg prosecutor's office is investigating the dissemination of child pornography through AOL on the net.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the prosecutors were tipped off by a German magazine article which revealed how pornography was being electronically mailed through AOL after subscribers made contact in unauthorised "chat rooms". (Isn't net jargon wonderful.)

AOL, for its part, cites German constitutional and communications law and says that it can't he held responsible for "private conversations", just as the German phone and postal service are prohibited from monitoring private conversations.