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January 12, 2005 -- About Us | Advertise | Events | Publications | Subscribe

Main Stories
o TiVo Chief Executive Ramsay to Step Down
o SightSound Seeks Injunction to Shut Down Napster Over Patent Dispute
o Vivendi Universal Games Lays Off 89 French Workers
o Report: E-Book Sales Up 25%; 2004 Bestsellers Include 4 Dan Brown Titles
o Chinese Mobile Games Firm C-Valley Gets Investments From Jamdat, THQ
o Network Video Processing Firm RGB Networks Raises $12 Million

 > DMW Announcements:
--Digital Music Forum - March 2, 2005  

 > Featured Advertisement:
--MIDEMNET
 

o Briefly Noted: Nintendo DS - Australia, The Music Freedom Project, MSN - Moreover Technologies, United Talent Agency - video game industry, Virgin Digital - Foot Locker - Island Def Jam, Digimarc, Ziff Davis Media Game Group - 1UP Awards, Ubisoft - "Myst V: End of Ages," Ad-free Google scraper
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> Job/Event/Marketplace Classifieds:
--Search Thousands of Executive Contacts on TVSpy.com
--Black Duck Software Presents Open Source Best Practices for the Enterprise
--Product Marketing Manager- Sorrent (Mobile Games)
--OSDL Enterprise Linux Summit
--HireStrategy - Tax Accountant
--ClearedJobs.Net - Security Cleared Professionals
--Sales, Mktng, And Bus Dev. Executives Association - New England/Boston
--COO/CEO - Baltimore- Washington Metro Area
--Account Executive - Inside Sales
--Channel Manager
--Senior Technical Project Manager
--Sr. Java Software Engineer
--eNaugural.com - The Presidential Hi-Tech Inaugural Ball Jan 20, 2005
--New Release: PwC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008
 


o TiVo Chief Executive Ramsay to Step Down

Alviso, Calif. -- TiVo, a provider of digital video recorder equipment and services, announced on Wednesday that co-founder, chairman and CEO Mike Ramsay will step down from his position as CEO. Ramsay will retain his title as chairman and remain CEO until a successor can be named, while the company has hired Howard Fischer Associates to aid in the search. "I believe it is a natural evolution of any company to have a transition of leadership as the company grows and matures," said Ramsay. "The time is right for me, personally and professionally, to bring in an outstanding chief executive officer to lead the company so that I can focus on future strategy." Alviso, Calif.-based TiVo claimed 2.3 million customers for its digital video recorder service as of October, and recently announced a new service that allows subscribers to port their recorded TV programs to a desktop PC or laptop for viewing while away from home.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050112/sfw051_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050112/tivo_ceo_2.html 
http://www.tivo.com 
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o SightSound Seeks Injunction to Shut Down Napster Over Patent Dispute

Los Angeles -- SightSound Technologies, a company that holds patents on the process of selling digital audio and video over the Internet, announced on Wednesday that it has filed a preliminary injunction against Napster, asking a judge to shut down the digital music service while a patent infringement lawsuit is considered. In a statement, SightSound president and CEO Scott Sander said that Napster sidelined negotiations with his company for a license of its audio technologies by demanding the free inclusion of a video license at the eleventh hour. "This lawsuit is the regrettable outcome of a long process that could have been resolved amicably," said Sander. "It is surprising that Napster has taken this road given that it seems to have been working to restore its brand value." Sander added that he believes Napster may now request a reexamination of SightSound's patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Last February, SightSound won a settlement in a six-year-old patent dispute with Bertelsmann subsidiaries CDnow and N2K. A hearing on Pennsylvania-based SightSound's request for an injunction against Napster has been scheduled for March 3 before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
http://www.sightsound.com 
http://www.napster.com 
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o Vivendi Universal Games Lays Off 89 French Workers

Paris -- Vivendi Universal Games, the video game publishing unit of the Franco-American media conglomerate, told French newspaper Les Echoes that it plans to lay off 89 employees in France, Reuters reported. A Vivendi lawyer told Les Echoes that the company had already transferred most of the affected workers to Coktel, a studio that the company currently owns but is expected to sell off. The cuts come just six months after Vivendi laid off a total of about 380 workers, mostly from its U.S. operations. On a brighter note, Vivendi's Blizzard unit has seen record sales for its recently released massively multiplayer online roleplaying title, "World of Warcraft."
http://tinyurl.com/52vnc 
http://www.vugames.com 
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o Report: E-Book Sales Up 25%; 2004 Bestsellers Include 4 Dan Brown Titles

New York -- The Open eBook Forum, a trade group of publishers and e-book technology vendors, on Wednesday announced continued growth for the industry, with e-book revenues for the third quarter of 2004 up 25% over the same period in 2003, to $3.2 million. The total number of e-books sold during the period topped 419,999, up 11% over the same period in 2003. The group also announced the top-selling e-books of 2004 -- a list dominated by author Dan Brown -- whose "The Da Vinci Code" and three other titles took the top four spots on the roster. Other top e-book sellers during 2004 included Isaac Asimov's "I, Robot," two titles from Greg Bear, a digital bible and two digital dictionaries.
http://www.openebook.org/bestseller/year04.htm 
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o Chinese Mobile Games Firm C-Valley Gets Investments From Jamdat, THQ

Beijing -- Chinese wireless entertainment distributor C-Valley on Wednesday received strategic investments from two American firms, Los Angeles-based Jamdat Mobile and Calabasas Hills, Calif.-based THQ Wireless -- both also distributors of mobile games. The financial details of the investments were not disclosed. Both companies will benefit from having their wireless game titles distributed in China through C-Valley, which has relationships with leading Chinese mobile operators China Mobile and China Unicom. Other C-Valley investors include Japan's Access Co., a mobile content delivery provider, and mobile game developer Tose Co.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050112/125399_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050112/law043_1.html 
http://www.jamdat.com 
http://www.thqwireless.com 
http://www.c-valley.com.cn 
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o Network Video Processing Firm RGB Networks Raises $12 Million

San Mateo, Calif. -- RGB Networks, a maker of network video processing systems, announced that it has secured more than $12 million in a new round of funding, co-led by Comcast Interactive Capital and venture capital firm Mitsui & Co. Venture Partners. The round also includes investments from Accel Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. San Mateo, Calif.-based RGB's video processing and bandwidth management products enable cable operators and telcos to deliver and manage advanced services such as video on demand.
http://rgbnetworks.com/news/pr_01_11_05.html 

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>DMW Events:

 



5th Annual Digital Music Forum
March 2, 2005 | New York City
www.digitalmusicforum.com

Digital Music Forum is the premier event for music industry decision-makers focused on business models and legal issues impacting music. The annual event brings together decision-makers from records labels, music publishers, producers and distributors, technology companies, wireless companies, rights organizations, industry bodies, radio, advertising, attorneys, artists investors and venture capitalists to examine the role of digital technologies in the future of music.

PANEL TOPICS INCLUDE:

  • THE STATE OF THE DIGITAL UNION: The Outlook for Online & Mobile Music Markets
  • LAWYERS, GEEKS & MONEY: The Clash Between Technology & Copyright Law
  • THE ONLINE MUSIC MARKET: Competition, Business Models & Courting Consumers in a Crowded Market
  • THE MOBILE MUSIC MARKET: What Does the Future Hold for this Booming Market?

For more information click here
To register click here.

REGISTRATION
Pre-registration rate: $295 (until February 4th)
Registration rate: $395 (after Feb. 4th)

Register online at http://kb.digitalmediawire.com/register.php?eventid=1092

Phone registration: 323-822-0936


To submit speakers for or request information about exhibiting or sponsoring at the 2005 conferences, please contact Tinzar Than, VP, Marketing & Events, Digital Media Wire, Inc. at: tinzar@digitalmediawire.com.
 

Past Events | Sponsorship Materials | Partners & Clients


 

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> Featured Advertisement:


 

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o Briefly Noted:

(Tokyo) Japanese video games firm Nintendo has announced that it will launch its DS handheld video game system in Australia on Feb. 24. The DS is already available in the U.S. and Japan, and will sell in Australia for a relatively cheap $152. Nintendo is expected to announce details for the device's European launch later this month. The company said it has now shipped over 2.8 million DS systems in the U.S. and Japan.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=6232
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/11/nintendo_ds_oz_date

(Los Angeles) The Music Freedom Project has announced the launch of an alternative music licensing service, designed to provide webcasters and small AM/FM stations with music that they may broadcast without having to pay thousands in royalties. Artists that join in the project will make their music freely available in return for online radio promotion, which in theory will increase CD sales. So far, over 100 artists on labels such as Comfort Stand, Ronin Collective and Camomille have signed up for the project, including Seksu Roba, Wild Acoustic Chamber Orchestra (WACO) and Beef Humper.
http://i-newswire.com/pr2602.html 
http://www.musicfreedomproject.com

(San Francisco) Microsoft's MSN has partnered with San Francisco-based Moreover Technologies on a new service that will allow users to search for blogs and syndicate blog content using the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) format, CNET News.com reported. Microsoft on Tuesday quietly launched a test of the service, which is similar to one rival Yahoo recently began offering that lets My Yahoo subscribers add RSS feeds from blogs to their personalized news headlines. Microsoft will let users who have set up their own blogs using its Spaces service add feeds from other blogs to their own sites.
http://tinyurl.com/6vmex 
http://www.moreover.com

(Beverly Hills, Calif.) Hollywood talent agency United Talent Agency (UTA) announced on Wednesday that it has hired Jonathan Epstein, president and CEO of GameSpot.com, to open a San Francisco office for the agency to pursue opportunities in the convergence of video games, filmed entertainment and marketing and advertising. Epstein also served as president of GameSpy, which later merged with IGN Entertainment. "Our strategy in adding Jon to the agency and establishing UTA in the geographic heart of the video gaming industry is to build a deeper, more effective relationship between the games industry, Hollywood and brands who are seeking innovative marketing solutions," said UTA board member Jeremy Zimmer.
http://www.unitedtalent.com

(Los Angeles) Virgin Digital, a unit of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, said on Wednesday that it has partnered with athletic retailer Foot Locker on a promotion that will offer consumers free downloads of tracks from Island Def Jam artists. Under the deal, Foot Locker customers will receive 30-day free trials to Virgin Digital, where they can download exclusive tracks from Def Jam artists like Ludacris, LL Cool J and Ja Rule. Virgin Digital will also power a Foot Locker Radio streaming station on its website, and offer Foot Locker coupons in Virgin Megastore bag inserts.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050111/latu064_1.html 
http://www.virgindigital.com

(Beaverton, Ore.) Digimarc, a provider of digital watermarking and tracking technology for audio and video, announced on Wednesday that it recently signed its third deal with a U.S. movie studio to provide digital watermarking services to help track usage compliance. The company's technology embeds an invisible watermark into the video image that can be used to identify the source of leaks in the production channel and on Internet file-sharing services.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050112/125239_1.html 
http://www.digimarc.com

(San Francisco) Ziff Davis Media Game Group, a publisher of video game magazines including Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer Gaming World and Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, on Wednesday announced winners of its second annual 1UP Awards. Readers cast over 250,000 votes online, naming Bungie Studios' "Halo 2" Game of the Year, as well as top Online/Multiplayer title and Best Shooter game. Other winners included Blizzard's "World of Warcraft" for top Massively Multiplayer title, Microsoft's "Fable" for top Role Playing game and Activision's "Tony Hawk's Underground 2" for best Sports/Extreme Sports game. A full list of winners is available at the link below.
http://www.1up.com

(San Francisco) Video game publisher Ubisoft announced on Wednesday that it will release the final title in its "Myst" game franchise in the fall of 2005. Spokane, Wash.-based developer Cyan Worlds, creator of the Myst franchise, is currently developing "Myst V: End of Ages" for PC and Mac.
http://www.cyanworlds.com 
http://myst5.ubi.com

(San Francisco) The Register recently reported on an ad-free version of Google developed by a programmer who thinks a non-profit version of the search engine should be available to Internet users. "Google scrapes billions of web pages and doesn't ask permission before making the cache copies available. This scraping is used as a carrier for the ads that make Google stinkin' rich," programmer Daniel Brandt writes in the source code for his Google scraper application. "It's time for Google to give something back to the public sector."
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/11/open_source_google_scraper
http://www.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/scraper.htm 
 
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> Classifieds -- Advertise

> Search Thousands of Executive Contacts on TVSpy.com

Looking for a job in television? Developing sales leads? Click here to search the TVSpy Executive Directory now! Find phone numbers, faxes and even some e-mail addresses for executives and managers in cable, broadcasting, broadband, entertainment and more! Get connected. Start searching on TVSpy.com
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> Black Duck Software Presents Open Source Best Practices for the Enterprise

Black Duck Software will hold a free seminar on best practices for using Open Source Software in the enterprise on Jan 18, 2005 at the Westin Hotel, Santa Clara, CA. Software legend Dan Bricklin and acclaimed technology licensing attorney Karen Copenhaver will make the case for accelerating software development with open source software, and illustrate the latest best practices and tools for software compliance management. Visit http://www.blackducksoftware.com/seminars/index.html
or call 781.899.2718 ext. 450. Send inquiries to sales@blackducksoftware.com
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> Product Marketing Manager- Sorrent (Mobile Games)

Leading wireless gaming company that's fast-growing and ventured backed. Creates and publishes mobile content all over the world. Candidates will manage product marketing needs for multiple entertainment products. Oversee brand management to build value in mobile. Work with carriers and sales to tailor product scope to meet market needs. 3-5 years experience in consumer marketing or advertising. Entertainment or wireless marketing a plus. Must be active mobile user. Email resumes to jobs@sorrent.com.
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> OSDL Enterprise Linux Summit

The OSDL Enterprise Linux Summit is the source of Linux deployment information. This unique conference brings together Linux system administrators and architects, corporate developers, ISVs and vendors who want to explore practical solutions for accelerating Linux deployment and increasing Linux business across the enterprise. Jan 31- Feb 2, 2004, Hyatt Hotel, Burlingame, California http://www.osdllinuxsummit.org/btw
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> HireStrategy - Tax Accountant

Position will assist in the preparation of all Federal and State income tax returns, including calculation of quarterly estimates and extensions and will maintain tax depreciation schedules. He/she will research and prepare responses to state and other tax notices. A BS/BA in Accounting is preferred; the candidate must be a CPA or eligible to sit for the CPA exam, with four years of relevant experience. Attention to detail with good organizational skills is required. Please submit your resume to mmolinas@hirestrategy.com or view this position on the web at, http://www.hirestrategy.com/quicklinks/hire238.asp
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> ClearedJobs.Net - Security Cleared Professionals

ClearedJobs.Net, one of the fastest growing career portals dedicated to the security cleared community seeks individuals for permanent and contract opportunities with a wide range of defense firms in the D.C. Metro Area. Current openings include: Oracle DBA's, Software Engineers, Systems Engineers, System Administrators, Network Engineers, and many others. Learn more by visiting our Cleared Professionals Marketplace at http://www.ClearedJobs.Net Send resumes to recruiting@clearedjobs.net
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> Sales, Mktng, And Bus Dev. Executives Association - New England/Boston

Making a bad hiring decision can cost you tremendously - in time required to manage that person (and managing the person out) as well as in lost sales, missed marketing results, and under-performing alliances. Come to this interactive session with a panelist of acclaimed speakers who have been featured on CNN, in the Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, and hundreds of other journals on how to hire the best. This is also a great opportunity to network with your fellow executives. Visit NETSEA (http://www.netsea.org) for more information - register today. Send inquiries to ssao@netsea.org
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> COO/CEO - Baltimore- Washington Metro Area

Blogdigger, a real-time search engine for syndication technologies, seeks business partner to join technical founders as COO/CEO. Duties include advancing business plan, seeking equity, developing revenue models, establishing business relationships. Will work closely with founders, who have launched Blogdigger's search engine technology. Should understand the basics of weblogs, RSS/syndication, search, web services. Send resumes to jobs@blogdigger.com
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> Account Executive - Inside Sales

The SAVVIS Account Executive is accountable for selling all SAVVIS managed products to new and existing customers. Responsibilities include generating new opportunities via cold calling and leveraging customer relationships, working with existing customers to find new opportunities, and growing existing services. Required: 2+ yrs of successful business sales experience, cold calling/prospecting experience, and consultative sales experience. Send resume to dloehr@savvis.net
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> Channel Manager

Netezza is looking a for high energy individual to recruit, manage and expand relationships with System Integrators, Independent Software Vendors and Complementary Technology partners. The ideal candidate has a technical background with experience in channel management, business development, and/or consulting for technology companies focused on the Business Intelligence, Database and/or Storage markets. Send resumes to rrobinson@netezza.com
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> Senior Technical Project Manager

The individual working in this exciting position will provide admin. support to member firms in the new areas of industry technology standards, electronic commerce security, process automation, and innovative systems. He/she will assist in the project mgmt. of tech advances, and products and services which benefit members and their customers, while providing staff support for various Committees. The incumbent must work well with people. Bachelor's degree in engineering and a min of 5 years of exp. reqd. Please submit your resume to mmolinas@hirestrategy.com or view this position on the web at http://www.hirestrategy.com/quicklinks/hire235.asp
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> Sr. Java Software Engineer

A commercial product firm seeks a senior software engineer with 7 plus years of exp. The firm strongly prefers a candidate that has experience on both Unix/Linux and Windows platforms and solid experience with at least 2 programming languages and agile programming. This position requires direct contribution in all phases of the life-cycle, including specification, design, coding, unit test, integration and system test, and documentation. Strong skills in developing and executing on business requirements are needed. Please submit your resume to mmolinas@hirestrategy.com or view this position on the web at http://www.hirestrategy.com/quicklinks/hire237.asp
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> eNaugural.com - The Presidential Hi-Tech Inaugural Ball Jan 20, 2005

The eNaugural.com Ball is the Presidential Inaugural Ball for the Hi-tech community. This spectacular celebration brings together key industry leaders, elected officials and the media to honor and celebrate the overwhelming, positive impact of the new digital age on virtually every aspect of American life. This exciting gala is webcast live to the world, and archived for later viewing on the web. Go to http://www.enaugural.com for more info.
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> New Release: PwC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008

PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008 is the leading global entertainment and media industry forecast, including in-depth global analyses and five-year growth projections for 14 industry segments covering every major global region. The complete 550-page book, is available in print or electronic format. The 50 page "Global Overview" (available in print or electronic format)or any of the 14 individual industry segment chapters (electronic format only) can be purchased separately for $95. For sample content and to order, click here.
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About Us
Digital Media Wire, Inc. is a news organization, publisher and events company serving the digital media industry since May 2000. Our daily newsletter delivers original briefings on business, legal and financial developments shaping digital media and read by over 30,000 executives and professionals.

Digital Media Wire, Inc. is part of the Tech Wire Media Group, an international network of publications that includes Digital Media Law Report, Potomac Tech Wire, New England Tech Wire, Southeast Tech Wire, Bay Area Tech Wire, Tri-state Tech Wire and European Tech Wire. The network reaches more than 70,000 individuals from over 70 countries each business day.

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Chief Executive Officer: Ned Sherman
VP, Marketing & Events: Tinzar Than
Editor: Mark Hefflinger


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