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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- January 13, 2003
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com
o Judge Rules Kazaa May Be Tried for Copyright Infringement In U.S.
o Steve Case to Step Down as Chairman of AOL Time Warner
o TechTV Names Archos Portable Video Player 2003 CES "Best of Show"
o Reports Say Reuters May Cut Another 1,000 Jobs
o Digital Interactive Streams Raises $4 Million in First Round
> DMW Publications: Special Rates for DMW Subscribers
> DMW Events: Early Bird Discount - Digital Music Forum | March 3 | NYC
> Featured: USC M-Commerce Event, UCLA Extension Class
o Briefly Noted: Yahoo - video personal ads, Midway - "Mortal Kombat" -
"MLB SlugFest," THQ - "Red Faction II," Jupitermedia - analyst weblogs,
LSI Logic - DVD+RW Alliance, Stellcom - Movielink, Stellar One, Hollywood
movie contracts - online licensing hurdles
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> Events: Global Entertainment & Media Summit, Games & Mobile Forum: April
28 | NYC
> Marketplace: Entertainment & Corporate Legal Services, Game Industry
Report, iTV Chronicle, Homeland Security Directory, Interest-Based
Navigation
Full Classifieds located beneath "Briefly Noted" section below.
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o Judge Rules Kazaa May Be Tried for Copyright Infringement In U.S.
Los Angeles -- A federal judge ruled late Friday that Kazaa, a
peer-to-peer file-sharing service operated by Australia-based Sharman
Networks, may be sued for copyright infringement by entertainment
companies in the U.S. The company, which in addition to being based in
Australia, is registered in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu and
operates servers out of a third country. Sharman argued in a motion that
it could not be sued in California because it did not do direct business
with California residents. "Given that Sharman's software has been
downloaded more than 143 million times, it would be mere cavil to deny
that Sharman engages in a significant amount of contact with California
residents," U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Wilson wrote, in his 46-page
ruling. Sharman will now become a third defendant in the music and motion
picture industries' lawsuit against fellow file-sharing services
StreamCast Networks and Grokster. Sharman spokesperson Kelly Larabee told
the Associated Press that the company plans to file a counterclaim in
which the company "will set forth the full story for the first time."
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/MGM_v_Grokster/20030111_kazaa_jurisdiction_order.pdf
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-980274.html?tag=fd_top
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47892-2003Jan12.html
http://www.kazaa.com
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o Steve Case to Step Down as Chairman of AOL Time Warner
Dulles, Va. -- In a move that some analysts believe sets the stage for a
spin-off of America Online, Steve Case, the man who engineered the merger
that created AOL Time Warner two years ago, said on Sunday that he plans
to resign his post as chairman of the company in May. Case said that he is
making the move in part because "some shareholders continue to focus their
disappointment with the company's post-merger performance on me
personally," leading to distractions within the company. America Online
has been the lone unprofitable unit at AOL Time Warner, which has been
forced to write off several billion dollars since the merger to account
for its decreased value. Company shareholders have been angered by the
company's 68 percent stock decline since the merger. Case, a co-founder of
America Online, is the third top company executive to leave under pressure
in the past year, after the departures of COO Bob Pittman and CEO Gerald
Levin.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030112/122006_1.html
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o TechTV Names Archos Portable Video Player 2003 CES "Best of Show"
Las Vegas -- Technology cable TV network TechTV has named its 2003
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) "Best of Show" products, with Irvine,
Calif.-based Archos' $450 Video AV140 -- a 40GB portable MP4 video and
digital audio player -- taking top honors. Samsung's $399, 10GB YP-900 won
for Best Portable Audio device; while Creative's Prodikeys, a combination
music and computer keyboard, won for Best Home Audio product. The best
video game consumer electronics product was voted to be Pyramat's $150
interactive furniture, a seat that features game-connected speakers on the
seat back near the player's head. The winner in the Home Automation and
Networking category was Prismiq's $250 MediaPlayer, a set-top box that
allows access to digital audio, video, images, Web browsing and instant
messaging from a PC through a home network. "We were really impressed with
all the finalists this year," said Andrew Hawn, lab director at TechTV and
coordinator of the contest. "The competition was tough, but we know
consumers will really love these twelve new products." A list of all
winners may be found at the link below.
http://www.techtv.com/news/ces2003/story/0,24195,3413913,00.html
http://www.archos.com
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o Reports Say Reuters May Cut Another 1,000 Jobs
London -- Global financial information and data provider Reuters may make
further job cuts, a spokeswoman said on Monday. Her comments follow
weekend press reports that predicted a further 1,000 job cuts at Reuters.
Reuters and its rivals Bloomberg and Thomson are battling a demand slump
that has led to massive layoffs in the banking and financial services
industry that makes up their core customer base. Reuters has already cut
its payroll by about 2,500 staff in the past 18 months.
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030113/0401000070_2.html
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o Digital Interactive Streams Raises $4 Million in First Round
Jacksonville, Fla. -- Digital Interactive Streams (DiStream), a provider
of technology for delivering streaming video-on-demand, has raised $4
million in its first round of venture capital. The lead investors included
Crossbow Ventures and DigaComm LLC, a private equity firm. Florida-based
DiStream develops secure software for encoding, digital rights management
and automated delivery of digital video. The company is targeting the
consumer electronics, automotive, healthcare, and defense industries.
http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=CpIjh0bKbytiYnZ
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DMW Publications: Available for DMW Subscribers NOW!
December Law & Policy Report
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Digital Media Law & Policy Report (December)
A new report every month - must-read publication on legal and policy
matters related to digital media. 38 pages of case summaries, news and
analysis, policy updates, court filings, and exclusive interviews with
legal counsel and business leaders.
**Special Reduced Rates available for a limited time**
Price: $19.00 Per Issue | $195.00 Annual Subscription
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DMW Events: Digital Music Forum, March 3 | NYC
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Digital Media Wire Presents...
DIGITAL MUSIC FORUM
March 3, 2003 | New York City | 9:00AM - 7:00 PM
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events/MusicForum_030303.htm
A full-day forum focusing on business & legal issues impacting the music
industry today. The agenda includes 2 keynote addresses, 4 moderated
panels and breakout sessions.
Invited speakers include:
Chris Gorog, CEO, Roxio
Sean Ryan, CEO, Listen.com
Marc Schiller, CEO, Electric Artists
David Del Beccaro, CEO, Music Choice
Dennis Mudd, CEO, Musicmatch
Ned Sherman, CEO, Digital Media Wire
John Jeffrey, EVP & General Counsel, Live365
Trey Bowles, VP, StreamCast Networks
Phil Corwin, Partner, Butera & Andrews
Jonathan Potter, Exec. Dir., Digital Media Association
Ted Cohen, VP, EMI Recorded Music
Bryan Biniak, EVP, Moviso
Richard Conlon, VP, Business Development, BMI
Vincent Peppe, Legal Counsel, Licensing, SESAC
Gerd Leonhard, Founder, LicenseMusic.com
Joe Lazlo, Senior Analyst, Jupiter Media
Tim Nilson, VP, Mobile Technology, Sony Music
Paul Sherman, Founder & Editor, Potomac Tech Wire
Nicholas Lehman, VP, Business Development, MTV
David Brudnicki, Sr. Dir., Mobile, AT&T Wireless
Josh Warner, Founder, Like Media
Mark Ghuneim, SVP, Emerging Tech., Columbia Records
Michael Penn, Artist, United Musicians
Michael Hausman, Co-Founder, United Musicians
John Perry Barlow, Co-Founder, EFF
Early bird registrations: $150 until January 31
February registrations: $200 until February 28
At the door: $250.
Pre-Register at: http://kb.digitalmediawire.com/register.php?eventid=1024
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==================
FEATURED SECTION
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Featured Section posting at:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/featuredpostingpage.htm
USC's M-Commerce to the Max Conference, January 16, Los Angeles
MCommerce to the Max, Industry Leaders Roundtable Event. Join us January
16, 2003, 8:00am - 8:00pm, at the University of Southern California,
Davidson Conference Center 3415 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA
90089. Digital Media Wire readers receive
academic rate ($150.00).
Register online at:
http://www.marshall.usc.edu/web/CTM.cfm?doc_id=4615
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UCLA Extension Course: Digital Entertainment
The definitive course on the intersection of entertainment and technology
is returning to UCLA Extension this January. Digital & Hollywood: How Do
We Pick Up The Pieces & Move Forward? begins Tuesday, January 28th @ 7pm.
This nine week program features informative, stimulating, and
free-wheeling discussions with the senior executives who are who are
creating the future of digital entertainment. Digital Media Wire
subscribers receive a special $45 discount off of the $430 list price. To
register and take advantage of this special offer, simply visit the UCLA
extension website (www.uclaextension.org), click on the Quick Link tab and
enter the following special registration code: N8513
http://www.uclaextension.org
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Briefly Noted:
(Sunnyvale, Calif.) Yahoo on Monday announced an upgrade to its Personals
online dating service that will enable singles to post voice and video
greetings of themselves for others to hear and view. Subscribers to the
service may now record a 30-second audio or video clip using a PC
microphone or webcam, which will then become part of their online personal
ad.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030113/130061_1.html
http://personals.yahoo.com
(Chicago) Game developer Midway announced on Monday that its "Mortal
Kombat: Deadly Alliance" title sold more than one million units across all
platforms between its November 22 launch and the end of 2002. Since its
inception, the Mortal Kombat franchise has sold 19 million games and
spawned two major motion pictures. Separately, Chicago-based Midway
announced that it is currently working on "MLB SlugFest 20-04," for which
St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds has signed on as cover
athlete to promote the game. Midway will develop versions of the baseball
game for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030113/130180_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030113/130206_1.html
http://www.mortalkombatdeadlyalliance.com
http://www.midway.com
(Calabasas Hills, Calif.) Game developer THQ on Monday announced that it
is currently developing versions of its "Red Faction II" title for
Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Xbox and the PC that will become available in
March. THQ's Illinois-based Volition studio developed the original
PlayStation 2 version of the game; THQ said its Seattle-based Cranky Pants
Games studio is developing the GameCube version, while its Ann Arbor,
Mich.-based Outrage Games studio is working on the Xbox and PC versions.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030113/130160_1.html
http://www.redfaction2.com
(New York) Jupitermedia, a provider of research and media resources for
the information technology and Internet industry, announced on Monday that
its Jupiter Research division will now offer dedicated research analyst
Weblogs. Each analyst will keep a frequently updated Weblog that will
include "interesting links, running commentary, personal thoughts and
essays providing thought provoking insight that will enhance Jupiter
Research's products."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030113/132300_1.html
http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com
(Milpitas, Calif.) Chipmaker LSI Logic said on Monday that it will join
the DVD+RW Alliance, a group of technology firms that support the DVD+RW
format, as opposed to the competing DVD Forum, which promotes the DVD-R,
DVD-RW and DVD-RAM formats. Milpitas, Calif.-based LSI Logic joins fellow
DVD+RW Alliance members Hewlett Packard, Dell Computer and Philips.
Members of the DVD Forum include Apple Computer, Hitachi, NEC, Pioneer,
Samsung and Sharp.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030113/sfm006_1.html
http://www.lsilogic.com
(San Diego) Stellcom, a provider of systems integration services, said on
Monday that Movielink, a video-on-demand joint venture between a number of
Hollywood studios, is using its technology to facilitate and enhance the
consumer experience in downloading and playing movies from the site. San
Diego-based Stellcom's technology includes auto resume downloading, which
automatically pauses and resumes downloading whenever the customer's
broadband service is interrupted, and a flexible download queue that
organizes the downloading of movies in order of customer preference.
http://www.stellcom.com
http://www.movielink.com
(Seattle) Stellar One, a provider of interactive TV delivery technology to
telephone companies, announced that it has named Jim Smith its new
chairman and CEO. Previously, Smith held several executive positions with
telecommunications provider Qwest.
http://www.stellar.com
(San Francisco) CNET News.com on Monday reported on how contracts related
to the rights of use for major motion pictures are affecting the release
of these films on the Internet. "Clearing rights to movies is the biggest
single hurdle to Internet video on demand today," Curt Marvis, CEO of
Internet video-on-demand site CinemaNow, told News.com. "The studios would
like to give us more, but can't clear the titles. There are strange
clauses attached to almost every film because the Internet either wasn't
contemplated or the contracts were loosely worded."
http://news.com.com/2009-1023-979754.html
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CLASSIFIEDS - JOBS
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To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobpostingpage.htm
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====================
CLASSIFIEDS - EVENTS
====================
To Post Events: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/eventpostingpage.htm
Global Entertainment & Media Summit, February 28 - March 2, New York City
The Global Entertainment and Media Summit returns to New York City for a
productive three days of conferences, workshops and keynotes all
dedicated to helping to facilitate the growth of our industries. Keynotes
include Danny Goldberg, Dave Marsh, Lee Abrams of XM Satellite Radio and
Jack Healey, of the Human Rights Action Center- formerly of Amnesty
International. The event will feature over 20 productive panel sessions
over the course of the three-day event. Show dates are Friday, Saturday
and Sunday, February 28, March 1 and March 2. Registration is $75 per
person and includes admission to all events.
Details: http://www.globalentertainmentnetwork.com
Schedule: http://www.globalentertainmentnetwork.com/schedule.htm
Tickets: http://www.globalentertainmentnetwork.com/tickets.htm
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Digital Media Wire Presents...Games & Mobile Forum
April 2003, New York City
Focusing on games and mobile entertainment opportunities and business
models. Panel topics will include "The Battle to Control the Living Room:
Is the Game Industry Winning?", "Mobile Games: Business Models & New
Opportunities", "Legal & Policy Issues Impacting the Game Industry &
Mobile Entertainment", and "Home Networking: Technology for Modern Living
& Entertainment."
Door Tickets Price: $250. For Early Bird Specials, pre-register at:
http://kb.digitalmediawire.com/register.php?eventid=1025
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==========================
CLASSIFIEDS - MARKETPLACE
==========================
To Post Marketplace:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/marketplacepostingpage.htm
Entertainment & Corporate Legal Services
Top Credentialed Attorney with 9 years of experience representing major
studios, entertainment start-ups, VCs, investment banks and other blue
chip clients provides legal and business consulting for exclusive
clientele at reasonable rates. Services include entity formation, private
equity financings, licensing (entertainment and software products),
trademark registration and disputes, copyright issues and other
transactional and contract law services. Qualified in California and
Texas. Retainer required to commence services. Tel. 323-363-3620.
_____________________________________________
Game Industry Law & Policy Report
Special industry report covering law & policy matters impacting the game
industry. The 15-page report includes case summaries, news and analysis,
feature article and an exclusive interview with Doug Lowenstein,
President, Interactive Digital Software Association. Price: $19.00
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/marketplace.htm
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For those who believe in ITV - "Interactive TV: The Definitive Chronicle"
Covering the period 2000 to the present, this sourcebook presents a
complete history of the news and events that have shaped the business of
iTV since the beginning of the 21st Century. Culled from countless
sources, including the Digital Media Wire database, this 175 pages PDF (on
CD) covers all of the major players as well as the legal and financial
issues that helped shape the industry. Key research and industry
projections as well as a host of facts, figures, resources and thousands
of iTV-related links are included. Price: $ 55.00.
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/marketplace.htm
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Only 35 copies remaining of Directory of Homeland Security
This is your company's final chance to purchase the inaugural edition of
the Directory of Homeland Security: a 160-page book that lists all federal
and state agencies involved in homeland security. The directory includes
names of over 1,500 homeland security officials, profiles of 500 agencies
involved in homeland security, and a detailed list of technology companies
in this sector. The directory is sponsored by NETSEC, Greenberg Traurig,
AT&T and the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
To purchase the directory, go to: http://www.homeland-directory.com
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Etronica helps you "Find the Good Stuff FAST!"
Etronica's unique software toolset enables "Interest Based Navigation" of
Digital Content. The Patent Pending software tools can be incorporated
directly into content websites and portals, installed in TV settop boxes
or integrated as OEM components. The tools drive the automatic tagging,
indexing, and categorization of text. A recommendation engine suggests
highly relevant new information to users as they interact. Personalized
advertising and commerce offerings can also be automatically served.
Contact us to learn more: info@etronica.com
http://www.etronica.com
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Digital Media Wire, Inc. leverages its integrated media network to provide
exceptional value to individuals and companies determined to capitalize on
the convergence of media, entertainment and technology. Digital Media
Wire, the first in a series of business-intelligence publications,
delivers original daily briefings on the business, legal and financial
developments shaping digital media.
Digital Media Wire is part of the Tech Wire Media Group, an international
network of publications that includes Potomac Tech Wire, New England Tech
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Copyright 2003 Digital Media Wire, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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