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Top Stories
o Napster Lays Off 10 "Middle Managers," Denies Substantial Layoff Rumors
o Study: 35% of U.S. Parents Are Gamers; Majority Object to Govt. Restrictions
o Nintendo to Ship Redesigned DS Handheld in Japan in March
o Yahoo, Linksys Provide Wireless Song Streaming Over Home Network
o MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon TV Shows to Sell on iTunes
o Mobile Gambling Firm Rapid Mobile Media Raises $1.2 Million
o Video-on-Demand Server Firm Edgeware Raises Funds
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Briefly Noted
o Macrovision Debuts TotalPlay CD Copy-Protection
o Virgin Mobile USA Offers Exclusive Ringtones from Cash Money Records
o MGA, Ztar Mobile Launch "Bratz"-branded Mobile Phone
o Sega to Release "Super Monkey Ball" in Q3
o SNK Playmore USA to Ship "The King of Fighters Neowave" in March
o Sony Ships "Killzone: Liberation" for PSP to Retailers
o CNET News.com: Congressional Bloggers Growing in Ranks
o L.A. Times: Documentary Filmmaker Accuses MPAA of Pirating His Movie
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Los Angeles - Napster announced that it plans to lay off around ten middle managers, denying rumors that have been circulating about more substantial job cuts at the digital music service provider. "Consolidating the Napster subscription service with our new Napster.com initiative has resulted in approximately 10 middle management redundancies world-wide, and no additional reductions are contemplated," the company said in a statement. "Napster projects its headcount will actually increase over the coming year as our new Napster.com products enter the marketplace. Rumors of major or significant layoffs were misleading and greatly exaggerated, and efforts to sell the company are patently untrue." The company recently announced that it has surpassed 500,000 paying subscribers.
http://tinyurl.com/crmjb (Reuters)
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060125/napster_job_cuts.html?.v=2 (AP)
http://www.napster.com
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o Study: 35% of U.S. Parents Are Gamers; Majority Object to Govt. Restrictions

Washington - Thirty-five percent of American parents say they play computer and video games, according to a national survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates on behalf of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a video game industry trade group. Of these gamer parents, 80% said they play video games with their kids, and 66% said they feel playing games has brought their families closer together. The study found that 36% of gamer parents introduced their children to games, while 23% began playing after their children did; the typical gamer parent is 37 years old. The survey also found that 85% of voting parents (both gamers and non-gamers) said that parents -- as opposed to government, retailers or game publishers -- should take the most responsibility in monitoring the games their kids play. Sixty percent said the government should not regulate game sales to protect minors from violent or sexual content. "This research suggests that proposals to regulate video games may backfire with American voters who, unlike some elected officials, appear to fully understand that they should control the entertainment that comes into their homes," said ESA president Doug Lowenstein.
http://www.theesa.com/archives/2006/01/new_study_shows.php
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o Nintendo to Ship Redesigned DS Handheld in Japan in March

Tokyo - Nintendo has announced that it plans to release a smaller and lighter version of its DS handheld game console in Japan on March 2. The redesigned "DS Lite" will be 42% smaller and 21% lighter than the original DS, but will not offer a great of new functionality over the original DS, which has sold more than 13 million units worldwide since launching in late 2004. The company did not provide details on overseas launches for the DS Lite.
http://www.nintendo.com
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=14285
http://tinyurl.com/ae9su (CNET)
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o Yahoo, Linksys Provide Wireless Song Streaming Over Home Network

Santa Monica, Calif. - Yahoo announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Linksys, a maker of routers and other home networking products, to allow users to stream songs from Yahoo on their home networks. The $99 Linksys Wireless-G Music Bridge is the first device capable of accessing songs from users' own collections, through the Yahoo Music Engine music management application, as well as from Yahoo Music Unlimited accounts. Yahoo's paid music subscription service costs $6.99 per month or $4.99 per month with an annual subscription. Yahoo said it will also offer a $20 rebate on the Wireless-G Music Bridge if users subscribe to a full year of Yahoo Music Unlimited.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060126/lath068.html?.v=39
http://tinyurl.com/8leo8 (Wireless-G Music Bridge)
http://music.yahoo.com/unlimited
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o MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon TV Shows to Sell on iTunes

New York - Viacom's MTV Networks announced on Thursday that it has begun offering episodes of TV programs from its MTV, MTV2, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and The N channels for purchase and download from Apple's iTunes Store. Episodes of shows including "South Park," "Punk'd," "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Laguna Beach" are now available for $1.99 per episode, for viewing on a computer or video iPod. Apple's iTunes Store now offers 40 TV programs for purchase and download, from providers including ABC and Disney, NBC Universal, Sci Fi Channel and USA Network.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060126/sfth025.html?.v=35
http://www.itunes.com
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o Mobile Gambling Firm Rapid Mobile Media Raises $1.2 Million

Edinburgh - Rapid Mobile Media (RMM), a Scotland-based technology start-up, announced that it has raised $1.2 million in venture capital financing, led by Pentech Ventures. RMM, which is developing a technology that allows betting on mobile phones, said it would use the investment to fund new growth. "We believe there is a significant global market opportunity, and the proceeds will be used to support the company's existing activities, the expansion of its sales channels and to develop further new technologies," said RMM founder Iain Maddox.
http://www.rapid-mobile.com/main/en/home.jsp
http://www.pentechvc.com
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o Video-on-Demand Server Firm Edgeware Raises Funds

Stockholm - Edgeware, a Sweden-based start-up developing servers for on-demand TV services, announced that it has secured an undisclosed amount of first round venture capital financing. Creandum, an early stage technology venture capital firm focusing on the Nordic region, led the round. Edgeware is a system vendor targeting interactive TV and video on demand (VoD) applications in IPTV and cable TV networks. The company said it would use the funding to develop its first line of products and enter the market.
http://www.edgeware.tv/165572.pdf

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o Macrovision Debuts TotalPlay CD Copy-Protection

Santa Clara, Calif. - Macrovision, a provider of copy-protection technology for CDs, DVDs and other media, on Thursday introduced its TotalPlay CD product, which it says allows consumers to burn rights-managed copies, and offers extras like lyrics, album art and unlockable Web content, while preventing unauthorized uses. The system allows tracks to be transferred to Microsoft-supported portable players, which excludes the iPod. Macrovision added that TotalPlay has been reviewed by third-party security firms and certified "spyware-safe" by a member of the Anti-Spyware Coalition.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060126/20060126005244.html?.v=1
http://www.antispywarecoalition.org
http://www.macrovision.com/products/activereach_cd/totalplaycd/index.shtml
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o Virgin Mobile USA Offers Exclusive Ringtones from Cash Money Records
 
Warren, N.J. - Virgin Mobile USA said on Thursday that it has partnered with Universal Music's Cash Money Records to offer exclusive ringtones from Cash Money artists. Through Virgin Mobile USA's "First Dibs" program, five ringtones from artists including Lil Wayne, Mannie Fresh and Hot Boyz will be available exclusively to its subscribers through February.
http://tinyurl.com/ex5v9
http://www.virginmobileusa.com
http://www.cashmoney-records.com
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o MGA, Ztar Mobile Launch "Bratz"-branded Mobile Phone

Los Angeles - MGA Entertainment, maker of the popular Bratz fashion dolls and accessories, on Thursday shipped its Bratz-branded mobile phone to Wal-Mart retail locations. The $69 white and pink Sony Ericsson T290 handsets feature Bratz imagery, and come loaded with Bratz wallpapers, voice ringtones and screen savers. The company partnered with Ztar Mobile to offer 50 minutes of pre-paid airtime, renewable through a Bratz Mobile private branded wireless service.
http://tinyurl.com/asks5
http://www.mgae.com
http://www.ztarmobile.com
http://www.bratz.com
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o Sega to Release "Super Monkey Ball" in Q3

San Francisco - Sega of America said on Thursday that it plans to ship its "Super Monkey Ball" title for PlayStation 2, GameCube and Sony PSP in the third quarter of 2006. The title is being developed by Traveller's Tales.
http://www.sega.com
http://www.ttgames.com
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o SNK Playmore USA to Ship "The King of Fighters Neowave" in March

Wall, N.J. - SNK Playmore USA, the U.S. arm of the Japanese video game publisher, said on Thursday that it will release "The King of Fighters Neowave" for Microsoft Xbox in March. The game supports online multiplayer gaming through the Xbox Live service.
http://www.snkplaymoreusa.com
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o Sony Ships "Killzone: Liberation" for PSP to Retailers

Foster City, Calif. - Sony Computer Entertainment America on Thursday shipped its "Killzone: Liberation" title for PSP to retailers. The game is based on the Killzone title for PlayStation 2, and was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's Guerilla studio.
http://tinyurl.com/cgxwv
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o CNET News.com: Congressional Bloggers Growing in Ranks

San Francisco - CNET News.com reported on Thursday on the growing recognition of blogs in political circles, as evidenced by the eleven members of Congress who now publish their own blogs. "When I reach out to the blog community, it gives me an opportunity to begin a dialogue with an extremely politically sophisticated and active community that I otherwise might not be able to reach," Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) wrote in an e-mail to CNET News.com. "Another benefit of blogging is that, as opposed to delivering a speech, you get immediate and unlimited feedback, both positive and negative." CNET also noted that last week, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) contributed a post to the popular DailyKos left-leaning political blog.
http://tinyurl.com/8xads (CNET)
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/20/175232/080  
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o L.A. Times: Documentary Filmmaker Accuses MPAA of Pirating His Movie

Park City, Utah - The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has itself been accused of piracy, for making an unauthorized copy of a documentary by director Kirby Dick that explores the MPAA's movie ratings system. "We made a copy of Kirby's movie because it had implications for our employees," Kori Bernards, the MPAA's vice president for corporate communications, told the Times. Bernards alleged that Dick followed members of the MPAA ratings board as they drove their kids to school, and also went through their garbage. "We were concerned about the raters and their families," Bernards said, adding, "The courts recognize that parties are entitled to make a copy of a work for use as evidence in possible future proceedings."
http://tinyurl.com/a2hex (L.A. Times)
http://ifcblog.ifctv.com/kirbydic

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