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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- January 31, 2003
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com
o Verizon Appeals Ruling Ordering Subscriber Data Turned Over to RIAA
o Survey: 'Net An Important Information Source, Though Credibility Sketchy
o Music Choice, Record Industry Groups Reach Settlement on Music Royalties
o Danish Library Service Offering Free Music Downloads to Patrons
o Infogrames Sells Mac Video Game Publishing Unit to Destineer
o MusicMatch Licenses Maverick Records Catalog for Subscription Service
> DMW Publications: January Law and Policy Report
> DMW Events: Digital Music Forum | NYC | March 3
> Featured: Game Developers Conference Mobile
o Briefly Noted: IGN - 2002 top video games, Vivendi Universal Games - Fox
Interactive - "The X-Files," Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars - "Serious Games," Sega - new "Sonic" titles, Norwegian lawmaker
- video game gaffe, iCommune
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> Events: Games & Mobile Forum: April 28 | NYC
> Marketplace: UCLA Extension, 2000 Honda Accord, Entertainment &
Corporate Legal Services, Game Industry Report, iTV Chronicle,
Homeland Security Directory, Interest-Based Navigation
Full Classifieds located beneath "Briefly Noted" section below.
To post a Classified Ad:
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o Verizon Appeals Ruling Ordering Subscriber Data Turned Over to RIAA
Washington -- Internet service provider Verizon on Thursday filed a motion
in federal court asking for a stay of a judge's ruling ordering the
company to turn over the identity of an alleged online music file-trader
to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The company also
filed an appeal of the District Court's ruling with the U.S. Court of
Appeals. "Verizon will use every legal means to protect its subscribers'
privacy," said John Thorne, senior vice president and deputy general
counsel for Verizon. "If this ruling stands, consumers will be caught in a
digital dragnet -- not only from record companies alleging infringement of
their copyright monopolies -- but from anyone who can fill out a simple
form." Thorne refers to the relatively hassle-free process by which the
RIAA asked for the alleged pirate's identity; Verizon has argued that the
RIAA and others seeking personal data on its subscribers should have to
first file a "John Doe" lawsuit -- a much more tedious legal process. In
its efforts to protect the subscriber's privacy, Verizon has garnered
support from groups including the Electronic Privacy Information Center,
Electronic Frontier Foundation, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer
Alert, National Consumers League, U.S. Internet Industry Association,
Alliance for Public Technology and Telecommunications Research and Action
Center.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030130/nyth146_1.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-982809.html
http://www.eff.org/Cases/RIAA_v_Verizon
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o Survey: 'Net An Important Information Source, Though Credibility Sketchy
Los Angeles -- A survey of U.S. Internet users has found that while people
are increasingly turning to the Internet as a source of news and
entertainment, they are retaining a level of skepticism as to the validity
of information they find online. The survey, conducted by the UCLA Center
for Communication Policy, found that of the 71.1 percent of Americans who
report using the Internet, 61 percent consider it a "very" or "extremely"
important source of information, compared with 60 percent for books; 58
percent for newspapers; 50 percent for television; 40 percent for radio
and 29 percent for magazines. However, only 52.8 percent of users said
they found "most" or "all" of the information they found online to be
"credible," down from 58 percent last year. The survey also found that
Internet users average 11 hours per week online, up one hour from the
previous year. 'Net users also average 11 hours of TV-watching per week --
down an hour from 2001 -- and an average of 5 hours less than those who
don't use the Internet.
http://ccp.ucla.edu/pages/internet-report.asp
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2145318
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,57491,00.html
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o Music Choice, Record Industry Groups Reach Settlement on Music Royalties
Horsham, Penn. -- Music Choice, a provider of digital music programming to
cable and satellite TV operators, announced on Friday that it has reached
a joint settlement with key music industry groups for royalty rates and
terms through 2007, averting the need for a federal arbitration
proceeding. Parties to the settlement, which will apply to the period
between Jan. 1, 2002 and Dec. 31, 2007, included the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA), American Federation of Television and Radio
Artists (AFTRA), and American Federation of Musicians (AFM). Terms of the
settlement will also apply to fellow music subscription services DMX Music
and Muzak. The U.S. Copyright Office must now officially ratify the terms
of the agreement before SoundExchange, a recording industry entity, may
begin collecting royalties and distributing them to artists, record
companies and other copyright holders
http://www.musicchoice.com
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o Danish Library Service Offering Free Music Downloads to Patrons
Copenhagen -- The Copenhagen Post reported on Friday on a new nationwide
Danish library service that lets patrons browse and download songs from a
700-track catalog -- including major label artists -- for free. The site,
nicknamed "Project Nemus," requires prospective users to register and
download a proprietary music player that expires each song download after
30 days, making them unplayable. A limited version of the service has been
offered since November 2002 by the Danish Library Service, which said
around 900 patrons had used it before its recent nationwide launch.
http://cphpost.periskop.dk/default.asp?id=27500
http://www.musikbibliotek.dk
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o Infogrames Sells Mac Video Game Publishing Unit to Destineer
New York -- Video game publisher Infogrames announced on Friday that it
has sold its Apple Macintosh game publishing unit, MacSoft, to
Minneapolis-based game developer Destineer. Financial terms of the
transaction were not disclosed. "We are focusing our attention on our
biggest growth areas: PC and video games," said Paul Rinde, senior vice
president and general manager of Infogrames' Minneapolis studio, which
included the MacSoft label. Infogrames said the majority of its MacSoft
employees will become employees of Destineer.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030130/nyth140_1.html
http://www.destineerstudios.com
http://www.infogrames.com
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o MusicMatch Licenses Maverick Records Catalog for Subscription Service
San Diego -- MusicMatch, a provider of digital music player software and
operator of music subscription services, announced on Friday that it has
licensed Maverick Records' catalog for inclusion in its Artist On Demand
interactive streaming radio service. The agreement gives the 115,000
subscribers to San Diego-based MusicMatch's service access to songs from
artists including the Deftones, Alanis Morissette and Paul Oakenfold.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/230310044&ticker=
http://www.musicmatch.com
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DMW Publications: January Law & Policy Report
==========================================
Contact tinzar@digitalmediawire.com or call 323-464-0793 to order your
copies.
To purchase directly, go to:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/marketplace.htm
Digital Media Law & Policy Report - New Issue
Must-read publication on legal and policy matters related to digital
media. 35+ pages of case summaries, news and analysis, policy updates,
court filings, and exclusive interviews with legal counsel and business
leaders.
Published monthly. January issue on sale now!
**Special Reduced Rates available for a limited time**
Price: $19.00 Per Issue | $195.00 Annual Subscription
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/marketplace.htm
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DIGITAL MUSIC FORUM
March 3, 2003 | New York City | 9:00AM - 7:00 PM
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events/MusicForum_030303.htm
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Early bird registrations: $150 until January 31
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==================
FEATURED SECTION
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Featured Section posting at:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/featuredpostingpage.htm
Make Better Games
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San Jose, CA
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Briefly Noted:
(San Francisco) IGN Entertainment, a publisher of video game reviews and
information, announced on Friday its picks for the top video games of
2002. The site's editors chose top games for all platforms, and also named
Electronic Arts' "Battlefield 1942" as overall "Game of the Year."
Rockstar Games' "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" won for best PlayStation 2
title; Ubi Soft's "Splinter Cell" took best Xbox game honors; and
Nintendo's "Metroid Prime" and "Metroid Fusion" won for best GameCube and
Game Boy Advance titles, respectively.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030131/310046_1.html
http://games.ign.com/goty_2002.html
(Bellevue, Wash.) Vivendi Universal Games said that it has partnered with
Fox Interactive to develop video games based on the popular TV series,
"The X-Files." Santa Monica, Calif.-based developer Black Ops will create
PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of "The X-Files: Resist or Serve," which
will feature voiceovers from many of the show's cast members, including
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. VU Games' Sierra Entertainment will
publish the games this summer.
http://www.vugames.com/vug/news_story.do?storyId=56
http://www.foxinteractive.com
http://www.blackops.com
(Washington) The Foresight and Governance Project of the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars has announced that it will host a
workshop to explore how the management and performance of three sectors --
hospitals, high schools, and parks -- can be improved using game-based
simulation learning and training technologies. "We have tended to play up
the dangers of video games and not focused enough attention on the
possibilities they offer to change the way we educate and train both
children and adults," said Kirk Squire of MIT's Games-To-Teach Project,
which is participating in the "Serious Games" event, being held Feb. 5-6
in Washington, D.C.
http://www.seriousgames.org
(San Francisco) Sega of America announced on Friday that it will release
two Sonic the Hedgehog titles this summer. "Sonic Adventure DX"(working
title) will be released in May exclusively for Nintendo GameCube, and
"Sonic Pinball Party" will ship in June for the Game Boy Advance.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/230310063&ticker=
http://www.sega.com
(Oslo) Television cameras caught a Norwegian Member of Parliament playing
a war game on his handheld computer during a parliamentary debate on the
fighting in Afghanistan, Ananova.com reports. Conservative MP Trond
Helleland said he had intended to check his schedule on his personal
digital assistant, but could not resist a round of the war game
"Metalion." The footage was later broadcast on national television. "This
is very embarrassing and should never have happened," Helleland admitted.
http://shorterlink.com/?OO7KHF
(San Francisco) Wired News reported on Friday on iCommune, a file-sharing
program that lets users of Apple's popular iTunes digital music software
and other Apple applications swap songs over the Internet with those they
designate on a "buddy list." Ex-Apple programmer Jim Speth said that his
program should be available for free in a couple weeks, and thinks it does
not run afoul of the law because of "fair use" provisions in copyright
law. "It's more like a small community of people who want to share things
with each other," Speth told Wired News. "Making a copy of a CD that I own
and giving it to you is not illegal. Sharing with friends is legal, as far
as I know."
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,57482,00.html
http://www.icommune.net
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