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===================================================
DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- February 6, 2003
===================================================
To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com 

o Spanish Internet Firm Terra Lycos Cuts 22% of U.S. Jobs
o Graphics Chipmaker Nvidia, Microsoft Settle Dispute Over Xbox Chip Prices
o CNET: Patent Claim Could Rile Streaming Media Industry
o Vitaminic Merges With Interactive Mobile Services Firm Buongiorno 
o Report: Interactivity Spurs Popularity of Online Personals 
o Phish Selling MP3 Downloads of Live Shows 48 Hours After Completion
o U.K. Game Developer Warthog Buys Austin-based Studio Fever Pitch

> DMW Publications: January Law and Policy Report
> Featured: Game Developers Conference Mobile, Storage Services Summit

o Briefly Noted: Nintendo - free GameCube games, Datel - Freeloader, Ain't
It Cool Games, Windows Media Player 9 Series, Mythic Entertainment, Apple
iPod - Linux, Copyright-related legislation
_____________________________________________

> Jobs: Web Editor

> Events: Digital Music Forum: March 3 | NYC, Games & Mobile Forum:
April 28 | NYC

> Marketplace: Multimedia production firm, 2000 Honda Accord,
Entertainment & Corporate Legal Services, Game Industry Report,
iTV Chronicle, Interest-Based Navigation

Full Classifieds located beneath "Briefly Noted" section below.

To post a Classified Ad:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/mainpostingpage.html
or contact Tinzar Than at tinzar@digitalmediawire.com
_____________________________________________

o Spanish Internet Firm Terra Lycos Cuts 22% of U.S. Jobs

Waltham, Mass. -- Terra Lycos, an Internet media giant based in Spain with
significant U.S. operations, on Wednesday cut more than 20 percent of its
U.S. staff. In all, 147 of the company's 649 employees were affected,
Reuters reported. The across-the-board cuts spanned the company's offices
in Miami, Mountain View, Calif., New York and San Francisco, and its
headquarters in Waltham, Mass. Terra Lycos is attempting to eliminate
redundancies and pare expenses to deal with a sharp decline in advertising
revenue.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/030205/media_terralycos_1.html 
_____________________________________________

o Graphics Chipmaker Nvidia, Microsoft Settle Dispute Over Xbox Chip Prices

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Graphics chipmaker Nvidia announced on Thursday
that it has settled all of its pricing disputes with Microsoft over the
chipsets it has been supplying for the company's Xbox video game console.
The companies had been in arbitration related to the pricing of Nvidia's
Xbox GPU (graphics) and MCP (audio and networking) chipsets. Santa Clara,
Calif.-based Nvidia and Microsoft said they will collaborate on future
cost reductions for the Xbox. "This is a win for both companies, and we
couldn't be more delighted with the results," said Nvidia president and
CEO Jen-Hsun Huang.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030206/sfth040_1.html 
http://www.nvidia.com 
_____________________________________________

o CNET: Patent Claim Could Rile Streaming Media Industry

San Francisco -- CNET News.com on Thursday reported on the efforts of a
firm called Acacia Media Technologies to enforce patents it says control
the process of transmitting compressed audio and video over the Internet.
So far the company has targeted online pornography streaming sites and
several Web radio operations and plans to go after digital pay-per-view
providers, but would not confirm if it has targeted giants like Microsoft
or AOL with its licensing efforts. One large webcaster, Radio Free Virgin,
agreed to license Acacia's technology last month. "We did research on the
claims and found that they were pretty clear -- somewhat broad, but
specific enough to cover us," Radio Free Virgin general manager Zack Zalon
told News.com. "We realized that they were tight enough that a license
would be substantially less expensive in the long run than litigation."
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-983552.html 
http://www.acaciaresearch.com 
_____________________________________________

o Vitaminic Merges With Interactive Mobile Services Firm Buongiorno 

Milan -- Vitaminic, an international online music distribution network,
announced that it has agreed to merge with Italian interactive mobile
service provider Buongiorno Group. Financial terms of the transaction were
not disclosed. The Buongiorno Group reaches around 30 million customers,
distributing content to wireless network operators in Italy and Spain, as
well as the U.K., France, Germany and Austria. "The merger with Buongiorno
represents an outstanding step forward in pursuing Vitaminic's strategy,
whose major objective is to reach an undisputed leadership in Europe's
digital content distribution through electronic networks," said Vitaminic
CEO Gianluca Dettori. "Thanks to the synergies between Buongiorno's
distribution and marketing platform and Vitaminic's assets and multimedia
content, the merger will create a brand new operator, with a unique
competitive position, ready to exploit the great opportunities of upcoming
broadband and third generation networks." The merged company expects to
break even in 2003, with projected revenues between $56 and $61 million.
http://www.vitaminic.it/cgi-php/get_press.php3?file=about_press_211_1.doc 
http://www.buongiorno.com/uk 
_____________________________________________

o Report: Interactivity Spurs Popularity of Online Personals 

Reston, Va. -- Online dating sites have seen a surge in popularity in
recent months, according to a new report released on Friday by
Virginia-based ComScore Media Metrix. Driven by romantic allure, novelty,
curiosity and heavy promotion, 26.6. million people from the U.S. visited
such sites in December, a 31 percent increase over the previous year.
"Long available though traditional media, personal advertisements are
quickly being transformed by the Internet's many unique benefits,
including interactivity, targetability, vast databases, sound and video,"
said Stephen Kim, chief research officer of ComScore Media Metrix. Leading
the way in December were Match Properties (5.7 million visitors), Yahoo
Personals (4.0 million), One2onematch.com (3.5 million) and Matchmaker
Sites (3.2 million).
http://www.comscore.com/news/personals_work020603.htm 
_____________________________________________

o Phish Selling MP3 Downloads of Live Shows 48 Hours After Completion

New York -- Elektra recording artists Phish announced that they will sell
downloads of recordings of each of the twelve shows on their winter tour
within 48 hours of each show's completion. Both MP3 and "lossless" Shorten
file formats will be offered without any digital rights management,
meaning sets may be easily burned onto CD or transferred to portable
devices. The Live Phish Downloads service -- which uses Marina del Rey,
Calif.-based CinemaNow's PatchBay technology to deliver the music -- also
includes custom-designed printable booklets, inlay trays and CD labels.
The band has always allowed fans to set up recording equipment and tape
their live performances, and said its fans purchased 25,000 downloads of
the four shows from its hiatus-ending tour at the end of 2002. Phish is
also offering a selection of older shows for download, and plans to expand
the service further into its archives.
http://www.livephish.com 
_____________________________________________

o U.K. Game Developer Warthog Buys Austin-based Studio Fever Pitch

Cheadle, England -- U.K.-based video game developer Warthog announced that
it has acquired Austin-based developer Fever Pitch, for an "initial
consideration" of around $300,000 in Warthog shares. Additional shares
will be distributed based on Fever Pitch's performance this year. Warthog
has developed games including "Bounty Hunter" for Xbox, and "Starlancer"
for PC, on which it collaborated with Fever Pitch. "Most of our customers
are American and it is strategically important for us to have a presence
in the U.S. Fever Pitch matched our operational as well as strategic
criteria," said Warthog CEO Ashley Hall. Fever Pitch will be renamed
Warthog Austin, with studio president Eric Peterson retaining his role.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z20221F53 
http://www.warthog.co.uk 
http://www.feverpitchstudios.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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_____________________________________________

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==================
FEATURED SECTION
==================
Featured Section posting at:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/featuredpostingpage.htm  

Make Better Games

Game Developers Conference Mobile 
March 4-5, 2003
San Jose, CA

Join leaders of the mobile communications and game development industries
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the world.
Save $25: Register at http://www.gdcmobile.com using Priority Code DMWENL.

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INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS: 
THE BUSINESS SIDE OF STORAGE IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES SECTOR EXECUTIVE
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The Business side of Storage * The Technology side of Storage * Regulatory
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_____________________________________________

Briefly Noted:

(Redmond, Wash.) Nintendo of America on Thursday said it will begin
offering purchasers of its GameCube console their choice of one of four
popular games for free. Gamers have their choice of either "Metroid
Prime," "Star Fox Adventures," "Mario Party 4" or "Resident Evil 0." The
company also reduced the price of classic GameCube titles including
"Luigi's Mansion," "Pikmin" and "Super Smash Bros. Melee" from $49.95 to
$29.95.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/230370128&ticker= 
http://www.nintendogamecube.com  

(London) Video game accessories firm Datel has begun shipping Freeloader,
a product that strips the regional coding restrictions on Nintendo's
GameCube video game console, GameIndustry.biz reported. The product, not
endorsed by Nintendo, does not allow games to be copied, but may spur the
import of Nintendo games from the U.S. to the U.K., as popular titles like
"Metroid Prime" and "Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker" are released months
later in the European market.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=ret&aid=1199 
http://www.datel.co.uk 

(Austin) The founders of Ain't It Cool News, a website that since 1995 has
offered inside scoops on movie productions and other film-related matters,
have created a similar site that hopes to offer the same insider
information for video game aficionados. Ain't It Cool Games launched on
Jan. 30
http://www.aintitcoolgames.com 

(Redmond, Wash.) Microsoft announced on Thursday that its Windows Media
Player 9 Series was downloaded 14 million times in its first month of
availability. The company also said its Windows Movie Maker 2 for Windows
XP, which enables editing and sharing of video, has been downloaded over 3
million times since its release last month.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030206/sfth030_1.html  

(Fairfax, Va.) Game developer Mythic Entertainment said on Thursday that
it has sold 110,000 copies of its "Dark Age of Camelot: Shrouded Isles"
expansion pack title for PC since the game's release in December. The
title ranked as the top-selling online game for December 2002, according
to NPD Techworld. Virginia-based Mythic currently claims 210,000 paying
subscribers for its "Dark Age of Camelot" massively multiplayer online
game.
http://www.mythicentertainment.com 

(San Francisco) Wired News on Thursday reported on the efforts of
programmer Bernard Leach to hack Apple's iPod digital music player so that
it will run the Linux operating system. Although still in early stages,
Leach released his work to the open source community, where it could
eventually lead to the iPod being able to share files with other iPods via
FireWire, become a storage device for digital photos, play open source
OggVorbis audio files, or double as a fully functional PDA with attached
keyboard.
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,57565,00.html 

(Los Angeles) Representatives of groups including the Motion Picture
Association of America (MPAA), Recording Industry Association of America
and Consumer Electronics Association told an investor conference that it's
unlikely Congress will act on any copyright-related issues this year, in
light of looming war and other distractions, The Los Angeles Times
reported. The proposed bills referred to include one requiring electronics
firms to install government-mandated copy-protections on devices; one
restricting peer-to-peer file sharing; and one that would expand the "fair
use" rights of consumers to make copies of their music and movies. "I
don't think any bill will be enacted without a large degree of consensus
among the various affected industries," Fritz Attaway of the MPAA told the
conference.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-copy5feb05,0,2467332.story?col
l=la%2Dheadlines%2Dtechnology 
_____________________________________________

===================
CLASSIFIEDS - JOBS
===================
To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobpostingpage.htm 

Web Editor

Variety.com is looking for an experienced Web Editor to work on the daily
production of the Los Angeles newspaper's site. You must have excellent
journalism credentials and know the entertainment industry from a business
perspective. You must:  have worked for a content web site, have
journalism in your blood, know Dreamweaver and the AP Style Guide. Hours
vary from noon-midnight, Sun. - Fri. To apply, send a resume, cover
letter, 2 URLS. No word attachments Send to
hrlosangeles2@reedbusiness.com, include the job title WEB EDITOR and job
ID# RBI 505 in the subject.
_____________________________________________

====================
CLASSIFIEDS - EVENTS
====================
To Post Events: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/eventpostingpage.htm 

DIGITAL MUSIC FORUM
March 3, 2003 | New York City | 9:00AM - 7:00 PM 
Full list of speakers and agenda:
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.
 
Sponsors:
Roxio (http://www.roxio.com)
Gateway (http://www.gateway.com)
Gray Cary (http://www.graycary.com)
BMI (http://www.bmi.com)
ASCAP (http://www.ascap.com)
Audible.com (http://www.audible.com)
Digital Media Law Report (http://www.digitalmedialawreport.com)
Global Entertainment and Media Summit
(http://www.globalentertainmentnetwork.com)

February registrations:  $200 until February 28
At the door:  $250.   
Pre-Register at: http://kb.digitalmediawire.com/register.php?eventid=1024
_____________________________________________

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
_____________________________________________

==========================
CLASSIFIEDS - MARKETPLACE
==========================
To Post Marketplace:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/marketplacepostingpage.htm 

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_____________________________________________

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
_____________________________________________

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
_____________________________________________

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
_____________________________________________

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
Wire, Southeast Tech Wire, Bay Area Tech Wire, Tri-state Tech Wire and
European Tech Wire. The network reaches more than 62,000 individuals from
over 70 countries worldwide each business day.

Upcoming publications, events & information at:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com 

Questions, Comments & Suggestions to:
tinzar@digitalmediawire.com 

News Tips, Scoops & Press Releases to:
editorial@digitalmediawire.com 
_____________________________________________

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

Copyright 2003 Digital Media Wire, Inc. All Rights Reserved.