archives

o Justice Department Sides With MPAA in DeCSS Case
o Wireless Video Firm PacketVideo Gets Investment From Sun Microsystems
o RIAA Asking ISPs to Block Access to Napster Clones
o PCCW Japan Acquires U.S. Games Firm VR-1 for $38 Million
o iNEXTV Increases Stakes in Online Entertainment Companies
o Content Delilvery Firm Zinio Raises $2 Million in First Round
o Briefly Noted: Dave & Busters - Arcade Planet, Sonomic - Q Up Arts,
Mixed Signals Technologies
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> Job Postings: Dir./Mgr. of Public Relations, Biz Dev/Sales, Project
Mgr./E-Commerce

> Events/Services: "Legal & Financial Foundations of Venture Success,"
WebMessenger

Full Job/Event descriptions listed below "Briefly Noted" section or at
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/postings.html

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o Justice Department Sides With MPAA in DeCSS Case

Washington -- In a recent filing with the U.S. Second District Court of
Appeals, the Justice Department sided with the Motion Picture Association
of America (MPAA) in its case against a hacker magazine that published
computer code that can break the encryption on DVDs, CNET reported. The
MPAA sued hacker magazine 2600 for publishing links to "DeCSS," a code
that can, among other things, be used crack the encryption on DVDs for the
purpose of making illegitimate copies. The magazine is appealing the
ruling, stating that simply posting or linking to allegedly illegal
material is not in and of itself a crime, and is protected by the First
Amendment. "Despite defendants' efforts to pitch this case as a classic
story of the gadfly press and to cast themselves in the role of the
protagonist reporter who seeks only to convey truthful information to the
pubic, this lawsuit is really about computer hackers and the tools of
digital piracy," U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White wrote in the brief. The MPAA
also filed a brief with the court this week that basically restated its
case.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-201-4921815-0.html?tag=mn_hd
http://www.mpaa.org/Press/BRIEF2.htm
http://www.2600.com
http://www.mpaa.com
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o Wireless Video Firm PacketVideo Gets Investment From Sun Microsystems

San Diego, Calif. -- PacketVideo, a developer of wireless streaming audio
and video technology, said that it has received an undisclosed equity
investment from Web server manufacturer Sun Microsystems. The company said
it expects to close a fifth round of funding for $80 - $100 million next
month. As part of the partnership, server software from San Diego-based
PacketVideo will be available for Sun's wireless-based network servers.
"The combination of our wireless streaming capabilities with Sun’s server
technologies will enable our unique end-to-end solution to be offered to
virtually every wireless network in the world," said James Carol, CEO and
co-founder of PacketVideo. The company is currently testing its streaming
video software for wireless with consumers in Switzerland, Canada and
Finland. Other investors in PacketVideo include Credit Suisse First
Boston, Motorola, Qualcomm, Sony and Time Warner.
http://www.packetvideo.com/press/view.asp?id=84
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o RIAA Asking ISPs to Block Access to Napster Clones

Washington -- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has
sent at least 75 letters to U.S. Internet service providers, asking them
to block access to Napster-like file-sharing servers allegedly hosted by
their customers, CNET reported on Friday. The "OpenNap" servers are not
affiliated with Napster the company, but instead allow a user to establish
a centralized server like Napster's where users can search other users'
hard drives and download music. The RIAA reported that an undisclosed
number of OpenNap servers have been shut down as a result of the letters
to ISPs. "We have been sending these notes and asking for their
cooperation, and they have been cooperative," Jonathan Whitehead,
anti-piracy counsel for the RIAA, told CNET. Letters like the ones sent by
the RIAA follow the prescriptions laid out in the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act for notifying an Internet service provider that allegedly
illegal or copyrighted material is being hosted or transmitted by its
customers. If the claim is valid, an ISP that receives such a notification
is then required by law to block access to the illegal content. The RIAA
is also reportedly attempting to send similar letters to operators of
overseas OpenNap servers.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4925360.html?tag=mn_hd
http://opennap.sourceforge.net/
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o PCCW Japan Acquires U.S. Games Firm VR-1 for $38 Million

Tokyo -- Pacific Century CyberWorks Japan (PCCW), a distributor of video
games to wireless, cable and other platforms, announced on Friday that it
will acquire VR-1, a developer of massively multi-player online games. The
stock transaction is valued at $38 million. PCCW Japan will also make a
$10 million equity investment in Circadence -- the parent company of VR-1,
and a provider of quality-of-service software for e-businesses.
Colorado-based VR-1's multi-player game technology has been licensed to
publishers and wireless providers like Hasbro Interactive, British
Telecom, France Telecom, Deutsche Telecom and Samsung. The company is also
developing multi-player games for Microsoft's Xbox.
http://www.circadence.com/default.asp?T=4&M=3&S=9&C=press_022301
http://www.vr1.com
http://www.pccwj.co.jp/eng_html/index.html
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o iNEXTV Increases Stakes in Online Entertainment Companies

New York -- iNEXTV, a producer and syndicator of video for the Internet,
said on Friday that it has increased its investments in Alternative
Entertainment Network (AENTV.com) and Germany's TV1 GmbH. The company now owns 75 percent of Alternative Entertainment Network -- producer of
original online video content like The Billboard Minutes and The Hollywood
Reporter Minutes -- and has the option to acquire an additional 10 percent
of the company. iNEXTV increased its stake in German webcaster to 35
percent. New York-based iNEXTV, a subsidiary of Ampex Corporation, also
said it will now produce and syndicate all content from Alternative
Entertainment Network and iNEXTV under the iNEXTV brand. The company
currently distributes original video content to partners including iWon,
AskJeeves, Alta Vista, Juno and Qwest.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010223/2094.html
http://www.inextv.com
http://www.aentv.com
http://www.tv1.de
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o Content Delivery Firm Zinio Systems Raises $2 Million in First Round

San Francisco -- Zinio Systems, a developer of electronic content delivery
technology for the print publishing industry, announced on Friday that it
has raised $2 million in its first round of venture capital financing.
Participants in the round were not disclosed. San Francisco-based Zinio
was launched by Kevin B. McCurdy, also the founder of Bamboo.com, a
provider of 360-degree panoramic imaging technology. Bamboo.com eventually
merged with Internet Pictures Corporation to form iPIX.
http://www.zinio.com
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o Briefly Noted:

(Dallas) Dave and Buster's, an operator of restaurants with video games
and other interactive entertainment, announced that it will offer
redemption games on its website, where users can earn coupons redeemable
for prizes at the company's 27 physical locations. California-based Arcade
Planet will provide the skill-based games for the website, scheduled to
launch on April 2.
http://www.irconnect.com/dab/pages/news_releases.shtml?d=14633
http://www.daveandbusters.com
http://www.arcadeplanet.com

(New York) Sonomic, an online provider of sound effects and sound samples
for the audio production industry, said that it will be the exclusive
online distributor of samples from Salt Lake City-based Q Up Arts. New
York-based Sonomic's users can search the site for samples by instrument,
style, key, artist and title, and then purchase downloads in .wav and
.aiff formats.
http://www.sonomic.com
http://www.quparts.com

(Culver City, Calif.) Mixed Signals Technologies, an interactive
television developer, has announced the appointment of Caroline Beck as
president and CEO. Previously, Beck served as COO of broadband
entertainment provider Intertainer.
http://mixedsignals.com

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Job Postings:
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To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html

> Load Media Network, Director/Manager of Public Relations - Los Angeles

Develop and execute Load Media's PR strategy. Manage relationship
with external PR agency. Implement standard public relations and
communications practices including but not limited to: media tours, events
and trade shows, desk side briefings, media pitching, press release
development, approvals and distribution, and message documents. 4-8 years
marketing/advertising experience. Send resumes to danderson@loadmedia.com
http://www.loadmedia.com
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> everse, Business Development / Sales - Los Angeles

Internet professional services firm seeks star sales person to identify
and drive strategic business to closure. Assist clients in defining
business objectives, goals and budgets. Position requires establishing and
maintaining long-term relationships with client base. Bachelor's degree,
MBA preferred. History of closing web service business or agency-related.
Ability to generate leads through cold-calling.
Send resumes to stevey@everse.com
http://www.everse.com
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> RichFX, Project Manager / E-commerce - New York City

Change the face of on-line shopping by helping to create the world's first
ONE PAGE storefront. This is an opportunity to work on truly breakthrough,
cutting-edge technology. Very competitive salary and equity in a
well-funded mature startup. Professional, but business casual environment.
Comprehensive benefits package.
Send resumes to nyrecruiter@richfx.com
http://www.richfx.com

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Event Postings:
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To Post Events: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html

> Legal & Financial Foundations of Venture Success, Mar. 3 - Pasadena, CA

In association with the Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum, this two-part
program looks at the high-tech venture from a legal & financial
perspective, providing both aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs with a
working knowledge of critical issues that can have a major impact on
venture success.
For more information and to register:
http://event3.inetevents.com/event/public/event.cfm?event_id=108
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> WebMessenger: Wireless and Streaming Media Software

WebMessenger does Premium Software Development for Wireless,
Medical, Online Media, and Internet Industries. Competitive Contractor:
California based development and management with oversees support.
Excellent client relationships with perfect referrals. Top-Notch staff:
PhDs and Masters in Computer Science with many years of experience.
Quality Assurance dept. that ensures the highest standards are met.
High-Speed product development cycle: 24-hour global operations. Cost
effective development.
Contact: Aaron Hirsch aaron@webmessenger.com 202-483-5999
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