archives

o MP3.com Ordered to Pay $300,000 to TVT Records in Copyright Case
o Digital TV Recorder Firm TiVo Lays Off 25% of Staff
o Wireless Entertainment Technology Firm Jamdat Raises $10 Million
o Napster's Third Report to Court Says it is Complying with Ruling
o File-Trading Service iMesh Begins to Block Copyrighted Songs
o Struggling Entertainment Site Fandom.com Sells Creation Entertainment
o Biotech Firm Merges with Entertainment Provider Axess Media
> Digital Media Wire Panels: "Digital Copyright Crossroads" - LA, D.C.
o Briefly Noted: Activision - Xbox, MusicNet - Duet?, AOL Time Warner -
"Blow," Digital Media on Demand
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> Job Postings: Copywriter, Researcher/Editor, Acct. Executive,
Content Writer

> Events/Services: "Stanford Media and Entertainment Conference,"
"Call for Entries: Short Attention Span Festival"

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

To Post a Job: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html
To Post an Event: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html
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o MP3.com Ordered to Pay $300,000 to TVT Records in Copyright Case

New York -- A jury has ordered downloadable music provider MP3.com to pay
indie label TVT Records $300,000 in damages for copyright infringement,
the Associated Press reported. The damages stem from a suit filed by the
label against the company for its My.MP3.com service. TVT had originally
sought the maximum penalty of $8.5 million. MP3.com claimed the
"Hopefully, this will send a message to others, said MP3.com lawyer Jeff
Conciatori. "It's not going to be easy to come to court and have a jury
award excessive windfall damages, which I think it what these companies
are seeking. Conciatori said the company would insist on a jury hearing
all remaining infringement charges against the company. MP3.com settled
similar lawsuits with the major labels, paying out $53.4 million to
Universal Music Group alone.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010406/tc/mp3_lawsuit_2.html
http://my.mp3.com
http://www.tvtrecords.com
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o Digital TV Recorder Firm TiVo Lays Off 25% of Staff

San Jose, Calif. -- TiVo, a manufacturer of digital TV recording devices,
said on Friday that it will lay off 25 percent of its staff, or about 80
employees, as part of a new operating plan aimed at reducing costs. The
company said its plan will reduce operating expenses by 35 percent,
cutting its spending to $60 million in 2001 -- and will eliminate the need
for the company to seek additional financing. San Jose-based TiVo will
also raise the price of its "lifetime" subscription to the service, which
continually updates TV programming information, from $199 to $249.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010405/sfth0095_2.html
http://www.tivo.com
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o Wireless Entertainment Technology Firm Jamdat Raises $10 Million

Los Angeles -- Jamdat, a developer of wireless games and technology for
sending entertainment over wireless connections, announced that it has
raised $10 million in its second round of venture capital financing.
Patricof and Co. Ventures led the investment round; Intel Communications
Fund and Qualcomm also participated. Los Angeles-based Jamdat will use the
funds to continue to develop and distribute its products, which include
wireless games, and middleware technology that accelerates the creation
and distribution of wireless entertainment. The company has partnerships
with wireless providers like Sprint PCS, AT&T Wireless and Qwest, and will
now develop technology for Qualcomm's BREW platform for wireless
entertainment.
http://www.jamdatmobile.com/html/press4.html
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o Napster's Third Report to Court Says it is Complying with Ruling

Redwood City, Calif. -- In its third report to the court detailing its
efforts to block copyrighted songs from its file-sharing service, Napster
said that it has successfully blocked 311,504 songs, and that the average
number of songs shared by users has once again decreased. The company said
it has paid music database provider Gracenote $750,000 for six months of
access to its filename database, for the purpose of implementing them into
its filter. Napster has also contacted websites that provide software
designed to circumvent its filter, and asked them to take the programs off
of their sites. Napster continues to claim that the RIAA is providing
information on copyrighted songs that does not comply with the terms of
the court's order. "The success and timeliness of Napster's exclusion of
file names that include accurate artist and title information is now
incontrovertible: in less than three weeks the number of files per user
now listed on the Napster index has dropped by more than half," the
company's report said. Napster and the RIAA are due back in court on April
10 to discuss Napster's compliance with the injunction imposed against it.
http://dl.napster.com/3rd_compliance.pdf
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5530715.html?tag=mn_hd
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o File-Trading Service iMesh Begins to Block Copyrighted Songs

Israel -- iMesh, a popular alternative to Napster, has begun to block the
trading of copyrighted songs at the request of the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA), CNET reported on Friday. A note that now
appears when users launch the file-trading software reads, "iMesh is
currently in the process of disabling the downloads of files protected by
the copyright law… Those files will appear in the search results list with
a copyright notice symbol, and their download will not be possible." An
RIAA spokesman told CNET, "We have contacted iMesh and are hoping they
will address our concerns," said Matt Oppenheimer, senior vice president
of business and legal affairs for the RIAA. "We have not yet examined
their approach to determine if it does that."
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5530715.html?tag=mn_hd
http://www.imesh.com
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o Struggling Entertainment Site Fandom.com Sells Creation Entertainment

Santa Monica, Calif. -- Genre entertainment site Fandom.com, which
provides online entertainment for fans of the science fiction, horror and
fantasy genres, announced on Friday the sale of its recently-acquired
Creation Entertainment. The organizer of sci-fi conventions was sold to
the partnership of Gary Berman and Adam Malin for a "seven-figure" sum.
Earlier this week, Santa Monica-based Fandom announced that it would shut
down its website; the sale of Creation Entertainment will provide the
company with much-needed funds to continue operations. The company is also
seeking to spin-off its Cinescape property, which publishes a genre-based
entertainment magazine and accompanying website.
http://www.fandom.com
http://www.creationent.com
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o Biotech Firm Merges with Entertainment Provider Axess Media

San Francisco -- Medical research firm and biotechnology portal provider
BioLogix announced on Friday that it will merge with Axess Media, a
producer of online entertainment properties. Terms of the all-stock
transaction were not disclosed. The resulting merger creates Axess Media
Group, which will consist of 12 wide-ranging companies providing an array
of services, including: an Internet incubator, Web radio provider,
electronic voting, live online music provider, paperless life and health
coverage and biotechnology information.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010406/sff003.html
http://www.axessmedia.com
http://www.biologix.com
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> Digital Media Wire Panels: Hollywood, CA and Washington, D.C.

"Digital Copyright Crossroads:
Does Digital Rights Management Have The Right of Way?"

Hollywood | Sponsored by Jones Day Reavis & Pogue

MODERATOR:
- Jim Griffin, CEO of Cherry Lane Digital, Founder of Evolab,
Co-founder of the 'pho' list

PANELISTS:
- Scott Dinsdale, EVP of Digital Strategy, Motion Picture Association
(MPA)
- Russell Frackman, Attorney, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP,
Lead counsel for the RIAA in their litigation vs. Napster
- Robin Gross, Attorney, Fair Use & Intellectual Property,
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
- Jonathan Potter, Executive Director, Digital Media Association (DiMA)

*Additional panelists TBA.
Date: Wednesday, April 25th, 2001
For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/LAcopyright.html
Sponsorships >> Michael Hoinski at michael@digitalmediawire.com

- - - - -
Washington, D.C.

SPEAKERS:
- Fritz Attaway, EVP & Washington General Counsel,
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
- Russell Frackman, Attorney, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP,
Lead counsel for the RIAA in their litigation vs. Napster
- Jonathan Potter, Executive Director, Digital Media Association (DiMA)

*Additonal panelists TBA.
Date: Wednesday, May 9th, 2001
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/DCcopyright.html
Sponsorships >> Michael Hoinski at michael@digitalmediawire.com
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o Briefly Noted:

(Santa Monica, Calif.) Video game developer Activision said on Friday that
despite published reports on a possible delay in the release of
Microsoft's Xbox console, its previously announced Tony Hawk skateboarding
game will still be finished and demonstrated at this year's E3 Expo. The
rumored Xbox delays stemmed from reports that Microsoft delayed the
release of software development kits to game developers. "We received Xbox
development kits in the fall and have a number of teams deep in
development on several exciting titles for the platform," said Activision
CEO Robert Kotick.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010406/laf020.html
http://www.activision.com

(New York) Inside.com on Friday featured an article that examines the
division created by the dueling music subscription services announced this
week by the major labels, Duet and MusicNet. While MusicNet -- comprised
of Warner Music, EMI and BMG -- can offer roughly forty percent of the
world's recorded music, Duet -- which includes Universal Music and Sony --
can offer 50 percent; the remaining 10 percent is controlled by indie
labels. The article discusses the potential to link the two services, with
an offering that would be similar to Napster before it imposed copyright
filtering.
http://www.inside.com/jcs/Story?article_id=27959&pod_id=9

(San Francisco) AOL Time Warner said that it will begin offering users of
its interactive television offerings -- AOLTV, WebTV and UltimateTV -- a
way to purchase tickets through their TVs to the new movie "Blow,"
starring Johnny Depp. The convergence-heavy promotion combines the online
ticketing functionality of AOL's Moviefone with the convenience inherent
in the fact that AOL Time Warner-owned New Line Cinema is releasing the
film.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5521941.html?tag=mn_hd

(Boston) Digital Media on Demand, a provider of content encryption and
secure distribution technologies, announced on Friday that it has named
Daniel A. Keshian as president and CEO of the company. Keshian was
formerly president of Avid Technology and is a partner with Greylock
Ventures. The company laid off 45 percent of its employees this week as
part of an effort to refocus its business on the video and wireless
markets.
http://www.dmod.com/010405_keshian.html

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

> nFusion Group, Copywriter - Austin, Texas

nFusion Group is seeking a Copywriter to write copy for Web sites, sales
collateral material and email newsletters. Ideal candidate will combine
strong written communications skills with a demonstrated ability to
clearly articulate key client messages. 2-3 years experience writing
marketing communications copy. B2B communications experience a plus. Send
resumes to employment@nfusiongroup.com
http://www.nfusiongroup.com
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> Sekani, Researcher/Editor - Los Angeles

Top West LA broadband media and stock footage company seeks
RESEARCHER/EDITOR to join our team. Candidate should have a discerning eye
for images, should have high energy and great organizational skills.
Related experience and BA preferred. Computer and Internet savvy a must.
Send resume and salary requirements to hr@sekani.com
http://www.sekani.com
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> Corbis Stock Market, Account Executive - New York City

Seeking sales rep. to grow & service business selling stock photography to
creatives at advertising & design firms. Candidate will possess a minimum
of 2 years business-to-business sales experience, is Internet savvy &
service driven. Excellent phone presence, computer friendly and a team
player. Negotiating and listening skills are very important. Send resume
w/ salary history to: bridget@corbisstockmarket.com
http://www.corbisstockmarket.com
______________________

> Vendaria, Inc., Content Writer - Seattle

The Content Writer will be part of our Media Services Group who is in
charge of the content related to our clients' products. Research & write
scripts for short-form product video clips for streaming applications.
2-years of professional copywriting experience in direct-response
advertising or E-retail web sites. Knowledge of the streaming media
production cycle is preferred. Send resume to jobs@vendaria.com
http://www.vendaria.com

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

> Stanford Media and Entertainment Conference, April 14 - Palo Alto, CA

Register now for the "Future of Content: Making Convergence Real," a media
& entertainment conference to be held at the Stanford Graduate School of
Business. Michael Eisner, Chairman and CEO of Disney, will deliver the
keynote address. Panel discussions will cover topics including film,
music, intellectual property, mega-mergers, interactive TV, infrastructure
and more.
For more information and to register:
http://www.futureofcontent.com
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> Call for Entries: Short Attention Span Festival

The Ninth Annual Short Attention Span Film and Video Festival will travel
to 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Entries up to 2 minutes TRT will be
accepted. This year there is NO ENTRY FEE! Cash prizes and all kinds of
other good stuff will be awarded to the lucky winners. Official Entry
Form: http://www.shortspan.com/submit_work/index.cfm
ACT NOW! DEADLINE IS APRIL 15TH!!!
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