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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- April 24, 2003
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com
o Major Label EMI to Sell Songs Through European Online Distributors
o Aussie Police Shutter Music Piracy Sites, Arrest 3 College Students
o Google Acquires Online Ad Technology Developer Applied Semantics
o Macrovision, Microsoft to Provide Record Labels With Copy-Protected CDs
o Europe to Get Video Game Ratings System
o "Matrix" Sequels to be Released in Large-Screen IMAX Format
o Report: Foreign News Sites See Traffic Surge from U.S. Visitors
o DigitalStream-USA Gets Investment, Releases New XVD Audio/Video Codec
o Wide-Angle Video Technology Firm Be Here Secures Additional Funding
> DMW Events: Games & Mobile Forum | April 28 | NYC
> DMW Publications: March Law and Policy Report
> Featured Section: Special Offer from Discreet cleaner XL
o Briefly Noted: Atari - "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," MPEG-7 -
call for patents, Electronic Arts - "NBA Street Vol. 2" - Carson Palmer,
Private Media Group - Moviesystem, Sony Computer Entertainment America -
"Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando," Visionik - MTV, DreamCatcher Games -
"X-treme Beach Soccer," LucasArts - "Full Throttle: Hell on Wheels,"
Madonna - website hack
_____________________________________________
> Events: Streaming Media NY, May 6-8, NYC, Pipeline Safety & Security Expo
> Marketplace: HP Workstation for a PC Price, 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
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o Major Label EMI to Sell Songs Through European Online Distributors
London -- In an unprecedented, wide-ranging push to enter into the
European online music market, major record label EMI Group announced that
is has negotiated deals with 20 European digital music distributors to
sell a large chunk of its catalog online. The move comes as part of the
company's strategy to get more involved in a medium that to date has been
the bane of music retailers all over the world. With the deals, EMI now
will be able to increase its online music library to more than 140,000
recordings, all of which will be available to download using OD2's
technology on HMV, MTV, MSN and other retail sites. Users will be able to
purchase tracks as soon as the songs are serviced to radio and before
their commercial release on CD, and will be able to burn them onto CD-R as
well as copy them to portable players. The global music industry has
struggled to compete with a host of illegitimate online music services,
and EMI's move reflects a growing trend within the "legitimate" industry.
http://www.emigroup.com/financial.html
http://www.od2.com
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o Aussie Police Shutter Music Piracy Sites, Arrest 3 College Students
Sydney -- Reuters reported on Thursday that Australian police have
arrested three college students who were allegedly operating an online
music piracy network that distributed an estimated $37 million in
unauthorized music and video files. The "MP3 WMA Land" network offered
music and video files for download on a bevy of hard to trace "mirror"
sites, many of which were hosted on university computers. "It's a
tremendous result and represents a turning point," Michael Speck, general
manager of the Australian music industry's piracy investigations unit,
told Reuters. "It's a clear message to Internet pirates that they can no
longer hide behind the mythology of the Internet. It's now revealed as
nothing more than another form of theft." The students were released on
bail and are due to appear in court next month, where they could face
penalties of up to five years in jail or a $37,000 fine.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=2617912
http://mp3wma.spydar.com
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o Google Acquires Online Ad Technology Developer Applied Semantics
Mountain View, Calif. -- Search engine technology firm Google announced
that it has acquired Applied Semantics, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based
producer of software applications for the online advertising, domain name
and enterprise information management markets. Financial terms of the deal
were not disclosed. Applied Semantics technology "understands, organizes,
and extracts knowledge from websites and information repositories in a way
that mimics human thought and enables more effective information
retrieval. enabl[ing] Web publishers to understand the key themes on web
pages to deliver highly relevant and targeted advertisements." Applied
Semantics will maintain its operations in Santa Monica, where Google said
it will establish a Southern California product development center.
http://www.google.com/press/pressrel/applied.html
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o Macrovision, Microsoft to Provide Record Labels With Copy-Protected CDs
Santa Clara, Calif. -- Macrovision, a provider of copy-protection
technologies for digital media, announced on Thursday a partnership with
Microsoft that will enable record labels to release copy-protected CDs
that function in normal CD players, and prevent unauthorized copying while
still allowing consumers to make "personal use" copies of songs they
contain. The "dual session" CDs will feature both the Red Book audio data
that is recognized by traditional CD players, as well as a "second
session" that contains audio files playable on PCs and transferable to
portable devices. In addition to Santa Clara, Calif.-based Macrovision's
copy-protection, the discs will utilize Microsoft's Windows Media Data
Session Toolkit.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030423/235382_1.html
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/drm/DataSession.aspx
http://www.macrovision.com
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o Europe to Get Video Game Ratings System
London -- An industry trade group has created a video game ratings system
for Europe, to parallel the U.S. Entertainment Software Ratings Board's
system that provide parents and retailers with information on game content
that may be inappropriate for children. The Interactive Software
Federation of Europe (ISFE), which created the PEGI (Pan European Game
Information) ratings system, said that it will gradually replace existing
disparate ratings systems in most European nations. The ratings will be
submitted voluntarily by game publishers and administered on behalf of the
ISFE by the Netherlands Institute for the Classification of Audiovisual
Media (NICAM).
http://www.isfe-eu.org/press.php
http://www.esrb.org
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o "Matrix" Sequels to be Released in Large-Screen IMAX Format
Los Angeles -- In a coup for the financially struggling company, Imax
Corp. announced on Thursday that Warner Bros. Pictures/Village Roadshow
Pictures will release versions of the anticipated films "The Matrix
Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" in the large-screen IMAX format.
The IMAX version of "The Matrix Reloaded" will be released shortly after
the film's 35mm format release on May 15, while "The Matrix Revolutions"
will be released in IMAX format simultaneously with the film's regular
theatrical release on Nov. 5.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030423/nyw073_3.html
http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com
http://www.imax.com
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o Report: Foreign News Sites See Traffic Surge from U.S. Visitors
New York -- A recent Nielsen/NetRatings survey shows that U.S. visitors
boosted traffic to foreign news sites in March while seeking out
additional information on the war in Iraq. Arab news site Aljazeera.net
saw a 1,208 percent increase in traffic, drawing over one million U.S.
surfers; Britain's BBC World Service surged 158 percent to 5.3 million
surfers, and Reuters experienced a 72 percent month-over-month traffic
increase, posting more than 2.1 million visitors in March. Leading U.S.
news sites for CNN and MSNBC also saw traffic spikes of at least 25
percent during the month. "While established news sources maintained their
strong audience levels, the war in Iraq also sparked interest in different
perspectives on world events," said Nielsen/NetRatings senior Internet
analyst Greg Bloom.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030424/sfth082_1.html
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com
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o DigitalStream-USA Gets Investment, Releases New XVD Audio/Video Codec
Tokyo -- DigitalStream-USA, a developer of audio and video compression
technology, announced on Thursday an undisclosed equity investment from
BHA Corp, as well as the release of its new XVD codec, offering streaming
and playback of video over IP networks. Japanese peripheral manufacturer
I-O Data will release the first XVD-enabled product in the form of an
advanced PCI card for video editing and compression, expected to begin
shipping in the third quarter of 2003.
http://www.ds-usa.com/news_424_BHA.html
http://www.bhacorp.com
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o Wide-Angle Video Technology Firm Be Here Secures Additional Funding
Cupertino, Calif. -- Be Here Technologies, a maker of software and
hardware products used to capture and deliver panoramic and wide-angle
video and still pictures, said that it raised an undisclosed amount of
funding earlier this month. New investor Birchmere Ventures led a round
that included several previous investors, including Wasserstein Ventures,
Totem Ventures, Enterprise Partners, Philips and Kodak. The funding will
allow the company to build upon its 360 degree and wide-angle video camera
technology to deliver new products for group and desktop
videoconferencing, as well as for security and monitoring and automotive
applications. In May 2001, Be Here secured $6 million to bring its total
funding at that time to $23 million.
http://www.behere.com/ChangingTheWayYouViewTheWorld.htm
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DMW Events: Games & Mobile Forum: April 28, New York City
==========================================
Join us, leading professionals and members of the press for a cutting-edge
executive forum examining recent developments in games and mobile
entertainment. The 1-day event at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC
features 3 keynotes from leading game industry CEOs, 4 discussion panels,
exhibits and tech demos, followed by an evening of cocktails, appetizers,
networking and fun at Samsung's web2zone.com Cyber & Gaming Center in the
heart of downtown Manhattan. Early Bird registration is only $200
(includes full-day pass and after-party) until April 25:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events/Games&MobileForum_04282003.htm
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==========================================
DMW Publications: March Law & Policy Report
==========================================
Contact tinzar@digitalmediawire.com or call 323-464-0793 to order.
To purchase directly, go to:
http://kb.digitalmediawire.com/marketplace.php
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Price: $19.00 Per Issue | $195.00 Annual Subscription
http://kb.digitalmediawire.com/marketplace.php
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FEATURED SECTION
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Featured Section posting at:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/featuredpostingpage.htm
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Briefly Noted:
(Los Angeles) Video game publisher Atari said on Thursday that it will
release titles for PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox based on the upcoming
film, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines." Currently in development at
Santa Monica, Calif.-based Black Ops Entertainment for a fall 2003
release, the game will offer exclusive film footage created specifically
for the release of the videogame not contained in the motion picture. It
will also be the first to feature the voice and likeness of the movie's
star, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030424/245501_1.html
http://www.blackops.com
(San Francisco) Via Licensing Corp. on Thursday issued a call for
essential patents reading on the MPEG-7 standard, to identify the owners
of patents that are necessary for the practice of the standard. MPEG-7 is
not a next-generation replacement for audio/visual coding technologies
such as MPEG-2 or MPEG-4, but is an entirely different set of tools that
are designed to make digital media easier to identify, catalog, index,
archive and retrieve.
http://www.vialicensing.com/news/pr_pr_0304_CallforMPEG7Patents.html
http://mpeg.telecomitalialab.com/standards/mpeg-7/mpeg-7.htm
(Redwood City, Calif.) Game developer Electronic Arts announced on
Thursday that it will release its "NBA Street Vol. 2" title for
PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube on April 29. The title was developed by
Illinois-based NuFX in conjunction with EA Canada. Separately, Redwood
City, Calif.-based Electronic Arts announced that it has signed former
All-American USC quarterback and 2002 Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer
as the spokesman for its "NCAA Football 2004" title. The game is scheduled
for release in July for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030424/245372_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030423/235564_1.html
http://www.nufx.com
http://www.ea.com
(Barcelona) Private Media Group, a distributor of adult entertainment
content, said on Thursday that French video-on-demand distribution firm
Moviesystem will distribute its adult films through the Moviesystem
NetCine video-on-demand service.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030424/lath069_1.html
http://www.prvt.com
http://www.moviesystem.com
(Foster City, Calif.) Sony Computer Entertainment America on Thursday
announced that it will release "Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando" for
PlayStation 2 in the fall of 2003. The game was developed by Los
Angeles-based Insomniac Games, which also created the original "Ratchet
and Clank" title for Sony.
http://www.insomniacgames.com
(Copenhagen) Visionik, a unit of NDS that develops interactive TV
services, announced on Thursday the launch of "Mugshot Mania," the first
in a package of interactive TV games it created for MTV. NDS pay-TV
subscribers may access the game, which Copenhagen-based Visionik says
"brings the experience of being at a music concert through gameplay
involving taking pictures, escaping bouncers and trying to sneak
backstage."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030423/235044_1.html
http://www.visionik.com
(Toronto) Video game publisher DreamCatcher Games said it will publish
"X-treme Beach Soccer," currently being created by Pam Development, for
Xbox, Game Boy Advance and the PC this fall.
http://www.dreamcatchergames.com
http://www.pamdev.com
(San Rafael, Calif.) Video game developer Lucas Arts announced that it
will release updated versions of its "Full Throttle: Hell on Wheels" game
for PlayStation 2, Xbox and the PC in the fall.
http://www.lucasarts.com/press/releases/70.html
(San Francisco) CNET News.com recently reported on a hack of pop singer
Madonna's website, which saw links to pirated versions of songs from the
singer's new album posted on her own site. The hack appeared to be a
reaction to Madonna's seeding of file-sharing services with spoof versions
of songs from the new album, which instead of the actual song contained an
anti file-sharing audio message ("What the f*** do you think you're
doing?") recorded by Madonna herself.
http://news.com.com/2100-1025-997856.html?tag=fd_top
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CLASSIFIEDS - JOBS
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To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobpostingpage.htm
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CLASSIFIEDS - EVENTS
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To Post Events: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/eventpostingpage.htm
Streaming Media NY, May 6-8, New York City
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brightest minds in the business.
For more information, or to register to attend, go to
http://www.streamingmedia.com/NY
_____________________________________________
Protecting Energy Infrastructure - Pipeline Safety & Security Expo
May 22-23, 2003 at the Crystal City Marriott in Crystal City, VA. Top
Keynotes presented by government officials; Middle East Oil Security,
Reconstruction, & Legal Issues; Terrorism Table Top Simulation Exercise by
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capps@ejkrause.com or call 301-493-5500.
http://www.pipelinesecurityexpo.com
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==========================
CLASSIFIEDS - MARKETPLACE
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