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Past Editions

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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- May 7, 2001
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o E-Publishing Case Random House v. RosettaBooks in Court Tuesday
o Strike-Evading Writers Guild Agreement Includes Digital Provisions
o Brill Media Cancels Launch of Inside Content Magazine
o Ziff Davis Media Lays Off 50 Employees
o Business News Site LocalBusiness.com Files for Chapter 11
o Streaming Video Firm RocketVox is Acquired, Receives Investment
o Boeing Airplanes to Offer Web Content from Syndicator ScreamingMedia
o Digital Audio Watermarking Firm Digimarc Faces IPO-Related Class Actions
o 3-D Animation Firm Brilliant Digital Sells Online Auction Assets
> Wednesday -- Seminar: The Future of Digital Entertainment - D.C.
> Digital Media Wire Seminar: E-Publishing - NYC
o Briefly Noted: MusicMatch, AltaVista - The New York Times Company,
Ebrary.com - DSI Publishing Group
_____________________________________________

> Job Postings: PR Account Director, Desktop Publisher, Strategic Alliance
Manager, Copy Writing Project Coordinator

> Events/Services: "SpyWorm's SEX* Awards," "Sensory Circus"

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
_____________________________________________

o E-Publishing Case Random House v. RosettaBooks in Court Tuesday

New York -- Arguments will be heard on Tuesday in a case that may help to
define what rights are granted to authors when their works are published
as e-books. New York-based RosettaBooks acquired the "digital rights" to
works by authors such as Kurt Vonnegut and William Styron, and wants to
sell them online in e-book format. Random House -- which holds the print
rights to the works -- contends that its rights include all replications
of the works "in book form," which the publisher says includes the e-book
format. RosettaBooks sells mainly out-of-print titles on its website in a
number of e-book reader formats.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5826755.html?tag=mn_hd
http://www.rosettabooks.com
_____________________________________________

o Strike-Evading Writers Guild Agreement Includes Digital Provisions

Los Angeles -- The terms of the tentative deal reached between the Writers
Guild of America and TV and film producers includes provisions to pay
writers when their work is reproduced and distributed over the Internet
using technology such as video on-demand. The Writers Guild -- which
consists mainly of those writing for TV and movies -- had threatened to go
on strike if an agreement was not reached to renew their contracts. The
Screen Actors Guild is also expected to raise the issue of compensation
for digital distribution of their works during its contract negotiations
this month.
http://www.wga.org/negotiations/statement-agreement.html
http://www.sag.org/pressreleases/pr-la010428.html
_____________________________________________

o Brill Media Cancels Launch of Inside Content Magazine

New York -- Brill Media Holdings has cancelled the launch of its
previously announced Inside Content magazine, which would have been a
combination of writing from its recently acquired entertainment industry
site Inside.com and Brill's Content magazine, The Wall Street Journal
reported on Monday. "Launching any new magazine in this environment
doesn't make sense," Brill Media CEO Steven Brill told the Journal in a
written statement. Brill also said that in an effort to cut losses,
Brill's Content magazine will now only be published quarterly, instead of
ten times a year. Brill Media Holdings acquired Inside.com parent company
Powerful Media in April, laying off an undisclosed number of editorial
staffers in the process.
http://www.brillcontent.com
http://www.inside.com
_____________________________________________

o Ziff Davis Media Lays Off 50 Employees

San Francisco -- Ziff Davis Media, a publisher of Internet business print
and online publications, said it will lay off 50 employees, or 5 percent
of its staff, CNET reported on Monday. The company did not which divisions
would be affected by the layoffs, that have affected many Internet-related
publications in the midst of a declining online advertising market.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5828252.html?tag=cdshrt
http://www.ziffdavis.com
_____________________________________________

o Business News Site LocalBusiness.com Files for Chapter 11

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- LocalBusiness.com, an online news site that
covered the local Internet economy in major U.S. cities, has filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from its creditors, VentureWire reported
on Monday. The company shut down and laid off all of its editors and
writers last week. A meeting of the company's creditors is expected to
take place in June.
http://www.localbusiness.com
_____________________________________________

o Streaming Video Firm RocketVox is Acquired, Receives Investment

Seattle -- RocketVox, a provider of streaming video software and
syndication services, announced on Monday that it has been acquired by
ThePlatform, a Seattle-based provider of digital asset management
services. RocketVox also received an undisclosed investment from Davenport
Capital Ventures, one of ThePlatform's first round investors. The
company's operations will be consolidated into ThePlatform's Seattle
offices. RocketVox's clients include RealNetworks, Atom Films and
Primedia. ThePlatform expects to launch its media management software this
summer.
http://www.rocketvox.com
http://www.theplatform.com
_____________________________________________

o Boeing Airplanes to Offer Web Content from Syndicator ScreamingMedia

Irvine, Calif. -- ScreamingMedia, a provider of content syndication
services for websites and other media companies, announced on Monday that
Boeing will use its syndicated content for its in-flight broadband
entertainment service. Boeing is developing a service called Connexion
which will give passengers flying on Boeing-manufactured aircraft access
to the Internet and corporate intranets, email, live television and
shopping, travel and destination information. New York-based
ScreamingMedia packages and sells content from 3,000 news and
entertainment companies to its clients, which include portals, niche
websites and business intranets. The company's technology will select
content based on a particular plane's destination and then make that
information or entertainment available to passengers.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010507/2306.html
http://www.boeing.com/connexion
http://www.screamingmedia.com
_____________________________________________

o Digital Audio Watermarking Firm Digimarc Faces IPO-Related Class Actions

Tualatin, Ore. -- Digimarc, a developer of digital audio watermarking
technology, said on Monday that several class action lawsuits have been
filed against the company that allege violations of federal securities
laws in association with the company's December 1999 initial public
offering. Digimarc called the allegations "wholly without merit," and
intends to dispute them. The company said in a statement that it "believes
that these legal actions are part of a wave of lawsuits that have been
filed recently against companies who experienced "hot IPOs" during the
peak of the stock market in late 1999 and early 2000 [and] appear to focus
on allegations of improper underwriting practices."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010507/0099.html
http://www.digimarc.com
_____________________________________________

o 3-D Animation Firm Brilliant Digital Sells Online Auction Assets

Los Angeles -- Brilliant Digital Entertainment, a developer of 3-D content
creation and distribution software, announced on Monday that it has sold
most of the assets of its The Auction Channel subsidiary to cable TV
programming provider Rainbow Media Holdings' MetroChannels. Financial
terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Brilliant Digital said the
sale will allow it to focus on its core business of providing 3-D
entertainment and advertising software for online media companies.
http://www.brilliantdigital.com
http://www.msgmetro.com/
http://www.rainbow-media.com
_____________________________________________

> Wednesday -- Seminar: The Future of Digital Entertainment - DC

"The Future of Digital Entertainment: What's Next After Napster?"

Washington, D.C. | Sponsored by Katten Muchin Zavis
Wednesday, May 9th at The University Club

For more information and to register:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=13850&Referrer_id=4074

MODERATOR:
- David Halberstadter, Attorney, Katten Muchin Zavis

PANELISTS:
- Fritz Attaway, Executive Vice President & 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
- Declan McCullagh, Washington Bureau Chief, Wired News
- Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights, U.S. Copyright Office
- Jonathan Potter, Executive Director, Digital Media Association (DiMA)
- Jenny Toomey, Executive Director, Coalition for the Future of Music
_____________________________________________

> Digital Media Wire Seminar: E-Publishing - NYC

"E-Publishing: The Promise Of A New Book"

New York City | Tuesday, May 29th at The Cornell Club

For more information and to register:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=14290&Referrer_id=4074

MODERATOR:
- M.J. Rose, Journalist - Wired News,
Author of 'How to Publish and Promote Online' and 'In Fidelity'

PANELISTS:
- Wendy Silbert, Vice President of Media Development, LiveREADS
- Claire Zion, Editorial Director, iPublish.com - Time Warner Books
***Additional panelists TBA***
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(San Diego) MusicMatch, a developer of online music player software,
announced on Monday that it is launching a paid subscription service to
provide "near music-on-demand" commercial-free Web radio. The $4.95
monthly service offers CD-quality 128K MP3 streaming radio to users, who
can "skip through" to the next song as well as choose 25 artists whose
songs will create their own personal station. San Diego-based MusicMatch
also said that it expects to launch a "true on-demand" service this
summer, once it secures the necessary rights from labels and publishers.
This service would likely let users choose exactly which songs from which
artists they wanted to listen to, and arrange them in whatever order they
desired.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/211272247&ticker=
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/211272248&ticker=
http://www.musicmatch.com

(San Francisco) Search engine provider AltaVista announced on Monday that
The New York Times Company will provide direct links to news stories from
NYTimes.com to AltaVista's news search service.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010507/sfm027.html
http://search.altavista.com/sites/news/

(Mountain View, Calif.) Ebrary.com, an online collection of books,
journals, periodicals and digitally archived materials for students and
researchers, announced on Monday that DSI Publishing Group will make its
collection of early American history reproductions available online
through Ebrary.com. Mountain View-based Ebrary.com maintains an online
archive of research and historical texts that users can browse for free,
but must pay to copy or print the materials.
http://www.ebrary.com/press/index.html#012
http://www.digitalscanning.com

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

> The Hoffman Agency, PR Account Director - New York City

Seeking senior-level PR professional w/ 8-12 yrs. high-tech PR exp.,
strong client management skills and proven media & analyst relationships.
Investor Relations experience a big "plus". Duties include: mentoring
account teams, communicating strategies to client & team, developing
'launch' strategies, product positioning, messaging & creative tactical
ideas.
Send resumes to resume@hoffman.com
http://www.hoffman.com
______________________

> Dow Jones & Company, Desktop Publisher - Washington, D.C.

Seeking Desktop Publisher to produce the Dow Jones Newswires family of
Newsletters. Responsible for producing at least one 8-12 page newsletter
per day, combining text, graphics & data graphs exported from
spreadsheets. Must have 3+ yrs. exp. in daily publishing environment.
Knowledge of PageMaker, Acrobat, PhotoShop or Illustrator required.
Send resume to mary.pergament@dowjones.com
http://www.dj.com/careers
______________________

> ClassMates.com, Strategic Alliance Manager - San Francisco

Seeking someone w/ 3+ yrs. strategic selling exp., specifically online
media products and sponsorships to join the Online Media Sales Team.
Proven ability to exceed quotas of $1M/yr. Strong sales, negotiation &
business presentation skills. Must have a 'Rolodex' of contacts. History
of building strategic relationships online & through traditional brick &
mortar channels.
Send resume to lnguyen@corp.classmates.com
http://www.classmates.com
______________________

> Globix, Copy Writing Project Coordinator - New York City

The Project Coordinator will be an accomplished copywriter with talent for
writing original promotional, advertising, informational and technical
copy. Other duties include coordinating projects, dealing with graphic
designers & printers, securing estimates, follow-ups, trade show support,
proofreading & editing. Minimum 2 years copy writing experience.
Send resumes to xyz@globix.com
http://www.globix.com/jobs

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

> SpyWorm's SEX* Awards, September 13 - Los Angeles

SpyWorm, a webcasting production house based in Venice, CA, is recruiting
thirty filmmakers to each create a 5-minute "reality based" short on SEX.
Each filmmaker will be provided with DV gear, $100 lunch money and three
(3) days of postproduction services. The top fifteen (15) pieces, as
determined by a panel of esteemed judges, will screen at SpyWorm's SEX*
Awards on September 13, 2001, and compete for cash prizes: 1st Prize
$5,000; 2nd Prize $2,500; 3rd Prize $1,000. All interested filmmakers are
encouraged to e-mail their resumes & best short pitch about SEX* by June
15 to
pitches@spyworm.tv
______________________

> Sensory Circus, June 9 - Los Angeles

Art, fashion, music, technology and film come together for the debut of
Sensory Circus on June 9, 2001 at the Wyndham Bel Age Hotel in West
Hollywood. This electric and sophisticated event will extend throughout
every ballroom, terrace and rooftop showcasing new bands and DJ's, the
latest fashions, and visual, technological and sculpture artists.
Sponsors include The Wyndham Bel Age Hotel, Digital Media Wire, SpyWorm,
DreamSpan, Lisa Kline, Otto Models and Green Galactic. Artists are invited
to submit works for consideration. To submit an artistic work, inquire
about sponsorship or register for the event, please visit
http://www.sensorycircus.com
______________________

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