archives

o Court Asks for Comment on New Speech-Related Questions in DeCSS Case
o Freelance Photographers Boycott Magazine Work Over Web Royalties
o Gay Portal PlanetOut Raises $8.2 Million for Fourth Round
o Music Database Provider Gracenote Files Patent Claims Against Roxio
o Digital Rights Management Firm Vyou Lays Off All But Four Employees
o MediaForce Software Tracks Songs on Aimster File-Sharing Service
> Digital Media Wire Seminar: E-Publishing - NYC
o Briefly Noted: Zing Interactive Media - Sprint PCS, Texterity - Rough
Guides, Entertainment Network - Timothy McVeigh
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> Job Postings: PR Account Director, Desktop Publisher, Strategic Alliance
Manager, Copy Writing Project Coordinator

> Events/Services: "The SIBL Project Songwriting Contest,"
"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
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o Court Asks for Comment on New Speech-Related Questions in DeCSS Case

New York -- In a somewhat unusual move, the judges hearing hacker magazine
2600's current appeal of an injunction to prevent it from publishing the
DVD-encryption-cracking DeCSS code have asked both sides to submit
responses to a list of questions the court devised in order to clear up
additional issues in the case. Litigation was brought against "2600" for
publishing and providing links to DeCSS. The new questions pertain to
whether or not both sides believe computer code can be considered speech
in certain situations, and also address whether simply hyperlinking to
illegal material is a crime. The case could determine if computer code can
qualify for First Amendment protection. On the other side is the Motion
Picture Association of America, which has a vested interest to protect its
copyrights, and to secure any digital transmissions of movies, as well as
the NBA, MLB and the federal government. Stanford Law School Dean Kathleen
Sullivan, who argued the case for 2600 Magazine, called the new questions
from the court "good news." "It means that the Court took our First
Amendment arguments seriously," said Sullivan. A lawyer for the MPAA told
The New York Times on Friday that, "Any one law clerk can persuade any one
judge to propound questions like these… it would be a mistake to read into
them." Both parties have until May 30 to submit responses to the
questions, which are provided at a link below.
http://eff.org/Cases/MPAA_DVD_cases/20010508_ny_augment_order.html
http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/MPAA_DVD_cases/20010510_ny_eff_augment_order_pr.html
http://www.mpaa.org
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o Freelance Photographers Boycott Magazine Work Over Web Royalties

New York -- In another sign that online revenue is becoming increasingly
important to creative professionals like writers and actors, freelance
photographers have begun to reject jobs from such publications as Forbes
because of disputed royalty payments from online reproductions of their
pictures, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Some photographers
have also stopped dealing with stock photography houses Getty Images and
Corbis Corp. Other publications such as Business Week, Newsweek and The
Wall Street Journal have re-written freelance contracts to increase
compensation while retaining greater rights so that they may reproduce
pictures on their websites and in foreign editions.
http://public.wsj.com/sn/y/SB989533354407842758.html
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o Gay Portal PlanetOut Raises $8.2 Million for Fourth Round

San Francisco -- PlanetOut Partners, which operates a portal for the gay
community, announced on Friday that it has raised $8.2 million as part of
its ongoing fourth round of venture capital financing. Flatiron Partners
and J.P. Morgan Partners led the investment; AOL Time Warner Ventures,
Baroda Ventures, Episode 1, IDG Ventures, Jesse Hansen & Co. and Petunia
Resources also participated. The company said the round will likely close
in June and that the funding will last until it reaches profitability,
which is expected in the fourth quarter of this year.
http://www.planetout.com
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o Music Database Provider Gracenote Files Patent Claims Against Roxio

Berkeley, Calif. -- Gracenote, a provider of digital music database
services, has sued CD-burning software maker Roxio for patent and
trademark infringement, breach of contract and other claims. The patent
claim says that Roxio is illegally "inducing the use of" Gracenote's
database, which gives users information about the artists and albums they
listen to while online. Gracenote also says that Roxio is violating the
Digital Millennium Copyright Act by offering software that circumvents the
company's CDDB database. Currently, Roxio instead provides links to an
"unauthorized derivative" of the Gracenote's database, according to
Gracenote -- namely, Freedb.org. "Roxio believes this unfounded claim was
made by Gracenote in response to our selection of their competition as our
preferred provider," said Roxio director of legal affairs Bill Growney, in
a statement. Roxio is scheduled to spin-off from its parent company,
Adaptec, and begin trading on the Nasdaq on Monday.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010510/sfth062.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010511/sfth099_2.html
http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,24386,00.html
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o Digital Rights Management Firm Vyou Lays Off All But Four Employees

San Jose, Calif. -- After struggling to find funding for the company,
digital rights management provider Vyou has laid off all but four
employees, VentureWire reported on Friday. San Jose-based Vyou said that
it is now actively seeking a buyer for its assets. Vyou's software
protects text, images and streaming video from being copied, captured,
saved, printed or otherwise redistributed without permission from the
publisher or copyright holder.
http://www.vyou.com
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o MediaForce Software Tracks Songs on Aimster File-Sharing Service

New York -- MediaForce, a provider of digital rights management
technology, says it has developed software that can search the encrypted
traffic on the Aimster file-sharing service for unauthorized tracks, and
notify copyright holders of infringements. Aimster -- which piggybacks on
America Online's Instant Messenger program -- claims that any attempt to
patrol its file-sharing network would be a violation of part of the
Digital Millennium Copyright Act that says one can't circumvent encryption
technology on digital media. New York-based MediaForce denies that its
software violates any law, and explains that its software uses "advanced
heuristics, MD5 checksum matching and probability ranking formulas" to
find copyrighted files. MediaForce CEO Aaron Fessler told Wired News on
Friday that his company's engineers "still don't know how the [Aimster]
system works." Aimster CEO Johnny Deep replied, "there is no way to know
what [is being traded on Aimster] unless they decrypt the packets."
http://www.mediaforce.com/news/prd.asp?pressrelease=438
http://www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,43714,00.html
http://www.aimster.com
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> 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***
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o Briefly Noted:

(Philadelphia, Pa.) Zing Interactive Media, a developer of
voice-activation technology that lets users interact with radio using
their cell phones, said that wireless network Sprint PCS will provide its
users with free air time for the Zing's service. Philadelphia-based Zing's
#321 lets cell phone users dial #321 to purchase music they hear on the
radio as well as respond to broadcast ads and promotions.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010510/phth031.html
http://www.zingimedia.com/

(Southborough, Mass.) Texterity, a provider of services that convert
printed texts to e-books, announced that Rough Guides will use the company
to create e-book versions of its travel guides. Massachusetts-based
Texterity's technology will convert the Rough Guide texts into data for
e-books, which currently can be read only by using Microsoft's e-book
platform.
http://www.texterity.com/about/news/roughguides.html
http://www.roughguides.com

(Tampa, Fla.) Entertainment Network, the adult-themed webcaster whose
efforts to webcast the execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh
were denied by a federal court ruling, told CNET on Friday that it would
likely file an appeal of the ruling should the execution be postponed. In
light of FBI documents recently revealed that were not given to the
defense during the trial, Attorney General John Ashcroft has delayed the
scheduled May 16 execution until June 11, while McVeigh ponders an appeal
of his death sentence. The company could not be reached for comment at
press time.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5899197.html?tag=mn_hd
http://www.cnn.com/2001/LAW/05/11/mcveigh.evidence.07/index.html

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

> The SIBL Project Songwriting Contest, May 1 - August 8

The SIBL Project launches a national and international songwriting contest
on May 1st 2001. If you've written a song inspired by a book, poem or
play, submit it to The SIBL Project Songwriting Competition. Deadline for
entries is September 8, 2001. All proceeds benefit adult literacy
programs.
For more information: annie@mentlmusic.com
http://www.siblproject.org
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> 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
http://www.spyworm.tv
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> 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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