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Past Editions

===================================================
DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- May 23, 2002
===================================================
Subscribe for free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o Briefs Filed in Eldred v. Ashcroft Supreme Court Copyright Term Case
o Online DVD Rental Service Netflix Raises $82.5 Million in IPO
o Fund4Games to Invest $35 Million in U.K. Independent Game Developers
o Sony Pays $28.5 Million Plus Royalties to License InterTrust Technology
o Group Asks Calif. Supreme Court to Uphold Ruling in DVD-Cracking Case
> Digital Media Wire Panel: "Digital Asia" | Los Angeles | June 5
> Featured Event/Company: Jupiter Plug.IN
o Briefly Noted: Vivendi Universal Net USA - Maverick Records - MP3
single, Listen.com Rhapsody, DreamWorks - Tecmo - "Fatal Frame," OpenTV,
Liquid Audio - patent, "EverQuest" - AT&T Europe, Microsoft - Tremor
Games, Ubi Soft - "Myst Online"
_____________________________________________

> Jobs: Dir. of Product Management, Sr. Acct. Executive, Dir. of Public
Relations, Global Communications Mgr., Marketing Mgr., VP of Client
Services, Inside Sales Acct. Exec., VP Production & Programming, Sr.
Graphic Designer, Sales Director

> Marketplace: Somedude's Website Design, Free Wine Tastings,
Bender/Helper Impact, Digital PCS Phone System, Digital Copying Machine

Full text of ads located beneath "Briefly Noted" section below.
To post a Classified Ad, contact David Peebler at
david@digitalmediawire.com
_____________________________________________

o Briefs Filed in Eldred v. Ashcroft Supreme Court Copyright Term Case

Washington -- Prominent lawyers, economists and corporations have filed
support briefs in a Supreme Court case that challenges a law that would
extend the validity of both existing and future copyrights have filed a
number of briefs. The case, Eldred v. Ashcroft, takes aim at the Sonny
Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, which added 20 years to the term during
which a copyright holder may enforce their copyrights before the work goes
into the "public domain," where anyone can use it without the permission
of its creator. Filing "friend of the court" briefs siding with the
plaintiff, Eric Eldred, were numerous law professors and legal experts
including Stanford University's Lawrence Lessig, 17 economists, Intel
Corp., the Free Software Foundation, 15 library associations and the
National Writers Union, among others. Before the Sonny Bono Act became
law, the length of time that copyrights remained valid was 75 years for
works for hire owned by corporations, or the author's life plus 50 years.
The extension was originally lobbied for heavily by Disney, which
otherwise would have seen its Mickey Mouse character enter the public
domain in 2003.
http://eldred.cc/news/#brief
_____________________________________________

o Online DVD Rental Service Netflix Raises $82.5 Million in IPO

Los Gatos, Calif. -- Netflix, an online DVD rental service, on Thursday
announced the initial public offering of 5,500,000 shares of its common
stock at a price of $15.00 per share. Shares rose almost 12 percent during
trading on the Nasdaq Thursday to close at $16.75. Los Gatos, Calif.-based
Netflix offers a DVD rental service that mails DVDs to its 600,000
subscribers and allows them to keep three at any given time for $20 per
month, with no late fees. Netflix said it would use the proceeds to pay
off $13.7 million in debt, and for general corporate purposes.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020522/sfw104_1.html
http://www.netflix.com
_____________________________________________

o Fund4Games to Invest $35 Million in U.K. Independent Game Developers

Los Angeles -- Noble Fund Managers Ltd. (NFM), the investment arm of
U.K.-based investment bank Noble Group, announced that it has created
"Fund4Games," a financing vehicle that will invest $35 million in U.K.
video game developers. The Scotland-based fund will target established
developers, providing the financing required to accelerate game
development, while reducing the need to tie up a publisher's funds until
the game has been completed and delivered. "We are delighted to provide an
exciting niche financing vehicle that will enable established developers
to maximize returns from developing successful games," said Charles
McMicking, head of Fund4Games and a director of NFM. "The fund will ensure
that projects move quickly from the drawing board to implementation. With
a well-defined exit strategy and rapid repayment profile, this fund will
provide attractive returns for investors." McMicking will be supported in
Fund4Games by Tim Gatland, ex-managing director of VIS Entertainment,
which created the game "State of Emergency."
http://www.fund4games.com/press%20release.doc
_____________________________________________

o Sony Pays $28.5 Million Plus Royalties to License InterTrust Technology

Santa Clara, Calif. -- InterTrust, a provider of digital rights management
technologies, announced on Thursday that Sony Corporation will pay the
company $28.5 million to license its patented technology that protects the
distribution of digital media on the Internet. Additionally, Sony will pay
Santa Clara, Calif.-based InterTrust running royalties for future Sony
products and services that integrate InterTrust patents related to digital
rights management. InterTrust is currently embroiled in patent
infringement litigation with Microsoft, which the company claims infringes
on its technology with the Windows digital rights management system, as
well as several other of its software products.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020523/sfth059_1.html
http://www.intertrust.com
_____________________________________________

o Group Asks Calif. Supreme Court to Uphold Ruling in DVD-Cracking Case

San Francisco -- The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital civil
liberties group defending a man accused of publishing code (DeCSS) that
can crack the security technology on DVD discs, has asked the California
Supreme Court to affirm an appeals court decision that said defendant
Andrew Bunner's First Amendment rights trumped the creators of the
security technology's trade secret rights. The DVD Copy Control
Association (DVD-CCA), which created the DVD security code in question,
sued Bunner for publishing the DeCSS crack after he found out about it in
an online news story. The EFF argues, and the appeals court agreed in its
decision that since Bunner found DeCSS in a public place, his right to
republish it outweighed DVD-CCA's claim to the code as a trade secret.
DVD-CCA's reply brief is due on June 11, 2002, and oral argument will be
scheduled before the California Supreme Court for sometime in the next
eighteen months.
http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/DVDCCA_case/20020522_eff_pr.html
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176727.html
http://www.dvdcca.org
_____________________________________________

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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE PRESENTS:
"Wired and Mobile: How Far Ahead is Asia?"
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/LAasia2.html

Asia has embraced mobile phones and broadband services with an enthusiasm
that perhaps no other region can match. With so many wired and mobile
consumers in Asia, there are tremendous opportunities for distribution of
digital entertainment. This panel, led by tech-entertainment personality,
Ken Rutkowski, and composed of executives and professionals from
Microsoft, E! Networks, Moviso, EastWest VentureGroup, UCLA and Jones Day
will examine recent developments in Asia and discuss, among other things,
opportunities for U.S.-based companies to distribute content through
mobile and broadband services in Asia. For more information, contact Ned
Sherman at ned@digitalmediawire.com.

Date: Wednesday, June 5, 2002
Time: 8:30 am - 10:30 am
Location: Four Seasons, Beverly Hills (Doheny and Burton Way)
Sponsored by: Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue and Bender/Helper Impact
To register: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/LAasia2.html

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=================
FEATURED SECTION
=================

30 Reasons to Attend Jupiter Plug.IN -- July 8-9 - NYC

Reason #22: Global music sales are down 5%.
Labels and retailers point accusing fingers at free file sharing as the
cause for this year's depressed sales. Recent Jupiter research says
otherwise, contending that file sharing drives a bigger boost in sales
than bust. Hear both sides, and a dozen opinions that haven't yet made the
mainstream - onstage at Plug.IN.
**To register or for more info: http://www.jmm.com/plugin
**For all 30 reasons and $200 off, email PluginReasons@jmm.com

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______________________

o Briefly Noted:

(San Diego) Vivendi Universal Net USA and Maverick Records announced on
Thursday that they will begin selling a previously unreleased remix track
from artist Meshell Ndegeocello in the MP3 format on its network of
websites. A dance version of the song "Earth," remixed by Lazy Dog (Ben
Watt and Jay Hannan), will be available for purchase and download for
$0.99 at MP3.com, RollingStone.com, GetMusic.com and MP4.com. The MP3 can be both burned onto CD and transferred to portable players. The original
version of "Earth" appears on Ndegeocello's forthcoming album, "Cookie:
The Anthropological Mixtape," due June 4th on Maverick/Warner Bros.
Records.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020523/lath011_1.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-052302song.story?coll=la%
2Dhome%2Dtodays%2Dtimes

http://www.meshell.com

(San Francisco) Listen.com, provider of the Rhapsody digital music
subscription service, on Thursday released an updated version of its
service that offers subscription radio and some CD burning capabilities.
The basic Rhapsody paid service offers on-demand streaming of licensed
songs; the new $4.95/month subscription radio service provides 58
programmed radio stations and gives users the ability to skip through
songs. The CD burning feature will initially be available only with
Listen.com's Naxos classical music subscription, and will allow up to 10
tracks per month to be burned onto CD.
http://www.listen.com/about.jsp?sect=press&subsect=release&page=rhaprelease052302
https://rhapsody-app.listen.com/rhapsody_pages/regsub/catalogs.jsp 

(Los Angeles) Game developer Tecmo announced on Thursday that it has
entered into a deal with motion picture studio DreamWorks SKG to create a
movie based on its survival-horror game, "Fatal Frame." The game was
released in March for Sony's PlayStation 2 console. "Our plan is to take
the scariest video game of all time and transport that vision -- complete
with all the tension, fear, and storyline intact -- to the big screen for
everyone to experience," said DreamWorks president of production Mike De
Luca.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/221430229&ticker=
http://www.tecmoinc.com
http://www.fatalframegame.com

(Mountain View, Calif.) OpenTV, a provider of operating system software
for set-top boxes used to deliver interactive television services,
announced that its software -- known as "middleware" -- has been deployed
on 25 million set-top boxes worldwide. Mountain View, Calif.-based OpenTV
said that recent deployments by EchoStar in the United States, BSkyB in
the U.K., Bell ExpressVu in Canada and DirecTV Latin America contributed
to the 60 percent increase over its installed base of 16 million a year
ago.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020521/210139_1.html
http://www.opentv.com

(Redwood City, Calif.) Liquid Audio, a provider of digital music
distribution technology, announced that the U.S. Patent Office has granted
the company a patent for the technology used in its architecture for
mastering, serving, and distributing copyright-protected music over the
Internet. Several record labels, retail music sites and consumer
electronics companies use Redwood City-based Liquid Audio's system to sell
and distribute songs online.
http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/020520/042381.html
http://www.liquidaudio.com

(Los Angeles) Sony Online Entertainment said on Thursday that AT&T will
provide hosting services for the European version of its "EverQuest"
massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. AT&T provides hosting
services for the U.S. version of the game, and will expand services to its
Internet Data Centers in the Netherlands and the U.K. "EverQuest"
currently claims 430,000 subscribers worldwide.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020522/nyw165_2.html
http://www.everquest.com

(Los Angeles) Microsoft said on Thursday that it has signed an agreement
with game developer Tremor Games to develop an exclusive title for its
Xbox video game console. Burbank, Calif.-based Tremor Games, a division of
Tremor Entertainment, is composed of a team whose members have worked on
the creation of games including "Diablo" and "Starcraft."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020523/230235_1.html
http://www.tremorgames.com

(Los Angeles) Video game publisher Ubi Soft Entertainment said on Thursday
that it has partnered with Spokane, Wash.-based Cyan Worlds to create an
online version of the company's game "Myst." France-based Ubi Soft will
host the online version of the game, slated for release in 2003. To date,
the Myst franchise has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide.
http://www.ubi.com/US/Articles/News_23-05-2002.htm
http://www.cyan.com
http://www.mystonline.com
______________________

===================
CLASSIFIEDS - JOBS
===================

Director Product Management - Sony Music Entertainment - New York, NY

Responsible For Development and Implementation of Marketing Campaigns for
Selected Artists; Management of All Marketing Expenditures; Supervision of
Package Development and Management of the Production Process; Scheduling &
Follow Through of Various Project Components; and Long-Term Artist
Development & Marketing Strategies; Development of Artist And Product
Promotion Strategies and Campaigns; 3-5 Years Hands-On Record Business
Experience, incl. Pop Marketing, Sales & Promotion. Submit cover letter,
resume and salary requirement to: elena_avila@sonymusic.com
_____________________________________________

Senior Account Executive - D'Arcy Advertising - Los Angeles, CA

D'Arcy Los Angeles has created a group that specializes in acquiring and
retaining customers through sophisticated direct and online marketing
techniques. We now need a Senior Account Executive to take day-to-day
responsibility for client and program management. You need to be
intimately familiar with direct and online marketing processes from
concept to delivery. You should also have 2-5 years experience, a healthy
obsession for results, and the ability to guide clients with a firm but
diplomatic hand. E-mail your resume to carol.cave@darcyww.com
_____________________________________________

Director of Public Relations - Walt Disney Consumer Products - Los
Angeles, CA

Reports directly to the VP Marketing. Responsible for managing development
of communications strategy to improve and enhance the company's image;
all communications materials; working with ad agencies; serving as
company's spokesperson and media contact; and developing presentations for
executive management. 8+ years of relevant experience required. Email
cp.careers@Disney.com with your resume and Job Code# 02-0001616-02 in the
body of the email. No attachments.
_____________________________________________

Manager, Global Communications & Synergy - Walt Disney Consumer Products -
Los Angeles, CA

Responsible for global business communications - a central point of
contact for regional/country offices; importer of regional/country
information & creative assets; facilitate product development on new film
& Pixar properties; oversee content for intranet & B2B extranet; maintain
marketing calendar; and supervise Asset Management department. 8 yrs.
experience in launching leading consumer brands. Email
cp.careers@Disney.com with your resume and Job Code# 02-0002003-02 in the
body of the email. No attachments.
_____________________________________________

Marketing Manager- West LA Music - Los Angeles, CA

Manage in-house marketing department for nationally known music retailer.
Includes implementing marketing plan to target markets with promotions,
direct mail, catalogs, print ads and events. Requires a BS in Business,
Communications, Music or related field and knowledge of music, audio and
recording products. Benefits include 401K, medical insurance, vacations,
employee purchase plan and more. $3,000 to $6,000 per month. Code: 51702E.
Send resume to: Jobs2@westlamusic.com.
_____________________________________________

Vice President of Client Services - Luxury Link, LLC - Los Angeles, CA

Luxury Link, the world's leading luxury travel Web site
(www.luxurylink.com), is seeking a Vice President of Client Services to
work in its offices near LAX. The position is responsible for managing
Client Services staff to meet departmental goals (no travel required).
Must have experience in account management, understanding of sales and
analytics, ability to meet deadlines and targets, and excellent "people
skills." Contact Phyllis Elliott at pelliott@commontech.com.
_____________________________________________

Account Executive, Inside Sales - ivacation.com - Los Angeles, CA

International Vacation Homes has been revolutionizing the vacation and
travel industry, by providing marketing solutions for vacation property
owners around the world. Working as an "Internet-Vacation Property
Consultant," you will be contacting qualified clients to provide proven
solutions for successfully marketing their property. International
Vacation Home's corporate headquarters is located near LAX with a second
location in North Hollywood. Email your resume and preferred location to
jobs@ivacation.com.
_____________________________________________

VP Production and Programming -- IFILM Network - Los Angeles, CA

Reporting to the EVP, Sales & Marketing, this person is an integral part
of building IFILM Network into the premiere provider of broadband
entertainment. Individual must be on the cutting edge of emerging
technologies and content delivery platforms -- producing original
programming that appeals to both consumers and marketers. A keen
content-programming sensibility - knowing what content will be popular,
while still being consistent with the IFILM brand (irreverent, humorous,
fun). Film and/or TV Production budget experience. Please send resume and
cover letter to programming@ifilm.com
_____________________________________________

Senior Graphic Designer - O'Melveny & Myers LLP - Los Angeles, CA

O'Melveny & Myers LLP, an international law firm located in downtown Los
Angeles, has an immediate opening for a Senior Graphic Designer. Qualified
candidate is responsible for maintaining firm's existing brand and
supporting and enhancing firm's brand equity. Handle concept, design and
pre-press for all marketing materials. Excellent salary and benefits
package. Resume to: O'Melveny & Myers LLP, 400 S. Hope Street, Suite 248,
Los Angeles, CA 90071. FAX: (213) 430-7857. Email resume to: HR@omm.com.
Visit us at: http://www.omm.com
_____________________________________________

Sales Director, Walt Disney Consumer Products, Los Angeles, CA

Support VP to attain fiscal year revenue and profitability goals. Develop
account and channel differentiated distribution plans, seasonal business
plans and budget. Grow softlines (apparel and accessories) revenue and
profitability. A minimum of 10 years specific apparel/accessories/footwear
brand management experience. Please email cp.careers@Disney.com, including
your resume, contact details, and Job Code 02-0001680-02 in the body of
your email. Do not send your resume as an attachment.
_____________________________________________

==========================
CLASSIFIEDS - MARKETPLACE
==========================

Need a New Look? - Get A Website Facelift - Touch Your Customers In New
Ways!

Somedude's Website Design specializes in high impact and cost-effective
ways to bring your website up-to-date, whether its creating a new look and
feel; adding a simple, easy-to-use content management system or creating
applications that give your customers real value online. With a fraction
of the overhead that large web development companies have, we offer
customized solutions designed to meet your specific needs (and budget). We
work with a wide variety of companies, including Digital Media Wire, which
have directly benefited from our work. For more information, contact
mark@somedude.com
_____________________________________________

Free Beaulieu Vineyard Wine Tasting & Educational Seminars - LA & Orange
County

BV offers groups of 35 or more an easy and enjoyable way to enhance your
meeting and entertain your group. The seminar is available at No Cost to
your organization or anyone who attends. It provides a unique opportunity
to learn about the history, heritage and character of a true American
classic. For more information, please contact Suzanne Bultmeyer, BV Event
Coordinator, at sebult@onebox.com
_____________________________________________

Bender/Helper Impact - Public Relations Agency

Bender/Helper Impact is a full-service, mid-sized public relations agency
with offices in Los Angeles and New York. The agency, which was founded in
1986, offers strong expertise in the areas of digital entertainment and
convergence, new media, electronic gaming, technology and consumer
electronics. Current clients include: Dolby, 20th Century Fox, Konami,
DreamWorks, Marvel Enterprises, MGM and Warner Bros., among many others.
To find out how Bender/Helper can impact your business, contact Steve
Honig at: 310-473-4147 or steve_honig@bhimpact.com
_____________________________________________

Samsung DCS Digital Phone System - Complete - $4500

No office telephone system offers more for less. This system was
originally purchased new for $16,358.00 at the beginning of 2000. The
system comes complete with everything required to get your office
communications up and running immediately. The DCS is a modular,
future-proof telephone system, which gives unrivalled flexibility and
functionality and can be configured as a PABX, key system or any
combination of these, according to your specific requirements. For further
details contact djpeebs@aol.com.
_____________________________________________

Sharp AR-5132 Digital Copier - Excellent! - $899

Used for a year, this copier is in great shape and priced to sell.
Everything work fine - all internal mechanisms, paper feeders, trays, and
optional 20-bin sorter - and it produces clean, professional copies.
Instructions Manuals included. This workhorse was originally purchased for
$4800 and is offered for far less than you are likely to find it anywhere
else, especially when compared to used models selling for over $2200 on
the web. 110k/600k copies. Must pick-up or arrange delivery (LA). For
further details contact djpeebs@aol.com.
______________________

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Copyright 2002 Digital Media Wire