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Past Editions

===================================================
DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- June 14, 2001
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o CD Piracy Rose 25% in 2000; Pirated Music Sales Exceed $4.2 Billion
o New, Smaller MP3 Audio Codec "mp3PRO" Released by Thomson
o Streaming Technology Firm InfoLibria Raises $41 Million
o Interactive TV Firm OpenTV Acquires Game Developer Static
o Roxio Settles Suit with Prassi Over CD Burning Software
o Entertainment Network EUniverse Acquires Assets of Funbug
o Consulting Firm Change Technology Buys Web Designers Canned Interactive
> DMW & socalTECH Seminar: Digital Asia -- June 20 | Los Angeles
> Digital Media Wire Seminar: iTV -- June 27 | San Francisco
o Briefly Noted: Liberate Technologies - Kabel Hessen GmbH, Ritmoteca.com
- Warner Music Group, Digimarc patent, Boeing - broadband, Cell phone
ringtones, Online movie tickets
_____________________________________________

> Job Postings: Dir. of Internet Advertising, Sr. Software Engineer,
Project Manager, Sr. Interactive Web Designer/Art Director,
New Media Designer

> Events/Services: "Wireless 2001," "Loyola Marymount MBA in the Media"

Full Job/Event/Services 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/Service: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html
_____________________________________________

o CD Piracy Rose 25% in 2000; Pirated Music Sales Exceed $4.2 Billion

London -- The sale of pirated CDs rose 25 percent in 2000, largely due to
inexpensive CD-R copying technology, claims a recently published report
from the International Federation of the Phonograph Industry. An estimated
1.8 billion pirated CDs, CD-Rs and cassettes were sold in 2000, worth an
estimated $4.2 billion, up $100 million from 1999. The IFPI estimates that
one in three of every recordings sold is pirated. The report also focuses
on the anti-piracy efforts of the IFPI, both in shutting down pirated CD
plants worldwide, and its online efforts. The IFPI said that 15,000 people
downloaded its own anti-piracy software, Songbird, in the month following
its release in May. "While the average worldwide piracy rate for physical
recordings is 36 percent, the Internet is a virtually 100 percent pirate
medium," the IFPI said in a statement. The IFPI is calling on worldwide
governments to "modernize" their "increasingly inadequate" laws governing
the physical and online distribution of music to protect "culture, economy
and innovation."
http://www.ifpi.org/press/20010612.html
_____________________________________________

o New, Smaller MP3 Audio Codec "mp3PRO" Released by Thomson

Paris -- Consumer electronics firm Thomson multimedia announced on
Thursday the release of mp3PRO, an audio codec based on the MP3 format
that produces audio files half the size of MP3s and can deliver near
CD-quality sound when delivered at only 64kbps. The new codec will let
users store roughly twice the amount of music on portable devices, CD-Rs
and their hard drives without sacrificing sound quality. Mp3PRO files can
also be played on devices and players that are based on MP3 technology.
Mp3PRO was developed by Stockholm-based Coding Technologies, and is based
on the basic MP3 format patents owned by Thomson and German research firm
Fraunhofer Institut.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgiday0/211652124&ticker=tms
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-6272300.html?tag=tp_pr
http://www.thomson-multimedia.com
http://www.codingtechnologies.com
http://www.fraunhofer.de/english
_____________________________________________

o Streaming Technology Firm InfoLibria Raises $41 Million

Waltham, Mass. -- InfoLibria, a developer of streaming media
infrastructure technologies, announced on Thursday that it has raised $41
million in its latest round of venture capital financing. Mellon Ventures
led the investment round; previous investors Adams Capital, Kemper
Ventures, Patricof and Company, Sandler Capital Partners, Madison
Dearborn, GE Capital, Telesoft Partners IA and Tudor Private Equity Fund
also participated. New investors included StarVest Partners, Mitsubishi
and a number of private investors. Massachusetts-based InfoLibria's
technology lets customers like AT&T, Lockheed Martin and Mitsubishi
improve their networks to deliver streaming video such as entertainment
on-demand, distance learning and corporate communications. The company
will use the funds for sales, marketing and additional research and
development.
http://www.infolibria.com/news/2001/pressrel2001-0614.html
_____________________________________________

o Interactive TV Firm OpenTV Acquires Game Developer Static

Mountain View, Calif. -- OpenTV, a provider of infrastructure software for
interactive television, announced on Thursday that it will acquire iTV
games developer Static in a cash and stock transaction valued at $59
million. U.K.-based Static's interactive games channel PlayJam is
currently offered to nine million homes in Europe through digital TV
providers BSkyB, ntl, Telewest, TPS and Canal Satellite. PlayJam runs on
iTV platforms developed by OpenTV, Canal Plus Technologies and Liberate
Technologies. Mountain View-based OpenTV said that Static will maintain
its current management, and will provide an immediate source of recurring
revenue for the company. "The iTV games category has proven to be an early
"killer app" in the interactive television arena," said OpenTV CEO James
Ackerman. "We expect to continue distributing PlayJam through multiple iTV
platforms."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010614/0575.html
http://www.playjam.com/
http://www.opentv.com
_____________________________________________

o Roxio Settles Suit with Prassi Over CD Burning Software

Milpitas, Calif. -- Roxio, a provider of software that lets users record
music and data onto CDs, announced on Thursday that it has settled its
intellectual property lawsuit against rival Prassi Software. Under the
terms, San Jose-based Prassi will pay Roxio $2 million and discontinue its
CD Right! and CD Right! Plus software products. "We remain unwavering in
our ongoing commitment to protect and defend Roxio's intellectual
property," said Roxio COO Tom Shea. Milpitas-based Roxio makes Easy CD
Creator and Toast, two programs used to burn CDs. EMI Recorded Music
recently took an equity stake in the company and said it will work with
Roxio to develop "secure" CD recording technology.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010614/sfth025.html
http://www.roxio.com
http://www.prassi.com
_____________________________________________

o Entertainment Network EUniverse Acquires Assets of Funbug

Los Angeles -- EUniverse, a network of entertainment-related websites and
newsletters, announced on Thursday that it has acquired the assets of
Funbug, a provider of online loyalty reward and sweepstakes technologies
that recently ceased operations. Terms of the transaction were not
disclosed. San Francisco-based Funbug offered cash prizes to over one
million players of online games, and collected demographic information on
them to sell to advertisers. The company shut down in April. Los
Angeles-based EUniverse said it will re-launch the service within two
months.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010614/lath010.html
http://www.euniverse.com
http://www.funbug.com
_____________________________________________

o Consulting Firm Change Technology Buys Web Designers Canned Interactive

Greenwich, Conn. -- Change Technology Partners, a digital media consulting
firm, announced on Thursday that it has acquired Canned Interactive, a DVD
and Web design firm. Details of the cash and stock transaction were not
disclosed. Hollywood-based Canned Interactive has designed DVDs for films
including "The Matrix" and "American Beauty," and websites for the "Austin
Powers" sequel and director Stanley Kubrick's films. Connecticut-based
Change Technology -- whose clients include Hearst Corp., Primedia and
Adobe Systems -- will use Canned Interactive's client list to add
multi-channel marketing to its offerings.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010614/nyth045.html
http://www.cannery.com
http://www.changetechnology.com
_____________________________________________

> Digital Media Wire & socalTECH Present a Panel Discussion:
"Digital Asia: Recent Developments & New Business Opportunities"

Los Angeles | Wednesday, June 20th at the Wyndham Bel Age

SPONSORS:
Jones Day Reavis & Pogue, Loyola Marymount Int'l MBA in Media

This panel of executives, investors and professionals will discuss the
latest developments in digital media, with a focus on business
opportunities, strategies and ventures being created between the United
States and China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan.
For more information and to register:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=14674&Referrer_id=4074

SPEAKERS:
Ravin Agrawal - Partner | EastWest VentureGroup
Bryan Biniak - COO | Premium Wireless Services & YourMobile Network
Eric Choi - Senior Business Development Manager (Asia Pacific) | Akamai
James Hsu - Attorney | Jones Day Reavis & Pogue (LA - Taipei)
Stuart Levy - Co-Founder & CEO | TOKYOPOP
Beth Minehart - SVP Business Development | Universal Studios Television

MODERATOR:
Stephen Liu
Co-Founder & President | Reelplay, Founder & Chairman | APEX

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS:
Asian Business League, AINT, Asian Professional Exchange, Asia Society,
larta
_____________________________________________

> Digital Media Wire Presents a Panel Discussion:
"iTV: Defining the New Face of Television"

San Francisco | Wednesday, June 27th at The City Club

SPONSOR: UBS Warburg

This panel of players ranging from content developers to investment
bankers will discuss the new face of television, which will include an
amalgam of services like email, IPGs (interactive program guides), PVRs
(personal video recorders), enhanced TV, etc., and what it means for
Hollywood, the tech industry and most importantly, the consumer.
For more information and to register:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=14770&Referrer_id=4074

MODERATOR:
Michael Kline - Senior Manager | Deloitte Consulting

SPEAKERS:
David Higley - Exec. Director Technology Investment Banking | UBS Warburg
Bill Niemeyer - Director of Strategic Development | Spiderdance
Jonathon Spatz - Chief Financial Officer | Wink Communications
Nicholas Wodtke - SVP Interactive Television | Sony Pictures Entertainment
***Additional panelists TBA***
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Munich, Germany) Interactive TV software provider Liberate Technologies
said that Munich-based cable TV provider Kabel Hessen will use its
technology to deploy iTV services in Germany. The companies said that
250,000 citizens around Frankfurt will have access to iTV by the end of
the year. San Carlos, Calif.-based Liberate's iTV software will be used in
set-top boxes produced through a joint effort between Motorola and Philips
for Kabel Hessen's "iesy" brand.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010613/sfw007b.html
http://www.kabeldeutschland.de
http://www.liberate.com

(Miami) Latin music site Ritmoteca.com said on Thursday that it has signed
an agreement Warner Music Group to sell music downloads and stream music
videos from Warner artists from its site. Sony, BMG and Universal have
separately made similar agreements with Miami-based Ritmoteca.com.
http://www.ritmoteca.com

(Tualatin, Ore.) Digital watermarking developer Digimarc announced on
Thursday that it has been granted a new patent for video watermarking
technology. The patent covers "methods for embedding watermarks into video
images that vary the intensity of the watermark to minimize potential
visual artifacts and optimize the data stream to maintain a constant bit
rate when watermarks are added." Oregon-based Digimarc develops
watermarking technologies that it markets to content providers as a means
of preventing unauthorized copying and to track distribution.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010614/0006.html
http://www.digimarc.com

(New York) MSNBC.com reported on Thursday on the partnership formed by
Boeing and a number of airlines to provide air passengers with high-speed
Internet access. By next year around 1,500 Boeing-crafted planes flown by
American, Delta and United will let passengers check email and surf the
Web. The technology -- which adds a special antenna to planes that
connects to satellite Internet providers -- will cost around $20 an hour
to use.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/586872.asp?0dm=C1BPT

(Los Angeles) The Los Angeles Times on Thursday featured a story on the
increasing popularity of downloadable ring tones for cell phones. Hit
songs and TV show themes can become the sound you hear when your cell
phone rings, but they bring up logistical problems for music publishers,
who need to be paid for use of the underlying compositions. Part of the
issue is which country should be able to collect fees: the country where
the ring tone server is located or the country where the download takes
place. Only U.S. phones with SMS messaging -- which is popular in Europe,
where many ring tone providers are located -- can download the songs.
http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/ttimes/20010614/t000049344.html

(New York) The New York Times ran a feature on Thursday about services
offered by AOL Moviefone and Fandango that let users purchase movie
tickets online or by phone in order to avoid waiting in line at the box
office. The writer tests several of the services with varying results.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/14/technology/14SHOP.html

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

> NextCard, Director of Internet Advertising - San Francisco

Internet advertiser & direct marketing firm seeks candidate w/ strong
advertising contract negotiating skills, an understanding of the Internet
market-place & the credit card business to research & acquire NextCard’s
advertising relationships, source new strategic accounts & negotiate
favorable cost-per-action contracts. 5+ yrs. BizDev or Internet
advertising exp. MBA preferred. Send resumes to: jobs@nextcard.com
http://www.nextcard.com
______________________

> Digitas, Senior Software Engineer - San Francisco

3-5 years of Web Development experience plus 1 year working knowledge of
Java, Javascript, CGI and ideally C++. Ability to work in both Unix and
Windows environments. Understand importance of client delivery and has
good presentation skills. Helps mentor all levels of Programmer Analysts
in their technical skills, when possible. Helps build "team" environment.
Send resumes to: jobs@digitas.com
http://www.digitas.com
______________________

> Bluewave, Project Manager - New York City

Seeking seasoned project manager with experience at a web design agency or
in the interactive department of a large company who has strong
interpersonal skills, good design sense and knowledge of database
technology. As one of Bluewave's key production people in NYC, you will
play a lead role in growing the company's business in the US. Apply
directly to the 'careers' section of www.bluewave.com
http://www.bluewave.com
______________________

> MediaHippo, Sr. Interactive Web Designer/Art Director - Los Angeles

E-services company seeks a Sr. Web Designer to conjure well-architected
multi-media concepts. Candidate must be comfortable designing Web,
Interactive CD, DVD and Kiosk interfaces. Corporate branding & logo design
a must, plus a minimum of 4-6 yrs. of professional web design experience
and an excellent grasp of large-scale site design, navigation, and
architecture. Send resumes to: monica@mediahippo.com
http://www.mediahippo.com
______________________

> CCBN, New Media Designer - Boston

Designer needed to conceptualize, design and develop visual interfaces
utilizing user-centered design principles. Ideal candidate will be
detail-oriented, extremely organized, highly creative and aware of tight
deadlines. BA or BFA -or- 2-4+ yrs. exp. in related field. Proficiency in
Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, DreamWeaver, as well as graphic design
principles. Send resumes to: jobs@ccbn.com
http://www.ccbn.com

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

> Wireless 2001, June 13-14 - New York City

PLATORMS * PARTNERSHIPS * CAPITAL: Wireless 2001 - NYC speakers include James Balsillie, RIM; Thomas Dolby Robertson, Beatnik; Ikuo Nishioka,
Mobile Internet Capital (Japan); and James Brailean, Packet Video. SAVE
$100: REGISTER ONLINE TODAY! Visit www.wireless2001.com/register.asp and enter "EMKTRCOMB2" for an exclusive $100 discount.
http://www.wireless2001.com
______________________

> Loyola Marymount University, International MBA in Media - Los Angeles

Loyola Marymount's International MBA in Media is a unique 1-year program
for individuals who are interested in the business aspect of the growing
entertainment and media industries. In cooperation with the Center for
Asian Business at LMU, this innovative program is offered through LMU's
famous College of Business Administration and the School of Film and
Television.
For more information, please visit: http://www.lmu.edu/acad/cab/immba/
______________________

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