archives

o DirecTV Nabs Signal Pirates, Seizes Equipment Under DMCA
o Study: Interactive TV Advertisers Invading Viewers' Privacy
o Following Parent Company's Lead, Qwest Digital Media Lays Off Staffers
o Digital Rights Management Firm InterTrust Gets Patent, Sues Microsoft
o Academy Sues Napster Over Trading of Songs from Oscars Broadcasts
o Philips to Limit Interactive TV Set-Top Box Production
o Anti-Piracy Software Firm Cyveillance Raises $14 Million
o Hotel 'Net Entertainment Provider On Command Raises $60 Million
o Media Services Firm Centerseat Gets Funding from Japanese Investors
o Content Management Software Firm Mediasurface Raises $16 Million
o Briefly Noted: America Online - AT&T Wireless, Concurrent Computer
Corporation - VOD Pty, Ltd., Radio Free Virgin - Blue Falcon Networks,
Recordable DVD standards, Demotion vs. delisting
_____________________________________________

> Job Postings: Product Specialist, Flash Programmer, Content Editor,
Sales Associate, Senior Director, Control Buyer/Business Analyst,
Group Program Mgr., Sr. Business Development Mgr.

> Events/Services: "Software Company Moving Sale," "Free WebCast Series:
Delivering Results in Today's Changing Environment"

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 DirecTV Nabs Signal Pirates, Seizes Equipment Under DMCA

El Segundo, Calif. -- DirecTV, a provider of satellite television
services, said on Wednesday that under the authority of the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act it has executed civil seizure and impoundment
orders against several businesses that sold equipment capable of stealing
the company's satellite TV feeds. The seizures accompanied lawsuits filed
in three states, against companies like Fulfillment Plus, WhiteViper
Technologies and American Card Programmers, which all allegedly advertised
and sold signal theft devices over the Internet. "The use of civil
seizures under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a significant new
weapon in our fight against signal piracy," said Larry Rissler, vice
president, office of signal integrity for DirecTV. "By using this statute,
we are able to seize equipment or property without prior notice. We expect
to conduct many more raids of this kind." El Segundo-based DirecTV also
said that the websites www.axxessplus.com and www.huexpress.com were shut
down as a result of its actions.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010627/0309.html
http://www.directv.com
_____________________________________________

o Study: Interactive TV Advertisers Invading Viewers' Privacy

Washington -- Interactive TV viewers are exposing themselves to
advertisers and marketers by using devices that collect unprecedented
amounts of their personal data, according to a recent report published by
the Center for Digital Democracy. The report singles out companies
developing advertising software that CDD believes invades the privacy of
home viewers, and the bigger companies include Microsoft, AT&T, Liberty
Media, Proctor and Gamble, NDS (Rupert Murdoch), Cisco, A.C. Nielsen,
Scientific-Atlanta and Young and Rubicam. Some of the unwanted outcomes
that CDD says will result from advertising software enabled through
interactive TV are that "advertisers will play a more direct role in what
we see on television and how we see it," and "today’s already-frayed
distinctions between editorial content and advertising are likely to
disappear altogether."
http://www.democraticmedia.org/privacyreport.pdf
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,44801,00.html
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-6386456.html?tag=cd_pr
_____________________________________________

o Following Parent Company's Lead, Qwest Digital Media Lays Off Staffers

Denver, Colo. -- Qwest Digital Media (QDM), a provider of storage and
delivery services for corporate webcasters, last Thursday laid off
employees in its marketing, sales and operating divisions. The company
would not confirm the number of layoffs in any divisions, but a source
close to the company said that most of its marketing communications
department in Nashville was laid off, and that its sales division was
reduced to three or four reps at each of its Atlanta, Los Angeles,
Nashville and Washington, D.C. offices. QDM is a joint venture between
broadband provider Qwest Communications and Anschutz Corporation. The
subsidiary was launched only nine months ago, at the same time that Qwest
Communications announced it would lay off 11,000 employees in 16 months as
a result of its merger with US West. QDM cited redundancy as reasoning for
its layoffs. A spokeswoman from QDM said that, "there was a lot of overlap
between departments," adding that "no one was really surprised by the
layoffs."
http://www.qwestdigitalmedia.com
_____________________________________________

o Digital Rights Management Firm InterTrust Gets Patent, Sues Microsoft

Santa Clara, Calif. -- InterTrust, a provider of digital rights management
services for content providers, announced that it has been awarded a new
patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The company also said it
believes the technology behind the patent is being infringed by Microsoft.
Santa Clara-based InterTrust has added the patent to its existing patent
infringement suit against Microsoft, that asks for the company to be
prohibited from distributing its new Windows XP operating system. The new
InterTrust patent relates to "transferring digital information among
computing devices, such as receiving a music file at a computer and then
determining whether you can copy the file to a portable music player," the
company said in a statement. InterTrust told CNET that it decided to sue
Microsoft when it saw product descriptions of digital rights management
software on Microsoft's website, shortly after negotiations with the
company were terminated.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010627/2177.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010626/2568.html
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-6384428.html?tag=cd_mh
http://www.intertrust.com
_____________________________________________

o Academy Sues Napster Over Trading of Songs from Oscars Broadcasts

Los Angeles -- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has filed
copyright infringement claims against Napster, saying that versions of
songs performed live during the last three Oscars telecasts have appeared
on the file-trading service. The suit, filed with the same U.S. Ninth
Circuit Court in San Francisco that ruled Napster was infringing against
the major record labels, says songs such as "I've Seen It All"
(Bjork/"Dancer in the Dark"), "Things Have Changed" (Bob Dylan/"Wonder
Boys) and "Blame Canada" (Robin Williams/"South Park: Bigger, Longer and
Uncut") are being traded on Napster. The National Academy of Recording
Arts and Sciences filed a similar suit against the company shortly after
the Grammy Awards aired and a version of rapper Eminem's duet with singer
Elton John showed up on Napster.
http://www.oscars.org
http://www.msnbc.com/news/592880.asp?0dm=C16MT
_____________________________________________

o Philips to Limit Interactive TV Set-Top Box Production

Amsterdam -- Philips Electronics said it would limit the diversity of
set-top boxes for digital and interactive television that it ships to the
U.S., Reuters reported on Wednesday. The company also said it is seeking
partners to help it gain a larger share of the market, in addition to
defraying the associated costs. Recently, AT&T announced that it would
also cut back its plans to release "advanced" set-top boxes -- such as
Motorola's DCT-5000 -- in favor of simpler, less costly models.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-6390355.html?tag=cd_mh
http://public.wsj.com/sn/y/SB991955145483821274.html
http://www.philips.com
_____________________________________________

o Anti-Piracy Software Firm Cyveillance Raises $14 Million

Arlington, Va. -- Cyveillance, a provider of anti-piracy software that
patrols the Internet for copyright violations on websites, announced on
Wednesday that it has raised $14 million in its latest funding round.
Investors participating in the round included Lazard Technology, ABS
Capital Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Graystone Venture Direct
Equity and The Dinner Club. Virginia-based Cyveillance's clients include
the Associated Press, ASCAP, DirecTV and Dow Jones. The company will use
the funds on sales, product development and to support strategic
relationships.
http://www.cyveillance.com/web/us/newsroom/releases/2001/2001-06-27.htm
_____________________________________________

o Hotel 'Net Entertainment Provider On Command Raises $60 Million

Denver, Colo. -- On Command, a provider of high-speed Internet access and
entertainment services to hoteliers, announced on Wednesday that it has
agreed to a private placement of its stock with Ascent Entertainment
Group, a subsidiary of Liberty Media, that will raise up to $60 million.
The company announced yesterday that it would lay off 16 percent of its
staff, due to a "decrease in business travel and an overall softness in
occupancy rates in the hotel industry." Denver-based On Command provides
hotels with digital entertainment services like video-on-demand of
Hollywood feature films, video games and music videos, as well as
high-speed Internet access.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010627/sfw062.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/010626/n26296610.html
http://www.oncommand.com
_____________________________________________

o Media Services Firm Centerseat Gets Funding from Japanese Investors

New York -- Centerseat, a provider of digital media services to
businesses, announced on Wednesday that it has received new funding led by
Japanese investors Sumitomo Corp., Matsushita, Toppan Printing and @Home
Japan. The company said it has raised a total of $20 million between this
round and the one previous. In addition to providing services like digital
media content production, encoding, hosting and distribution, New
York-based Centerseat develops software that synchronizes the distribution
of streaming video, ads, e-commerce and community functions. The company
will use the funds to expand and to further develop its technology.
http://www.centerseat.com/inc/news/releases/062701.html
_____________________________________________

o Content Management Software Firm Mediasurface Raises $16 Million

New York -- Mediasurface, a provider of content management software and
services, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $16.3 million in its
latest round of financing. Investors participating in the round included
Goldman Sachs, GE Equity, Reuters Greenhouse Fund, 3i, Index Ventures,
Elderstreet, Amadeus, Dresdner Kleinwort Capital and Interregnum. New York-based Mediasurface's software lets companies rapidly publish and manage content across their organization for both internal use and distribution to other businesses and consumers. The company will use the funds for product development and business development.
http://www.mediasurface.com/presscentre/releasearchive/Investment?version=1
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Dulles, Va.) America Online and AT&T Wireless on Wednesday announced a
mobile services and marketing alliance that will bring AT&T Wireless
customers AOL's instant messaging and content from its AOL Mobile network.
A special phone that offers the AOL services will be available in the
first half of 2002. As part of the agreement, AOL said that AT&T Wireless
will be marketed to consumers across AOL Time Warner's online and offline
brands.
http://media.aoltimewarner.com/media/press_view.cfm?release_num=55252023

(Atlanta) Video on-demand (VOD) provider Concurrent Computer Corporation
said on Wednesday that Australian firm VOD Pty, Ltd. will use its
MediaHawk system to make video on-demand services available to 100,000
residents in Canberra, Australia. TransAct, which deploys VOD to hotels
and multi-dwelling units where a video server can be installed and will be
selling the services in Australia, expects to sign up 25,000 subscribers
by the end of 2002.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010627/0067.html
http://www.ccur.com
http://www.vod.net.au

(Los Angeles) Web radio provider Radio Free Virgin said on Wednesday that
it has partnered with peer-to-peer networking developer Blue Falcon
Networks, and will include the company's technology for streaming audio in
its music streams. The addition of Los Angeles-based Blue Falcon's
software will let users know the quality of the stream they are receiving,
as well as allow them to share bandwidth with other Radio Free Virgin
listeners to increase the sound quality and consistency of the audio
streams.
http://www.bluefalcon.com/
http://www.radiofreevirgin.com

(San Francisco) ZDNet recently featured an article that explores the
current battle among three standards of recordable DVD writers -- DVD-RAM,
DVD-RW and DVD+RW -- for dominance in the market. DVD-RAM has support from Panasonic, Toshiba, Samsung and Hitachi; DVD+RW is supported by Dell,
Philips and Hewlett-Packard; and Compaq and Apple are shipping drives
based on DVD-RW.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/592129.asp?0si=-

(San Francisco) Wired News reported Wednesday on the decision of some
companies to fight to stay listed on the Nasdaq National Market by being
"demoted" to the exchange's Small Cap market, which has less strenuous
qualifications for listing. Many digital media companies' stocks are
trading below the Nasdaq's $1 minimum share price, which warrants being
"delisted," or kicked off the Nasdaq entirely.
http://www.wired.com/news/ipo/0,1350,44786,00.html

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

> XM Radio, Product Specialist - Washington, D.C.

Reporting to Director of Product Development, this position will manage
radio equipment for demos & tradeshows, in addition to serving as 2nd tier
technical resource for customer care. Work w/ retailers, manufacturers &
marketing to identify operations issues. 3 years exp. in consumer
electronics field, excellent organization & communication skills and
Associate's degree in technology or equivalent experience. Send resumes
to: jobs@xmradio.com
http://www.xmradio.com
______________________

> The Illusion Factory, Flash Programmer - Los Angeles

Flash expert needed for entertainment/multi-media design company
specializing in websites for film/television/multimedia, as well as
specialty e-mail for various clients. You will work w/ art directors in
developing sites translated into various languages. Candidates should have
strong skills in Flash, Photoshop & Illustrator. Experience in Director,
GoLive a plus. Send resumes to: tara@illusionfactory.com
http://www.illusionfactory.com
______________________

> Law.com, Content Editor - New York City

Well-funded Internet service for lawyers seeking Content Editor to work on
New York Web site and other products. Position requires evening hours.
Salary to mid-30s. One to three years writing/editing experience required.
Legal and/or HTML experience helpful.
Send resumes to: kjackson@corp.law.com
http://www.law.com
______________________ 

> Walt Disney Internet Group, Sales Associate - Los Angeles

Join the ABCNEWS.com/ABC.com sales team. Responsibilities: creating
Powerpoint proposals; prospecting for leads; managing active programs;
providing tracking for existing ad campaigns; quantitive & qualitative
research; & handling clients while all sales reps are out of the office. 1
year experience at an interactive agency. Media background preferred. Send
resumes to: hr.recruiting@dig.com
http://www.dig.com
______________________

> Dittus Communications, Senior Director - Washington, D.C.

Working with the Vice President, this individual will be responsible for
developing and implementing communications programs for our high-tech
clients. Creative writing, strong media pitching, management experience,
solid marketing background as well as 5 to 8 years agency experience
required. Send resumes to karine.elsen@dittus.com
http://www.dittus.com
______________________

> Alloy Online, Control Buyer/Business Analyst - New York City

Alloy Online, a new media and e-commerce company, is looking for a
quantitative person for inventory control, sales forecasting & other
special business analyses. Must be a self-starter who can work within a
team and contribute to building the business. Must have good business
judgment, problem solving & people skills. BS/BA & strong Excel exp. Send
resumes to: bstankard@alloy.com
http://www.alloy.com
______________________

> RealNetworks, Group Program Mgr. (Consumer/E-Commerce) - Seattle

Direct & manage activities of a team of program managers, QA, Build &
Globalization engineers in amendment/development of product components &
web-related materials. Also responsible for strategic planning, vendor
selection & budget management. BA in Computer Science, Business
Administration plus 7 yrs. exp. or master's degree & 5 yrs. exp. Send
resumes with job title in subject line to: recruiter55@real.com
http://www.real.com
______________________

> AGENCY.COM, Senior Business Development Director - Boston

Position is responsible for driving revenue-producing activities such as:
qualifying leads, proactively managing accounts & cultivating senior-level
relationships w/ new & existing accounts. 8-10 yrs. professional
servicessales, successful sales track record and understanding of
eBusiness solutions. Must be able to manage overall relationships w/
clients. Apply online at: http://www.agency.com

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

> Software Company Moving Sale - Los Angeles

An LA-based software company is moving offices and selling various
equipment & furnishings: Uninterruptible Power Supplies (a must for
looming blackouts); printers (HP Color Laserjet 4500, Laserjet 1100 and
many Epson 850s); PCs; firewall; hubs; desks; tables; chairs; whiteboards,
etc. Priced to move. Office located in mid-Wilshire at 3333 Wilshire Blvd.
(near Vermont), Suite 205, Los Angeles, CA 90010.
For information, please call Barney: 213.365.6545, ext. 204.
______________________

> Free WebCast Series: Delivering Results in Today's Changing Environment

Pacific Edge Software, an enterprise solution provider of project
portfolio management, is joined by webcast speakers Geoffrey Moore, Bill
Rosser & Jim Highsmith to address challenges you face as an executive in
today's uncertain environment. Get expert advice & learn how Pacific
Edge's solution of software & services enables organizations to manage
project portfolios & measure progress toward strategic goals.
SIGN-UP at http://www.pacificedge.com/campaigns/DigitalMedia
or email info@pacificedge.com
______________________

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com

Questions or comments? Send email to:
mark@digitalmediawire.com

News tips, press releases. Send email to:
editorial@digitalmediawire.com