archives

o Random House to Appeal Ruling in RosettaBooks Case
o Sports Coverage Site Sports.com Raises $13 Million in Third Round
o Napster Offers Sneak Peek of New Subscription Service
o NYTimes: Standard Media Planning More Layoffs
o Web Entertainment Provider Bthere.tv Raises $1 Million
o Games Firm Take-Two Interactive Acquires Techcorp Limited
> Digital Media Wire Seminar: Interactive TV | Los Angeles | July 25
> Note to Readers
o Briefly Noted: RealNetworks - Activision - The Groove Alliance, XM
Satellite Radio - General Motors, E-Data - "download" patent, Fandango,
InfoGrames - Atari, Macrovision, MSN TV, TechTV - ABCNews.com
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> Job Postings: Programmer/Analyst, Lead Program Manager, Content Database Specialist

> Events/Services: "Digital Rights Management," "Web Hosting Expo"

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
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o Random House to Appeal Ruling in RosettaBooks Case

New York -- Publishing firm Random House said it will appeal a federal
court's denial of its request for a preliminary injunction against e-book
publisher RosettaBooks, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The
court denied Random House's request for an injunction against
RosettaBooks, which signed deals with authors including Kurt Vonnegut and
William Styron to sell e-book versions of their works. Random House owns
the rights to publish print versions of the authors' works, but the court
ruled that its contracts with the authors -- which covers versions of the
works "in book form" -- do not include e-books. "Last week's decision,
with which we strongly disagree, was only the first round in this judicial
process," said Random House General Counsel Harriette K. Dorsen, in a
statement.
http://www.rosettabooks.com/pages/legal.html
http://www.randomhouse.com
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o Sports Coverage Site Sports.com Raises $13 Million in Third Round

London -- Sports.com, a subsidiary of SportsLine.com that covers European
sports, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $13 million in its third
round of venture capital financing. SportsLine.com invested $5 million in
the round; other previous investors Soros Private Equity Partners and IDG
also participated. Following the funding, SportsLine.com's stake in the
company will be approximately 30 percent. London-based Sports.com covers
sporting events and offers wagering on sports from websites in five
languages that cover England, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.
The company will use the funds to expand into additional markets such as
wireless delivery of its content.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010718/hsw002.html
http://www.sports.com
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o Napster Offers Sneak Peek of New Subscription Service

Redwood City, Calif. -- Napster on Wednesday sent users who have signed up
to receive updates on the beta test of its planned paid subscription
service a link to a preview of the service. Although only a screen shot of
the new program is provided, the company said it would soon be launching
the beta test. "We're getting close to completing the basic work on the
new membership service and we'll be providing you with more details about
the Beta soon," the company wrote in the email. The company added details
on how the revenue from the paid version will be distributed. "Over half
of what you pay Napster will go directly to the artists, songwriters and
other rights holders whose works are transferred between members of the
Napster community." A link to the screen shot of the subscription
service's beta version is provided below.
http://www.napster.com/betatest/
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o NYTimes: Standard Media Planning More Layoffs

New York -- Standard Media International, which publishes Internet economy
magazine The Industry Standard, is planning a third round of layoffs that
may yet take place this week, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
The Times quoted a Standard executive who said that salaries for remaining
employees may be cut as much as 15 percent. The magazine -- which has seen
advertising pages drop 80 percent in the last year -- laid off 36
employees in January and another 69 in February.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/18/business/18MAG.html
http://www.thestandard.com
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o Web Entertainment Provider Bthere.tv Raises $1 Million

New York -- Bthere.tv, a producer of celebrity-focused entertainment
content for the Web, announced that it has raised $1 million in its first
round of funding from Dennis Interactive, Willow Brook Capital and a
number of individual investors. New York-based Bthere.tv offers online
radio, behind-the-scenes features from movies and TV programs and other
content targeted at a youth audience. The company will use the funds for
working capital, and plans to become profitable by the end of the year.
http://www.bthere.tv
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o Games Firm Take-Two Interactive Acquires Techcorp Limited

New York -- Take-Two Interactive Software, a developer and publisher of
video games and game accessories, announced on Wednesday that it has
acquired Hong Kong-based Techcorp Limited, a designer of computer and
video game accessories. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Techcorp has been the main supplier of accessories for systems like Sony
PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Game Boy to New York-based Take-Two. The
company expects the acquisition to strengthen its share in the European
video game accessories market, accelerate growth and profitability in the
American market, and allow it to enter the Japanese market.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010718/2187.html
http://www.take2games.com
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> Digital Media Wire Presents a Panel Discussion:
"iTV: Defining the New Face of Television"

Los Angeles | Wednesday, July 25th at the Four Seasons Hotel

SPONSORS:
Deloitte Consulting
Jones Day Reavis & Pogue

This panel of players ranging from content providers to hardware
developers will discuss the new face of television, which will include
anamalgam 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.digitalmediawire.com/LAitv.html

MODERATOR:
Michael Kline - Senior Manager | Deloitte Consulting

SPEAKERS:
Amy Friedlander - VP Business Development | Intertainer
David Nathanson - Dir. of Broadband Strategy | Fox Cable Networks Group
Arthur Orduna - VP Marketing | Canal Plus Technologies
Erik Smith - Director of Content Partnerships | Liberate Technologies
***Additional Panelists TBA***

For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/LAitv.html
_____________________________________________

> Note to Readers

Due to a technical problem with an outside vendor, the July 18 edition of
Digital Media Wire is being published later than intended. We apologize
for the delay.
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Seattle) RealNetworks announced on Wednesday that Santa Monica-based game
developer Activision will distribute some of its games on the company's
RealArcade PC game-on-demand subscription service. Activision publishes
games such as "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" and "Quake III Arena." RealNetworks
said it will also offer games from SoliTaire Network and Los Angeles-based
The Groove Alliance, which develops games in Macromedia's Shockwave
software.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010718/sfw036.html
http://www.realarcade.com
http://www.activision.com
http://www.3dgroove.com

(Washington, D.C.) XM Satellite Radio said on Wednesday that it has signed
an agreement with General Motors whereby car buyers can bundle the
subscription fee for the company's satellite-delivered digital radio
service with their monthly car payments. General Motors holds a 12 percent
equity stake in the company and also has a distribution agreement to
integrate XM satellite radios into its cars starting this year.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010718/dcw030.html
http://www.xmradio.com

(San Francisco) A federal appeals court has ruled that a lower court must
reconsider a claim from software developer E-Data, which claims that its
patent on a system of downloading may in fact apply to some widely used
technologies, according to a ZDNet report. The company is suing the likes
of CompuServe and Intuit for patent infringement. If it is victorious,
many large companies would have to pay licensing fees to use its
technology. Companies including Adobe and IBM have already settled with
the company.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5094213,00.html

(Santa Monica, Calif.) Fandango, a provider of online and print-on-demand
movie ticket sales, announced on Wednesday that it now offers users in San
Jose and Mountain View, California the ability to print their own tickets
to movies at Century Theater locations. Users pay for tickets to
screenings with their credit card and then print out a receipt on their
own printer that features a bar code that can be scanned by the usher
taking tickets inside the theater -- avoiding the box office entirely.
http://www.fandango.com

(Beverly, Mass.) Game developer InfoGrames announced on Wednesday that it
will release a compilation of 12 classic games originally designed for the
Atari 2600 video game system for the PC and Sega Dreamcast console. The
games include "Asteroids," "Battlezone," "Centipede," "Missile Command,"
"Pong," "Super Breakout" and "Tempest." The compilation will also feature
a multimedia supplement containing interviews with original game
designers, graphics and original press releases from Atari.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010718/law064.html
http://www.infogrames.com

(San Francisco) CNET reported on Wednesday on the growing use of
copy-protection technology used on commercially sold music CDs. Technology
from Sunnyvale-based software developer Macrovision has been incorporated
on a release that has sold over 100,000 copies, according to the company.
Users who purchase such CDs will find it very difficult to "rip" them --
the resulting MP3 or other digital music file will be filled with audible
pops and clicks. It is unclear whether or not this technology impedes on a
consumer's usual right to make a copy of a CD for personal use.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-6604222.html?tag=tp_pr
http://www.macrovision.com

(Redmond, Wash.) Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it has renamed its
WebTV Internet service as MSN TV. Microsoft paid $425 million to acquire
WebTV in 1997, but has yet to realize a profit from the flagging service.
It hopes to capitalize on the brand name of its MSN portal and Internet
service by bringing its interactive television unit into the family of
services.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010718/sfw064a.html
http://www.webtv.com

(San Francisco) Technology-based cable channel TechTV said on Wednesday
that it will provide technology-related news to ABC Network's ABCNews.com.
TechTV will also feature technology-related breaking news from ABCNews.com
on its own website.
http://www.abcnews.com
http://www.techtv.com

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

> Music Reports, Inc., Programmer/Analyst - Los Angeles

Duties include database & software design, development, coding & testing
for business applications, as well as trouble-shooting & maintenance of
existing systems. Must have extensive coding experience in a complex
relational database/data warehouse environment that includes title
matching for large volumes of data from various sources designing &
implementing technical solutions for research, data retrieval, delivery
and reporting. Send resumes to: Dbrainin@musicreports.com
http://www.musicreports.com
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> MusicNet, Lead Program Manager - Seattle

Direct & manage the overall activities of a team of program managers &
coordinate cross-group and/or cross-division projects. Projects involve
assessing new technologies & developing product development plans,
estimating resources & costs, schedules & work development plans.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent in computer science, business or related
field, plus 3 years experience in project management and software
development.
Send resumes to: resumes@musicnet.com and include the job title.
http://www.musicnet.com
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> The Sharper Image, Content Database Specialist - San Francisco

Manage The Sharper Image websites. Development & maintain ongoing
production schedules, updates, content & art placement. Produce style
guides for site continuity. Manage 3-person team involved in site content
management, updates and brand presentation. 3+ yrs. experience managing
people in a production or development setting required. Send resumes to:
tsi@rpc.webhire.com
http://www.sharperimage.com

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

> Digital Rights Management, September 20-21 - New York City

DRM for Sports, Media & Entertainment -- Learn How To Monetize & Protect
Content, Digital Assets & Intellectual Property. Featuring Forecasts, Case
Studies & Strategies from: AOL Time Warner, Sony Music, NY Times, National
Hockey League, A&E Networks, Microsoft Corporation, BET, Artisan,
Reciprocal, IBM, NASCAR Digital Entertainment and many more! Contact
dmitry@worldrg.com -- mention this ad for a special discount!
http://www.DRMconference.com
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> Web Hosting Expo, August 20-22 - Washington, D.C.

Web Hosting Expo is the conference and exhibit dedicated to business &
technology of Internet infrastructure. It brings together web hosts,
ASPs/MSPs, colo/data center players for 3 days of deal making, idea
exchanges and marathon networking. Learn from 70 industry leading
exhibitors and 50+ conference sessions and panels delivered by industry
experts. Send inquiries to techwire@infotonic.com
http://www.whexpo.com
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