archives

o Texas Resident to be Tried in California in DVD Hacking Case
o Jupiter: Online Ad Spending to Grow Only 5% This Year
o Digital Rights Management Firm ContentGuard Lays Off 70% of Staff
o U.S. Sanctions Ukraine Over Pirated Software, Music, Movies
o Liquid Audio Adopts Shareholder Rights Plan, Gets New Patent
o Playboy.com Lays Off Staffers, Launches Horse Wagering Site
o Briefly Noted: NTT DoCoMo - Coca-Cola, On2 Technologies, Macrovision,
Lycos Russia, Microsoft middleware,
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> Job Postings: Client Service Rep., Jr. Web Designer, Editor at Large,
Sr. Sales Director

> Events/Services: "SHORTSPAN Film & Video Festival - Pacific Northwest
Tour," "Free Web Demonstration"

Full Job/Event/Services descriptions listed below "Briefly Noted" section
or at http://www.digitalmediawire.com/postings.html

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o Texas Resident to be Tried in California in DVD Hacking Case

Santa Clara, Calif. -- A California court has ruled that a Texas man can
be tried in California for allegedly distributing DeCSS, a code that can
be used to crack the encryption security on DVDs. The DVD Copy Control
Association (DVD CCA) originally filed suit against Matthew Povlovich
under a California law that bars the dissemination of trade secrets, for
allegedly posting DeCSS on the website he operated out of his residence in
Texas. Pavlovich had asked the court for a ruling stating that he could
not be tried in California because he is not a state resident. The DVD
CCA's legal team responded to the ruling in a statement. "We're very
pleased with the court's decision because it stands for the principle that
individuals who steal trade secrets cannot hide behind the Internet as a
shield to protect them from responsibility for their unlawful conduct,"
said DVD CCA lawyer Jeffrey L. Kessler. Digital civil liberties group
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which is defending Pavlovich, also
issued a response. "This ruling magnifies the ability of Hollywood or
other businesses to successfully sue anyone in the world who publishes
information on the Internet which the movie studios claim could hurt their
profits," the EFF said, in a statement. The EFF said it may appeal the
ruling to the California Supreme Court.
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/H021961.PDF
http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/DVDCCA_case/20010808_eff_pavlovich_pr.html
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-6808196.html?tag=cd_mh
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o Jupiter: Online Ad Spending to Grow Only 5% This Year

New York -- Analyst firm Jupiter Media Metrix on Wednesday reduced its
predictions for online advertising spending from $7.3 million to $5.7
million, an increase of only 5 percent over year 2000 totals. Jupiter did
however, predict that online ad spending would rebound and hit 15 billion
by 2006, but said that a greater percentage of that figure would more
likely come from other marketing tactics such as email campaigns, online
coupons and other promotions.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010808/nyw025.html
http://www.jmm.com
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o Digital Rights Management Firm ContentGuard Lays Off 70% of Staff

Bethesda, Md. -- ContentGuard, a provider of digital rights management
software and services, said that it is laying off 70 of its approximately
100 employees and revising its business strategy. The company said it
plans to focus exclusively on the digital content market and will abandon
its services business as well as other product areas. Maryland-based
ContentGuard hopes to establish a content rights language standard for the
industry that will allow for systems from different technology vendors and
content owners to interconnect. The company says its XrML (Extensible
rights Markup Language) standard has been licensed by 2500 companies,
including Microsoft.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?bw.080701/212190298
http://www.contentguard.com
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o U.S. Sanctions Ukraine Over Pirated Software, Music, Movies

Washington -- The U.S. government said that it will suspend the duty-free
status for Ukranian products in response to the amount of pirated
software, music and movies available for sale there. The government said
that pirated CDs, DVDs and CD-ROMs costs U.S. companies $200 million
annually. "The United States has been urging Ukraine to take measures to
stop the production of pirated optical media products for over two years.
Yet the problem persists," said U.S. Trade Representative Robert B.
Zoellick. The Recording Industry Association of America applauded the
ruling. "Ukraine's failure to guard against the manufacture, distribution
and export of pirate recordings continues to significantly prejudice the
interests of the US music industry, and has had a devastating toll on
Ukrainian record companies, performers, songwriters, composers and
musicians," said Neil Turkewitz, executive vice president, international
of the RIAA, in a statement.
http://www.ustr.gov/releases/2001/08/01-61.htm
http://www.riaa.org/PR_story.cfm?id=443
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o Liquid Audio Adopts Shareholder Rights Plan, Gets New Patent

Redwood City, Calif. -- Liquid Audio, a provider of digital music
distribution technology, said on Wednesday that it has adopted a
shareholder rights plan to ensure its shareholders' stock value in the
event of an unsolicited buyout or merger with another company. Redwood
City-based Liquid Audio said the move was not in reaction to any specific
action by an outside firm. The company also announced that it has been
granted a patent by the U.S. Patent Office for its audio encoding
technology that can deliver high-quality audio at the very low bit rates
currently used by cell phones and other wireless devices.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010807/sftu110.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010807/sftu084.html
http://www.liquidaudio.com
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o Playboy.com Lays Off Staffers, Launches Horse Wagering Site

New York -- Playboy.com said that it will reorganize its sales and
editorial staffs, laying off an undisclosed number of workers as it
battles the online advertising decline and tries to convert more visitors
into paying customers. The company reported that online ad revenues on its
adult entertainment site fell 65 percent in the second quarter, and to cut
costs its online sales staff will be combined with its magazine ad sales
staff. New York-based Playboy.com also said it will move more of its
content to its paid site to attract more paying subscribers, and as a
result will reorganize the editorial staff at its free site. The company
also announced the launch of PlayboyRacingUSA.com, an online
horserace-wagering site, as part of its goal to "bring a world-renowned
brand to online gaming."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010807/cgtu051.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010807/cgtu046.html
http://www.playboyracingusa.com
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o Briefly Noted:

(Tokyo) Japanese cell phone firm NTT DoCoMo announced on Wednesday that it
has partnered with Coca-Cola and Itochu to offer users of its I-mode phone
the ability to download wallpaper, ringtones and other content to their
cell phones from Coca-Cola vending machines in Japan. The Cmode service
will be tested on 25 vending machines equipped with sensors and printers
for such features as printing out concert tickets purchased through the
service.
http://www.nttdocomo.com/new/contents/01/whatnew0808.html

(New York) On2 Technologies, a developer of streaming video technology,
said that it will release a version of its video compression codec to the
open source community. The technology will then be available for free to
any developers that wish to examine and develop upon its original source
code. Other technologies -- such as the Linux operating system -- have
been improved upon by groups of independent developers. "It is imperative
that key components of new technology such as the compression format be
freely available to multiple developers to ensure a fair, competitive
environment, with interoperability based on a common, open source," said
On2 CEO Douglas McIntyre. New York-based On2 recently licensed its video
compression technology to RealNetworks.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgibin/f_headline.cgi?bw.080701/212192399&ticker=ONT
http://www.on2.com

(Sunnyvale, Calif.) Digital rights management firm Macrovision said on
Wednesday that its copy-protection software has been embedded on over 600
million DVDs since its introduction in 1997, and that currently 200 DVD
and PC DVD-ROM manufacturers are using its product. In the music industry,
its SafeAudio product is currently being tested by a number of the major
labels on undisclosed commercial album releases, amidst claims in the
hacker community that the technology can be breached.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010808/0260.html
http://www.macrovision.com

(Moscow) TerraLycos announced on Wednesday the opening of an office in
Moscow and the launch of Lycos Russia, a joint venture with German media
conglomerate Bertelsmann. Lycos.ru will offer a Russian-language search
engine, email, chat and other services. The site aims to cater to the
estimated 9 million Russians who will be online in 2002, up from 5.9
million this year.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010808/2019.html
http://www.lycos.ru

(Boston, Mass.) A recently published report predicts that Microsoft's
operating system --or "middleware" -- that powers interactive TV set-top
boxes will be used by 69 percent of iTV software developers in 2002, up
from 38 percent this year. The report, published by Boston-based Strategy
Analytics, predicts that Liberate Technologies will become Microsoft's
main competitor in the space as fewer developers use other products from
companies like OpenTV.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/212202307&ticker=
http://www.strategyanalytics.com

(Stockholm) Digital TV provider Viasat said on Wednesday that it has
partnered with Modern Times Group to make Sweden's most-read newspaper,
Metro, available to Viasat's subscribers on their TVs. Viasat's 486,000
subscribers can now read and navigate through the paper's entire daily
national and international content using their TV's remote control.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010808/2261.html
http://www.mtg.se/eng/index.html
http://www.viasat.se/

(Maynard, Mass.) Ucentric, a developer of home networking software that
lets various consumer electronics devices in the home send data between
one another, said on Wednesday that it has signed deals with three
companies that will enable it to provide digital music services to its
users. MediaUnbound, RadioWave and SimpleDevices will contribute
personalization technology, wireless music delivery and streaming
technology, respectively, to Massachusetts-based Ucentric.
http://www.ucentric.com/index.php?news/releases/20
http://www.mediaunbound.com
http://www.radiowave.com
http://www.simpledevices.com

(Reston, Va.) DiamondBack Technologies, a developer of video encoding
technology, said on Wednesday that it is changing the name of the company
to ObjectVideo, in order to coincide with the name of its main product.
The ObjectVideo software utilizes the MPEG-4 video standard to streamline
video delivery by eliminating redundant data.
http://www.objectvideo.com

(San Francisco) CNET reported Wednesday on the emerging MPEG-4 standard, a
range of audio and video technologies designed to shrink file sizes so
they are more easily transmitted digitally. Interactive features embedded
in the standard could one day make it possible to zoom in on live video
and perform other functions that more resemble Web page features, creating
interesting possibilities for Hollywood and advertisers.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-6807710.html?tag=tp_pr
http://www.cselt.it/mpeg/standards/mpeg-4/mpeg-4.htm

(Hollywood) Variety magazine featured an article Wednesday on the major
studios' continued efforts to protect their content against Internet
piracy, as hackers have managed to access such highly-protected items as
digital dailies from Steven Spielberg's new film "Minority Report." Some
studios have hired companies such as Global Network Security Services to
test their level of security by attempting to hack into their own servers
and extract movies and music.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/nm/20010808/en/industry-hacker_1.html

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

> Verance, Client Service Rep. (Western Region) - Los Angeles
Responsible for the day-to-day servicing of the advertiser/agency client
base, which includes training clients in all aspects of utilizing the
various Media Information Group systems and product offerings, encoding
content, utilizing the website for registering content, producing and
understanding reports and utilizing these reports to further their
respective business. Minimum 3 years advertising industry-related
experience.
Send resumes to: jobs@verance.com
http://www.verance.com
______________________

> Maxim Online, Jr. Web Designer - New York City

Must have experience with Photoshop, Illustrator, HTML, Fireworks, and
understand multiple browser and platform issues. Responsibilities include:
designing marketing contests and advertorial projects; designing party
pages to promote magazine events; designing banners to promote marketing
and editorial projects; and maintaining subscription pages throughout the
Maxim website.
Send resumes & URLs to: maximonlinejobs@hotmail.com
http://www.maximonline.com
______________________

> CNET Networks, Editor at Large - San Francisco

This newsroom leader is expected to write an average of 1-3 stories per
day if needed, and on a more analytical & exclusive basis than the average
reporter's assignment. Other duties include proposing and writing Special
Reports, news analyses, features and investigative stories. This position
also plays a key role at budget meetings, performs editing functions as
needed and serves as a mentor for less experienced reporters.
Send resumes to: careers@cnet.com and seanl@cnet.com
http://www.cnet.com
______________________

> Mapcom Systems, Senior Sales Director - Richmond, VA

Small and growing software company seeks Senior Sales Director with
telecom background to develop and maintain overall sales plan. Position
requires 7+ yrs. sales exp., extensive knowledge of telecom industry
products and services, as well as exceptional communication, phone and
presentation skills. Knowledge of facilities management, GIS mapping,
client billing, work order management or customer relationship software
products desired. Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree preferred.
EOE.
Send resume, letter and salary history to jobs@mapcom.com
http://www.mapcom.com

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

> 9th Annual SHORTSPAN Film & Video Festival - Pacific Northwest Tour: Aug. 3-13

SHORT MOVIES! Dreamspan presents the 9TH Annual Short Attention Span Film & Video Festival. Shortspan is a non-stop two hour program of ALL NEW
two-minute-or-shorter films, including Michael Moore's "Testify," Canadian
David Weir's collaboration with Douglas Coupland, "Night Shift"-- and 57
more shorts! The tour kicks off in the Pacific Northwest and will travel
to 30 North American cities! Pac NW tour dates are:

VANCOUVER, B.C.: The Blinding Light Cinema - August 3rd and 4th - 8:30PM
SEATTLE, WA: 911 Media Arts Center - August 9th and 10th - 8PM
PORTLAND, OR: Northwest Film Center - August 12th and 13th - 7:30PM
http://www.dreamspan.com/shortspan
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> Free Web Demonstration: Learn How A Federal Agency Saved $36 Million

Leading organizations are saving millions by more effectively managing
their company's diversified operations and scarce resources. With Pacific
Edge Software's project portfolio management solution, you'll get a clear
snapshot of your business, enabling you to balance strategic and tactical
requirements, so you can make informed business decisions. For more
information on how you can better manage your business, please visit
http://www.pacificedge.com/campaigns/digitalmedia
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Copyright 2001 Digital Media Wire