===================================================
DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- August 25, 2000
===================================================
To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com
o Potential Acquirer of APBNews.com Backs Out
o Soundbreak.com Signs Agreement With RIAA
o AOL Outlines AOLTV Content Agreement Structure
o Reuters: Televisa Considering Lawsuit Against MarchFirst
o AtomFilms To Show 1967 Film By George Lucas
o Charging Fraud, FTC Files Suit Against Adult Web Sites
o Briefly Noted: Sony, CDNow, MP3.com - Universal, Seybold Seminar,
Zeocast - ShowBizData.com, Musicandfx.com, Djangos.com,
Primeshot.com - Red Herring, MP3.com - Interep Interactive
_____________________________________________
o Potential Acquirer of APBNews.com Backs Out
New York -- APBNews.com, a crime news site that spent nearly $30 million
over two years, said that a prospective acquirer of the company has
withdrawn its offer. As a result, New York-based APBNews.com, which filed
for bankruptcy protection in July, may be forced to auction off its
assets. The company, which incorporated a range of audio and video
services, has become a symbol of the recent excesses of many Internet
content companies; the company hired over 100 journalists and spent
heavily on quality content, but failed to develop a credible revenue
stream. APBNews said that Massachusetts-based SafteyTips.com, a web site
focused on safety training, had agreed to acquire APBNews.com for
$950,000, but withdrew its offer on Wednesday. The primary assets of
APBNews.com are its distribution agreements, including deals with AOL and
Yahoo.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000825/wr/media_apbonline_dc_2.html
_____________________________________________
o Soundbreak.com Sings Agreement With RIAA
West Hollywood, Calif. -- Soundbreak.com, a music web site, today signed
an agreement with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),
which may set a precedent for future relations between online music sites
and the recording industry. Under the terms of the agreement,
Soundbreak.com will pay royalties to record labels each time one of their
songs is played on the web site. With the agreement, Soundbreak.com
claimed that it is the first major consumer Internet business to be in
full compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Royalty rates
relating to the agreement were not disclosed. "We felt we needed to step
forward and forge an agreement with the labels that satisfies their
legitimate desires for fair compensation for music acquired through and
played over the Internet," said Lisa Crane, CEO of Soundbreak.com.
http://www.soundbreak.com/corporate/corporate_site/index.htm
_____________________________________________
o AOL Outlines AOLTV Content Agreement Structure
Dulles, Va. -- In a letter to the FCC released on Thursday, America Online
Inc. outlined the details of how it will structure agreements with content
providers for its new interactive television service. The company tried to
reassure regulators that its interactive television system would provide
an open platform. AOL, which is undergoing regulatory scrutiny for its
proposed merger with Time Warner, is beginning to enter into agreements
for video programming for the AOLTV platform. However, the letter said
that customized programs for AOLTV will generally not be permitted to
promote competitors. "AOLTV agreements will generally prohibit content
providers from promoting AOL competitors within the content partners'
customized AOLTV interactive content," the letter said.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000824/n24173066.html
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2608988.html?tag=st.ne.1005.thed.ni
_____________________________________________
o Reuters: Televisa Considering Suit Against MarchFirst
Mexico City -- Reuters reported that Televisa, Mexico’s dominant
television network, is considering filing a lawsuit against MarchFirst, an
Internet development firm, for work on a major entertainment site.
Reuters reported that the site, called esmas.com, which launched in May,
has been plagued with problems "The service providers were very late, they
had a lot of noncompliance with exact dates. When the site was launched it
was incomplete," a Televisa executive was quoted as saying. Televisa's
Internet division has recently layed off a number of employees and shifted
key executives to other areas of the company.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000824/n24164147.html
_____________________________________________
o AtomFilms To Show 1967 Film By George Lucas
Westlake Village, Calif. -- GalaxyOnline.com, a science fiction online
network, announced that it has completed a deal with AtomFilms, a short
film and animation entertainment company, to broadcast a film by George
Lucas. The film, called "THX 1138, The Electronic Labyrinth," is one of
Lucas’ first works, created in 1967 while he was a student at the USC Film
School. Under the terms of the deal, GalaxyOnline.com will have full
broadcasting rights for "THX 1138, The Electronic Labyrinth" for two
months. The licensing agreement between the companies includes deals for
three more science-fiction related short films.
http://www.galaxyonline.com
http://www.atomfilms.com
_____________________________________________
o Charging Fraud, FTC Files Suit Against Adult Web Sites
Washington, DC -- The Associated Press reported that the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) and the New York attorney general's office filed suit in
federal court this week against dozens of adult web sites, alleging that
they illegally billed thousands of Internet users for supposedly free
services. The lawsuit asks the court to stop the billing practices as well
as to freeze the assets of the web sites. Crescent Publishing Group and 64
affiliated corporations that operate adult and pornography web sites
including Playboy.com and Highsociety.com were named as defendants in the
suit. The FTC said that the web companies often asked for credit card
numbers, claiming that they needed the information to verify that the user
was above the legal age for the site. Many customers were then charged
monthly membership fees. According to the complaint, the practice
generated income of $188 million between 1997 and 1999.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/08/24/adult.sites.ap/index.html
_____________________________________________
o Briefly Noted:
(Tokyo) Bloomberg reported that Sony Corp. plans to raise $1.4 billion by
selling bonds to keep up with demand for PlayStation 2 game consoles.
http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?s=AOaZWuRNqU29ueSB0&T=marketsquote99_news.ht
(New York) The law firm of Abbey, Gardy & Squitieri said it has filed a
class action lawsuit against online retailer CDNow, which is being
acquired by Bertelsmann. The suit alleges that executives of the company
failed to inform shareholders that an outside auditor advised CDnow
management in January that it had "substantial doubt about (CDnow's)
ability to continue as a going concern."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000824/ny_cdnow_s.html
(New York) CNET reported today that the "legal hourglass is draining to
the end for MP3.com," which will face potentially large
copyright-infringement damages next week if it does not reach an agreement
with Universal Music Group. MP3.com is scheduled to go to court on Monday,
unless it reaches an agreement. The company has already settled with four
major record labels: Warner Music Group, Sony Music Group, EMI Recorded
Music and BMG Entertainment. "But without Universal on board, the company
is still in court -- and looking down the barrel of a potentially huge
damage award," CNET reported.
http://cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2607425.html?pt.yfin.cat_fin.txt.ne
(San Francisco) ZDNet reported that e-books and Web publishing are
expected to receive attention at next week's Seybold Seminars San
Francisco 2000 conference.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2619839,00.html
(Hollywood, Calif.) Zeocast, a web site for personal broadcasting over the
Internet, today announced that the company has partnered with
ShowBizData.com, Priority Records, and Imax, to deliver interactive,
multimedia promotional services to Internet users.
http://www.zeocast.com
http://www.showbizdata.com
http://www.imax.com
(La Porte, IN) Musicandfx.com, an Indiana-based provider of digital audio
and video production services for multimedia developers, today announced
the launch of its new CD called "Heavily Armed." The new CD is dedicated
to high quality weapon sound effects.
http://www.musicandfx.com
(Portland, OR) Djangos.com, Inc., a Portland-based retailer of used CDs,
today announced that it acquired Moby Disc Records, a music store chain in
Los Angeles. With the six-store acquisition, Djangos.coms has 19 retail
locations.
http://www.djangos.com
(Washington, D.C.) Primeshot.com, a professional event photography web
site, today announced that it has been named the official photographer of
all events sponsored by Red Herring, a magazine focused on technology and
business issues.
http://www.primeshot.com
(San Diego) MP3.com, Inc. today announced a sales agency agreement with
New York-based Interep Interactive. Interep will sell national advertising
for MP3.com ventures, including its syndicated radio division,
MP3Radio.com. The advertising will consist of streaming ads, banner ads,
sponsorships, and e-commerce partnerships.
http://www.mp3.com
http://www.interep.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
|
|
