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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- August 28, 2000
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com 

o Tech Organizations File Briefs in Napster Case
o Virgin, BBC Launch UK Music Site Aimed At US Audience
o No Announcement on Possible MP3.com and Universal Agreement
o Briefly Noted: Industry Standard’s Grok - Entertainment, 
Sonic Foundry, ZapMedia.com - MovieFlix.com, Carl Barks,
DreamWorks Records Nashville - Lisa Angelle, Microsoft,
Softhits.com, Streamedia.Net - Noblestar
_____________________________________________

o Tech Organizations File Briefs in Napster Case

San Francisco -- A number of digital media organizations filed legal
briefs on Friday that are sharply critical of last month's decision by a
federal judge against Napster. The organizations filing the briefs include
the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the Digital Media Association
(DiMA) and NetCoalition. The groups fear that the judge’s ruling could set
a precedent of holding technology companies liable for the actions of end
users of software and electronic devices. CNET reported that the
organizations were "careful to say that they are not explicitly supporting
either side in the high-stakes lawsuit. But each group's separate
arguments go a long way to support Napster in its battle against the
Recording Industry Association of America."
http://www.upside.com/News/39a6e7930.html 
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2612001.html?tag=st.ne.1002.tgif.ni 
_____________________________________________

o Virgin, BBC Launch UK Music Site Aimed At US Audience

Los Angeles -- Virgin Entertainment Group and BBC America announced on
Monday the launch of a new UK-focused music and entertainment site called
TheBritBeat.com. Both companies provide content for the site, which is
aimed at Internet users in the United States. The site provides British
entertainment news and interviews from the BBC and music from Radio Free
Virgin, Virgin’s online radio network. "This deal gives U.S. users access
to the hottest British bands," said Parule Basu-Barua, a vice president of
BBC America. Virgin said it will use in-store promotions to drive traffic
to the site; BBC America said it will promote the Internet service on its
various radio and television broadcasts.
http://www.thebritbeat.com/ 
_____________________________________________

o No Announcement on Possible MP3.com and Universal Agreement

New York -- As of mid-day Monday, MP3.com, a web site offering music
downloads, had not announced an agreement with Universal Music Group,
which has sued MP3.com for infringing on its music copyrights. MP3.com is
scheduled to go to court on Monday; it was previously believed that
MP3.com would reach a settlement before Monday’s deadline as it has done
with other leading music companies including Warner Music Group, Sony
Music Group, EMI Recorded Music, and BMG Entertainment. "Universal has
made it clear that they’re not interested in any of the many settlement
options MP3.com has proposed," said Michael Rhodes, an MP3.com attorney
not directly involved in the negotiations, was quoted as saying late last
week.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2607425.html?pt.yfin.cat_fin.txt.ne 
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(San Francisco, Calif.) The first edition of The Industry Standard’s new
monthly magazine, called Grok, focuses on the digital media sector. The
Industry Standard said each issue of Grok will focus on a different area
of the Internet. The September edition of Grok includes over 30 stories
about a wide variety of digital entertainment topics ranging from the
AOL-Time Warner merger to Sony’s PlayStation.
http://www.thestandard.com/grok/ 

(Santa Monica.) Sonic Foundry, a developer of digital media software,
announced today that it has layed off about 20 employees as part of its
acquisition of Toronto-based International Image. The company said Sonic
Foundry's two Santa Monica offices have been combined, resulting in staff
reductions from its non-core businesses.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000828/wi_sonic_i.html 

(Atlanta) ZapMedia.com, a technology company focusing on digital media,
today announced a partnership with Los Angeles-based MovieFlix.com, an
Internet movie provider. Under the deal, ZapMedia.com will offer its
members access to 250 movies from MovieFlix.
http://www.zapmedia.com 
http://www.movieflix.com 

(Grant Pass, Ore.) Legendary illustrator Carl Barks, who developed many of
Walt Disney’s leading comic characters, died on Friday at the age of 99.
Barks, who drew Donald Duck for many years, had a cult-like following by
many Disney fans and animators who avidly collected his comics and
illustrations. Barks’ name was largely unknown until the 1970s, when comic
fans began recognizing the distinctiveness his Disney stories.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000825/us/obit_barks__1.html 

(Nashville, Tenn.) Hoping to build buzz for a new album, DreamWorks
Records Nashville said it will provide free downloads of songs from
country singer Lisa Angelle's newest album. The offer, which runs through
Oct. 3, is part of an arrangement between Liquid Audio, a provider of
software for Internet music, and DreamWorks Records Nashville.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000828/ca_angelle.html 

(Seattle, Wash.) Microsoft Corporation announced that it has designed a
new chip to run its WebTV interactive television service.  The new chip,
called Solo2, is designed to combine Internet browsing, interactive
television, and video recording on a standard television set. The chip is
also equipped to handle several streams of video at the same time,
allowing users to watch or record a number of programs at once. The chip
will be manufactured by Toshiba Corporation and will be used in WebTV’s
"Ultimate TV" platform later this fall.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/000824/n23146694.html 

(Boca Raton, FL) The BroadcastWeb.com Network has launched its sixth
Internet radio station called SoftHits.com. The site will stream audio
content through Sonicbox, Kerbango, Akoo, and VirtualTuner.com.
http://www.softhits.com 

(New York) Streamedia.Net, an Internet broadcaster of rich media content,
today announced that it has been selected by Noblestar, a technology
consulting firm, to provide streaming media services. Under the
partnership, Noblestar will offer Streamedia.Net's services to its
clients.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000828/ny_streame.html 
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