archives

o Verizon, Consumer Groups File Opposition to RIAA Subpoena
o Napster Plans Asset Fire Sale After Judge Blocks Bertelsmann Acquisition
o Vivendi Sells 50% Stake in Vizzavi to Vodafone for $141.5 Million
o Bertelsmann Selling Off European Bol.com Book, Media Retail Sites
o Gemstar Loses Patent Infringement Claims Against Set-Top Box Makers
o ScanMobile Acquires Wireless Entertainment Provider MobileChannelNetwork
o Content Distribution Software Firm AssetHouse Raises $6.2 Million
o AOL Latin America Faces Nasdaq Delisting
o Butterfly.net to Launch College Program for Online Game Developers
o Content Delivery Network Akamai Moves to Nasdaq Small Cap Market

> Featured Section

o Briefly Noted: Sony - digital video recorder, Charter - Listen.com, Walt
Disney Internet Group - Far EasTone, HP - Media Center PC, "Madden NFL
2003" - ABC "Monday Night Football," Roxio - YesVideo, PacketVideo -
Microsoft, Greece - video game ban, InfoSpace - Google, SeaChange
International - Insight Communications
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> Jobs: Senior Contract Mgr., VP of Media, Sr. Public Relations Mgr., Dir.
of Client Strategy, VP of Promotions

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o Verizon, Consumer Groups File Opposition to RIAA Subpoena

New York -- Telecommunications firm Verizon has filed its legal opposition
to a subpoena from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),
which asks the company to turn over the identity of an alleged copyright
infringer. Verizon has refused to turn over the information thus far,
arguing for the privacy of its customers. The RIAA has begun to target
individual file-swappers more directly as an expansion of their ongoing
litigation against file-sharing services like Napster, Kazaa, Audiogalaxy
and Morpheus. A copy of Verizon's filing is available through a link to
Politech.com below. Separately, a group of 13 consumer advocacy groups
including the Electronic Frontier Foundation have filed an amicus brief on
Verizon's behalf, asking the judge to take into account a user's privacy
rights and deny the RIAA's request for the data.
http://www.politechbot.com/docs/verizon.brief.090302.pdf
http://www.eff.org/Cases/RIAA_v_Verizon/20020830_eff_riaa_pr.html
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o Napster Plans Asset Fire Sale After Judge Blocks Bertelsmann Acquisition

Los Angeles -- Napster plans to change its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing
into a Chapter 7 liquidation of its assets, after a judge ruled on Tuesday
to block the sale of the company's assets to German media conglomerate
Bertelsmann for $9 million, The Los Angeles Times reported. Judge Peter
Walsh said that Konrad Hilbers, a former Bertelsmann executive who became
Napster's CEO, was too close to his former employer at the time that
Napster's sale to Bertelsmann was negotiated. "Mr. Hilbers had one foot in
the Napster camp and one foot in the Bertelsmann camp," Walsh said.
Hilbers resigned Tuesday, and Napster fired most of its employees,
including founder Shawn Fanning. The company's financial officer and one
or two other employees will remain to negotiate the sale, The Times
reported. Bertelsmann loaned Napster upwards of $85 million as it worked
to develop a secure, paid membership service based on the wildly-popular
free service developed by Fanning. A note on Napster.com Wednesday read
simply, "Napster was here."
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-napster4sep04.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dtechnology http://www.napster.com
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o Vivendi Sells 50% Stake in Vizzavi to Vodafone for $141.5 Million

Paris -- Confirming earlier reports, Vivendi Universal has sold its 50
percent stake in wireless entertainment portal Vizzavi to its partner in
the joint venture, wireless network operator Vodafone, for $141.5 million.
The company said it will no longer finance Vizzavi's development for the
2002-2003 financial year, saving the company about $170 million. The sale
of Vizzavi is part of Vivendi's plan to dispose of non-core assets and to
reduce cash drains on the company.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020830/302085_1.html
http://www.vizzavi.com
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o Bertelsmann Selling Off European Bol.com Book, Media Retail Sites

London -- German media conglomerate Bertelsmann is looking to sell off the
European operations at its Bol.com book and CD/DVD retail sites, and
according to sources is in talks with Amazon.com, Reuters reported. The
company plans to retain its stake in the Italian and Chinese versions of
Bol.com but wants to sell off operations in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden
and the Netherlands, as part of a plan to return the company's DirectGroup
unit to profitability. Amazon.com would not comment on any possible
negotiations with Bertelsmann to Dow Jones.
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=1403252
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/020903/1814000711_1.html
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o Gemstar Loses Patent Infringement Claims Against Set-Top Box Makers

Pasadena, Calif. -- Gemstar-TV Guide International, a provider of
interactive program guide software for digital television services,
announced that it has lost patent infringement claims it filed against
set-top box makers Scientific-Atlanta and Pioneer. The company said it
will seek a review of the decision from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Georgia, adding that the ruling covered only
two patents, and that it had asserted several others in the claim.
Pasadena-based Gemstar received notice from the Nasdaq last week that its
shares are in danger of being delisted, due to a late filing of its
quarterly earnings report.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020829/290292_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020830/300150_1.html
http://www.gemstartvguide.com
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o ScanMobile Acquires Wireless Entertainment Provider MobileChannelNetwork

London -- ScanMoblie, a provider of wireless entertainment and other
applications, announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Geneva-based
MobileChannel.Network, a provider of branded entertainment content
services and technology to wireless network operators. Financial terms of
the transaction were not disclosed. MobileChannel.Network
offers products like MTV-branded ringtones and logos to wireless network
operators. London-based ScanMobile said the combined company will serve 26
of the world's top 50 wireless network operators, including Orange, Sprint
PCS and Vodafone.
http://www.scan.com/html/pressreleases.php?article=64
http://www.mobilechannel.net
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o Content Distribution Software Firm AssetHouse Raises $6.2 Million

London -- AssetHouse Technology, a provider of content infrastructure
software used for delivering multimedia content, announced that it has
raised $6.2 million in its second round of funding. LMS Capital, the
venture division of London Merchant Securities, led the round. Other
investors included Quester and British Telecommunications. London-based
AssetHouse's technology is used by cable, DSL and 3G wireless service
providers to deliver content through services such as video-on-demand and
interactive television.
http://www.assethouse.com
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o AOL Latin America Faces Nasdaq Delisting

Dulles, Va. -- America Online said on Friday that its Florida-based Latin
American unit has received a delisting notice from the Nasdaq SmallCap
Market for failing to meet the minimum $35 million market capitalization
requirement. The company said that it plans to appeal the ruling, and will
switch to the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board market in 30-60 days if the
appeal fails. The company reiterated that it has enough cash on hand to
fund operations into early 2003.
http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=Cpw7TwbKbytiWntq
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o Butterfly.net to Launch College Program for Online Game Developers

Martinsburg, W.Va. -- Butterfly.net, a developer of a computer platform
that connect game players on PCs, consoles and mobile devices, on Thursday
unveiled plans to launch an educational program for current and future
developers of online video games. The program, to be offered through
partnerships with major colleges and universities, will provide training
in game development for massively multiplayer games. The inaugural
two-week instructional seminar is scheduled for June 2003 at the
University of Charleston (W.Va.). Students will work together with game
industry professionals to create, deploy and test games on Butterfly's
infrastructure for online games. Students who successfully complete the
program will receive certificates as "Butterfly Certified Developers."
http://www.butterfly.net/buzz/releases/index.html
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o Content Delivery Network Akamai Moves to Nasdaq Small Cap Market

Cambridge, Mass. -- With its share price far below the highs that it
reached during the Internet stock boom, Massachusetts-based Akamai
Technologies, a provider of content delivery network services, has
transferred its shares from the Nasdaq national market to the Nasdaq small
cap market. The company's shares have hovered near the Nasdaq's $1 minimum
requirement for continued listing since June. Shares will continue trading
under the "AKAM" ticker symbol.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020830/302219_1.html
http://www.akamai.com
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FEATURED SECTION
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Featured Section posting at:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/featuredpostingpage.htm

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Briefly Noted:

(Tokyo) Sony Corp. on Wednesday introduced a new device in Japan that will
compete with TiVo and ReplayTV in the U.S. digital video recorder market
when it is eventually introduced here. The CoCoon -- COnnected COmmunity
On Network -- features a 160GB hard drive for recording TV programs and
movies from TV. The $1,100, Internet-connected device can be programmed to
record TV shows via cell phone or PC, and has internal software that will
recognize viewing preferences and record recommended programs for viewers.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nf/20020904/bs_nf/19290

(St. Louis) Cable TV operator Charter Communications said on Wednesday
that it will distribute San Francisco-based Listen.com's Rhapsody digital
music subscription service to its 905,000 residential broadband customers.
The $10 monthly service, which provides on-demand streaming of over
215,000 tracks from all five major record labels, will be made available
through The Charter Zone, an online resource where customers can sign up
for entertainment services offered by Charter.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020904/sfw088_1.html
http://charterzone.charter.com
http://www.listen.com

(North Hollywood, Calif.) Walt Disney Internet Group announced on
Wednesday that Taiwan-based wireless network operator Far EasTone will
distribute Disney Mobile ringtones, graphics and other wireless
entertainment content to its cell phone service subscribers. North
Hollywood, Calif.-based WDIG said content initially will be available to
SMS and WAP-enabled phone owners, with plans to eventually add Java
compatibility.
http://disney.go.com/corporate/press/wdig/releases.html
http://www.fetnet.net

(Palo Alto, Calif.) PC and peripheral device maker Hewlett Packard
announced plans to release a new device this holiday season that combines
the functionality of a PC, DVD player, CD player, television and digital
jukebox. The company said it will market its new "Media Center PC" for
spaces where consumers would want both a computer and entertainment
center, such as a den, game room or dorm room. The device, expected to
sell for between $1,500 and $2,000, will be the first to feature
Microsoft's new XP Media Center Edition software.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020903/30057_1.html
http://www.hp.com/go/mediacenterpc

(Redwood City, Calif.) Game developer Electronic Arts announced that
legendary football commentator John Madden will use the company's "Madden
NFL 2003" video game to illustrate plays and strategy during ABC Sports
broadcasts of "Monday Night Football." Beginning Sept. 9, Madden will use
the video game on-air to break down weekly match-ups and analyze key
aspects of the actual game being played.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020903/32142_1.html
http://www.ea.com/easports/platforms/games/madden2003/home.jsp

(Santa Clara, Calif.) Roxio, a provider of CD and DVD burning software,
announced that it has invested $3 million in YesVideo, a provider of
videotape-to-DVD conversion services. The companies will also share
technology licensing, and distribute one another's products. San Jose,
Calif.-based YesVideo said the new funds will allow it to meet market
demand and expand into Europe. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Roxio distributes
the Easy CD Creator and Toast CD creation applications.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020829/sfth010_1.html
http://www.roxio.com
http://www.yesvideo.com

(San Diego) PacketVideo, a developer of wireless streaming media
technology, announced that it will support Microsoft's Windows Media
format, alongside its own proprietary format for delivering video over
wireless networks to mobile devices. San Diego-based PacketVideo's
distribution technology is currently used in Japan by 3G wireless network
operator NTT DoCoMo.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020903/latu074_1.html
http://www.packetvideo.com

(London) The Greek government has voted to ban all electronic games, in an
effort to prohibit illegal online gambling, U.K. news site TheRegister
reported. The new law provides punishment of up to three months in jail
and a fine of 10,000 euros for playing any electronic games, without
discriminating between those that do not feature any type of gambling.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26939.html
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=17011

(Bellevue, Wash.) InfoSpace, a provider of Internet search sites including
Excite, Dogpile and MetaCrawler, announced on Wednesday that it will add
Google's search results and paid listings service to its sites. Last week,
Washington-based InfoSpace extended an agreement with Google rival
Overture to also provide search results for its network of search
services.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020904/40140_1.html
http://www.infospace.com

(Maynard, Mass.) SeaChange International, a provider of video-on-demand
delivery systems, announced that cable TV operator Insight Communications
will use its technology to deliver video-on-demand in the ten markets
where it currently offers the service. Massachusetts-based SeaChange will
replace the now-defunct DIVA Systems as Insight's vendor.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020903/32432_1.html
http://www.seachangeinternational.com
http://www.insight-com.com
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===================
CLASSIFIEDS - JOBS
===================
To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobpostingpage.htm
Special Summer Discount: 5-day ad: $75; 10-day ad: $125

Senior Contract Manager - Google - Mountain View, CA

Google is seeking an experienced contract negotiator. Responsibilities
include daily review of standard contracts, limited authority to draft
contractual terms and conditions for licenses and advertising services
agreements, intensive in-house client interaction. Communicate company
policies and approval processes for contract changes to sales
professionals. 3-5 years of contract negotiation. Resume to
jobs@google.com or fax (650) 618-1796. Please include position.
_____________________________________________

VP Media - Mosaic - Marina Del Rey, CA

Mosaic Data Solutions is a Canadian Based Fortune 500 Marketing Firm and
the World's leading Email Marketing Firm and provider of consumer data
products. We seek a VP of Media who will be responsible for selling Mosaic
Data Solutions (CustomOffers) own proprietary products to consumers via
Banners, Pops and Keyword purchases strategically placed around the
Internet. For immediate consideration, contact Thomas Geraci at:
tgeraci@mosaicdatasolutions.com
_____________________________________________

Sr. Public Relations Manager - Infogrames - Santa Monica, CA

Infogrames, Inc., one of the world's largest publishers of interactive
games, is looking for a Sr. Public Relations Manager to develop,
coordinate and manage public relations activities on behalf of the Santa
Monica's growing line of interactive games for all platforms
(PlayStation2, Gamecube, and Xbox). 6-10 years of related PR work
experience with 2-3 years in the digital entertainment business. Resume
to: smjobs@us.infogrames.com
_____________________________________________

Director of Client Strategy - Sharpe Partners - New York, NY

Sharpe Partners is a digital marketing agency. Director of Client Strategy
oversees the development of client marketing plans, budgets and
presentations for clients, identifying and pursuing opportunities to
expand client relationships. 5 yrs. in advertising/marketing, plus 2 yrs.
at an interactive agency Resume to: marlena@sharpe-partners.com
(reference: CS Manager).
_____________________________________________

Vice President of Promotions - Virgin Mobile - Liberty Corner, New Jersey

The new Program and Promotions team will design, develop and deploy
channel specific programs to support and promote Virgin Mobile's product
and service offering. We are seeking VP level candidates to help us
develop retail, Internet, and other channel specific programs; develop and
maintain project planning and release roll-outs; and wireless accessory
strategy. 10+ yrs. in a marketing or brand management role. Resume to:
jobs@virginmobileusa.com
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