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Main Stories
o New For-Pay Version of Napster Launched by Roxio
o SunnComm to Sue Princeton Student Over CD Copy-Protection Report
o U.S. Senators Call for Investigation into NBC-Vivendi Merger
o HP, Disney Sign Technology Alliance, Unveil New Epcot Center Ride
o LA Times: President of LucasArts Video Game Unit Resigns
o SportsLine.com Ends Deal With America Online
o Microsoft to Develop Technology for Delivery of TV Over the Internet
o Nokia to Offer Mobile-Developer Training in Europe, North America

o Briefly Noted: AOL - closed-captioned streaming, Gateway - "RipBurnRespect," Samsung - Napster, Altnet - Overnet - eDonkey 2000, Buena Vista Interactive - "TRON 2.0" mod tools, DivXNetworks - SnapStream, Ubisoft - "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," THQ - "WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain," Take-Two - "Conflict: Desert Storm II - Back to Baghdad," iTunes Store for Windows, MPAA - "screener" ban

New York -- Napster, a unit of CD and DVD burning software maker Roxio, on Thursday launched the anticipated beta test of its Napster 2.0 service, offering over 500,000 tracks as 99-cent downloads. Unlike the previous iteration of Napster, which used peer-to-peer technology to download songs from other users' computers, the new version sends secured tracks from Roxio servers. Napster 2.0 will also offer a $9.95 per month premium service, featuring unlimited listening and downloading, 40 commercial-free interactive radio stations, and community features like the ability to email tracks and share playlists. The company announced partnerships with Samsung, which will release a co-branded digital audio player with Napster; as well as with PC maker Gateway, which will include a free month's trial of the service on all of its desktop and notebook PC; and Microsoft, which will make Napster 2.0 the featured music service for its Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 software. Due to the Napster service's exclusive use of Microsoft's Windows Media Audio (WMA) format, it will be incompatible with Apple's iPod digital audio player. The official version of the Napster 2.0 service is slated to launch on Oct. 29.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031009/lath032_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031009/nyth047_1.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5088838.html
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Napster-Reborn.html
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,60729,00.html
http://www.napster.com
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o SunnComm to Sue Princeton Student Over CD Copy-Protection Report

Phoenix, Ariz. -- SunnComm, a developer of CD copy-protection technology recently used by major label BMG on a commercial CD release in the U.S., announced on Thursday that it intends to sue a Princeton grad student who published a report revealing the technology could be defeated simply be depressing the "Shift" key on a PC. "The conclusions contained in the Princeton University grad student's report issued last Monday were derived from incorrect assumptions by its author… [and have] caused the market value of SunnComm to drop by more than $10 million." Arizona-based SunnComm believes that Princeton grad student Alex Halderman violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in his report by disclosing unpublished MediaMax management files, and admitting that he disabled the technology in order to make an unprotected copy of the disc's contents. The DMCA makes it a felony to circumvent the copyright protections on a digital device. "This cat-and-mouse game that hackers and others like to play with owners of digital property is over," said SunnComm CEO Peter Jacobs. "No matter what their credentials or rationale, it is wrong to use one's knowledge and the cover of academia to facilitate piracy and theft of digital property." 
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031009/95573_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/031007/media_bmg_protection_1.html
http://www.sunncomm.com
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o U.S. Senators Call for Investigation into NBC-Vivendi Merger

Paris -- A pair of U.S. senators have called on the federal government to take a closer look at the recent merger between NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment. In a statement, Sens. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) said that the deal was the "latest example of the increasing consolidation in our media industry," a trend that should "concern all of us who care about the diversity of viewpoints available to all Americans." The two said that they were considering holding hearings on the impact of the deal -- which stands to create a media empire worth more than $43 billion dollars -- on the U.S. media market.
http://www.senate.gov/~kohl
http://dewine.senate.gov
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o HP, Disney Sign Technology Alliance, Unveil New Epcot Center Ride

Burbank, Calif. -- The Walt Disney Company and PC maker HP on Thursday announced a ten-year strategic alliance, coinciding with the launch of their collaborative "Mission: SPACE" ride attraction at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center. HP said its engineers worked with Disney Imagineers in the technological design of Mission: SPACE and in the development of a post-ride presentation that showcases how HP technology powers and builds upon the attraction's story. Under the agreement, HP will continue to be a media sponsor of Disney-owned sites including ESPN.com, ABCNews.com and Disney.com. HP will also continue to provide Disney with Linux-based PCs and servers for its digitally animated film unit, as well as a range of other HP hardware.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031009/95180_1.html
http://www.disney.com/missionspace
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o LA Times: President of LucasArts Video Game Unit Resigns

Los Angeles -- The president of LucasArts, the video game development unit of "Star Wars" director George Lucas' film company, resigned abruptly on Thursday, The Los Angeles Times reported. Simon Jeffrey had served as the company's president for three years. A LucasArts spokeswoman did not provide The Times with a reason for Jeffrey's departure or details on a replacement.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-rup9.5oct09,1,7866566.story
http://www.lucasarts.com  _____________________________________________

o SportsLine.com Ends Deal With America Online

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- SportsLine.com Inc., the operator of one of the most popular sports websites, said on Wednesday that its site will no longer be promoted by America Online. Florida-based SportsLine.com said the move will allow it to concentrate on growing subscription-based revenue. As part of the announcement, AOL will refund about 1.7 million shares to SportsLine, and the shares will be cancelled. SportsLine will also be relieved from its obligation to pay an additional $1 million in cash or stock to AOL.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031008/flw013_1.html 
http://cbs.sportsline.com
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o Microsoft to Develop Technology for Delivery of TV Over the Internet

Redmond, Wash. -- Microsoft announced on Thursday plans to develop a new Internet Protocol television (IPTV) delivery solution, designed to enable cable and telecommunications operators to more easily and efficiently offer TV services over existing broadband networks. Microsoft said broadband providers Bell Canada and Reliance Intercomm will test the new IPTV services with their subscribers. Technology partners for the initiative will include Harmonic, Tandberg Television, Juniper Networks, Intel, Pace Micro Technology and Thomson. The new IPTV service will offer features including instant channel changing, multimedia programming guides with integrated video, and multiple picture-in-picture capability on standard television sets. The service will also support HDTV, digital video recording and video-on-demand.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031009/sfth047_2.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031009/sfth050_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031009/sfth067_1.html
http://www.microsoft.com/tv _____________________________________________

o Nokia to Offer Mobile-Developer Training in Europe, North America

Helsinki -- Finland's Nokia, the No. 1 mobile-phone company in the world, announced on Thursday that it would begin to offer certified training in mobile-software development in Europe and North America. The new comprehensive, modular courses will teach the latest skills and techniques to develop software for mobile devices, the company said. The training will be delivered at Nokia Certified Centers in Madrid, Milan, Munich and Dallas. The company began to offer similar courses in Singapore, Hong-Kong and Malaysia earlier this year. "Mobile application development is one of the most in-demand skills in the technology industry today," said Nokia Mobile Software's Lee Epting.
http://www.nokia.com

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(Dulles, Va.) America Online on Thursday launched a closed captioning service for some of its multimedia content. AOL said the move marks the first time an Internet service provider will feature captioned content online. AOL's broadband service also will rollout captioned CNN news content later this fall. The project is the culmination of a two-year research and development project between AOL and Boston's WGBH Media Access Group.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?L11652826
http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/mag

(New York) PC maker Gateway, in conjunction with its announcement that it would bundle the new Napster service with all of its desktop and notebook PCs, on Thursday launched its "RipBurnRespect" piracy awareness program. The company will distribute interactive learning CD-ROMs to some 3,000 Boys & Girls Clubs of America locations, with the potential to reach three million club kids.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031009/lath070_1.html
http://www.ripburnrespect.com

(Ridgefield Park, N.J.) Japanese consumer electronics firm Samsung on Thursday announced the release of its Samsung Napster YP-910GS, a $399, 20GB digital audio player co-branded with newly re-launched Napster service. The device will come loaded with tracks from artists such as Iggy Pop, The Faint and The Dandy Warhols, and will also offer buyers 20 free songs via Napster 2.0.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031009/nyth047_1.html
http://makeashorterlink.com/?H6FD21826

(Woodland Hills, Calif.) Altnet, a secure peer-to-peer file-sharing service that piggybacks on the popular Kazaa network, announced on Thursday that it has signed a commercial distribution agreement with MetaMachine, developer of Overnet and eDonkey 2000 file-sharing services. Under the terms, Altnet's secure music, video, software and games files, distributed on behalf of artists and rights holders, will gain preferential placement in search results for users of Overnet and eDonkey 2000.
http://biz.yahoo.com/pz/031007/46170.html
http://www.altnet.com
http://www.overnet.com

(Burbank, Calif.) Buena Vista Interactive, a video game publishing unit of Disney, said on Thursday that it has released software modification tools for its "TRON 2.0" PC title that lets gamer create their own new levels, maps, skins, weapons and voice packs. Players will also be able to exchange their "mods" via the TRON 2.0 website beginning in November.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031009/lath053_1.html 
http://www.tron20.net

(San Diego) DivXNetworks, a developer of digital video compression technology and provider of video-on-demand delivery technology, announced on Thursday that it has licensed its DivX codec to SnapStream, a provider of PC-based digital video recorder software that lets users record TV programs to their computers. Under the agreement, the latest version of Houston-based SnapStream's Personal Video Station software will allow users to encode and playback TV shows using San Diego-based DivXNetworks' DivX format.
http://www.snapstream.com 
http://www.divxnetworks.com

(San Francisco) Video game publisher Ubisoft Entertainment said on Thursday that it has shipped its "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" title for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Game Boy Advance. Developed by Tokyo-based Genki, the game was created under license from Sony Pictures Consumer Products and is based on the Sony Pictures Classics film of the same name.
http://crouchingtiger.ubi.com 
http://www.genki.co.jp

(Calabasas Hills, Calif.) Game developer THQ announced on Thursday that its "WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain" title for PlayStation 2 has gone gold and will ship on Oct. 27. Based on a license of the professional wrestling franchise from Jakks Pacific, the game was developed by Japan-based Yuke's Co., Ltd.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031009/95625_1.html 
http://www.wwe.com 
http://www.thq.com 
http://www.yukes.co.jp

(New York) Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive on Thursday shipped its "Conflict: Desert Storm II - Back to Baghdad" title for PlayStation 2, Xbox and the PC to retailers. Based on events of the 1991 Gulf War, the game was developed at New York-based Take-Two's Gotham Games unit.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031009/95143_1.html 
http://www.take2games.com 
http://www.gothamgames.com/games/conflict2

(San Francisco) CNET News.com reported on Thursday that Apple is likely to launch a Windows version of its iTunes Music Store at an event next Thursday in San Francisco. An invitation sent to journalists includes the line, "The year's biggest music story is about to get even bigger." The company, which said it has sold over 10 million songs through the Mac-exclusive version of the service, had planned to release a Windows version of the iTunes Store before the end of the year.
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5088849.html
http://www.apple.com/music/store

(Los Angeles) Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) CEO Jack Valenti met with the heads of major studios' specialty film divisions yesterday, to discuss their opposition to the MPAA's recent decision to ban the distribution of "screener" copies of Oscar-hopeful films in a bid to thwart piracy. The specialty studio heads, who included Miramax's Harvey Weinstein and representatives from Focus, Paramount Classics and Sony Pictures Classics, had met earlier and drafted a letter to Valenti, asking for details on the reasons for imposing the ban and offering suggestions for anti-piracy remedies short of an all-out ban on screeners. "Jack was receptive and responsive," a source within the group who was present at the meeting told IndieWire. IndieWire has also published a copy of the letter sent to Valenti last Friday, which is available at the link below.
http://www.indiewire.com/biz/biz_031009valenti.html
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-screeners9oct09,1,2320330.story
http://www.mpaa.org

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