archives

o IBeam Files for Bankruptcy, Sells Assets; Nasdaq Halts Trading
o CNET: Napster Informs Judge of Subscription Service Antitrust Issues
o Nearly 56% of U.S. Office Workers Access Streaming Media on the Job
o Security Technology Firm Digimarc Files Patent Suit Against SESAC
o Bankrupt Excite@Home Stops Taking New Orders for Broadband Services
o Kazaa Files Antitrust Suit Against Dutch Copyright Group
o Content Delivery Network Akamai Laying Off 25% of Staff
o Music Learning Software Firm Net4Music Raises $1.5 Million
o Briefly Noted: RealNetworks - CBS "Survivor: Africa," MP3.com - Island
Def Jam Group, MSN - NHL, EarthLink - Greensboro - Cincinnati, Nokia 5510,
Xbox hard drive, BSkyB iTV - antitrust
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> Job Postings: Vice President of Sales

> Events/Services: "CTAM Broadband Opportunity Conference,"
"Office Space - L.A.," "SHORTSPAN Film & Video Festival, OCTOBER
DATES," "Digital Media Revolution in the Americas"

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

To Post a Job: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html
To Post an Event/Service: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html
_____________________________________________

o IBeam Files for Bankruptcy, Sells Assets; Nasdaq Halts Trading

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- IBeam, a provider of streaming media services,
announced on Thursday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection, and has sold its assets to broadband services provider
Williams Communications for $25 million. The Nasdaq halted trading in
shares of IBeam Thursday morning, requesting additional information from
the company. As part of the agreement, Williams will provide
Sunnyvale-based IBeam with a loan to continue operations through the asset
sale, repayable after the sale is completed. In June, Williams invested
$20 million in cash in IBeam and received $10 million in services in
exchange for a 49 percent stake in the company. Williams plans to
integrate IBeam's streaming and webcasting services into its Vyvx
Broadband Media unit.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011011/110628_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011011/dcth046_1.html
http://www.ibeam.com
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o CNET: Napster Informs Judge of Subscription Service Antitrust Issues

San Francisco -- CNET reported that in federal court yesterday, Napster
brought up the issue of potential antitrust violations by the major record
labels with their digital music subscription services, MusicNet and
Pressplay. The matter seemed of interest to Judge Marilyn Hall Patel, and
could potentially harm the industry's case against Napster, according to
CNET. "I'm really confused as to why the plaintiffs [record labels] came
upon this way of getting together in a joint venture," Patel said in court
Wednesday. "Even if it passes antitrust analysis, it looks bad, sounds
bad, smells bad." If the record labels were found to have "misused" their
copyrights, there is a possibility that they would be declared void in the
matter, freeing Napster from having to pay what would likely be hundreds
of millions of dollars in damages for copyright infringement. "Don't think
that the fact that you're shrouded in some mysterious joint venture gets
you out of the pickle," Patel told lawyers for the labels. "This could
have the effect of stopping everything and having massive discovery,"
which would make the record labels turn over details of their dealings
with one another to both the court and to Napster.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7479309.html?tag=mn_hd
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o Nearly 56% of U.S. Office Workers Access Streaming Media on the Job

New York -- Nearly 56 percent of office workers in the U.S. access
streaming audio and video while at work, according to ratings figures
published Thursday by Nielsen/Net Ratings. More than 21 million workers
accessed streams during September, up from 17 million during the same
period a year ago -- an increase of 21 percent. "The Internet is clearly
playing a larger role in the daily activities of office professionals, as
high-speed connections have allowed workers to take advantage of streaming
media," said NetRatings senior Internet analyst Jarvis Mak. "More surfers
are turning to the Internet to stream live video broadcasts and view
instant coverage of the news, particularly now as office workers keep
track of developing national news."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011011/110131_1.html
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/
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o Security Technology Firm Digimarc Files Patent Suit Against SESAC

Tualatin, Ore. -- Digimarc, a provider of watermarking security technology
for digital media, announced on Thursday that it has filed patent
infringement claims against SESAC, a performing rights organization based
in Nashville. SESAC collects royalties from radio stations and businesses
that play music composed by its member songwriters and publishers.
Oregon-based Digimarc says that SESAC collaborated with rival Verance
Corporation in the development of that company's technology. Digimarc is
also suing Verance for infringing its patents on technology that allows
digital data to be embedded imperceptibly in traditional and digital media
content, including photographic or artistic images, movies and music.
Verance's technology is currently being used by Warner Music Group to
watermark new DVD-Audio discs; part of Digimarc's suit seeks to prevent
distribution of these discs. "We have made it very clear that we will not
tolerate unlicensed use of our technology in the music industry," said
Digimarc CEO Bruce Davis.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011011/110032_1.html
http://www.digimarc.com
http://www.sesac.com
http://www.verance.com
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o Bankrupt Excite@Home Stops Taking New Orders for Broadband Services

Redwood City, Calif. -- Excite@Home, a provider of high-speed Internet
access services that recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,
has stopped taking new orders from consumers for its services, The Wall
Street Journal reported on Thursday. Redwood City-based Excite@Home offers
services on behalf of cable TV operators including Comcast, Cox and AT&T.
"Adding new subscribers entails incremental capital-cost outlays, which
directly affects the company's cash flow during the U.S. bankruptcy
process," an Excite@Home spokeswoman told the Journal. Last week, AT&T bid
$307 million for the company's assets, but a group of Excite@Home's
largest shareholders may try to block the bid they believe is too low.
http://public.wsj.com/sn/y/SB1002741836779100600.html
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o Kazaa Files Antitrust Suit Against Dutch Copyright Group

(San Francisco) Kazaa, a provider of file-sharing software that lets users
trade music, movies and other content, has filed an antitrust claim
against Buma/Stemra, a Netherlands-based copyright royalties collection
society, according to a CNET report. The company said it filed the suit
after licensing negotiations broke down, shortly after the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association of
America (MPAA) filed copyright infringement claims against the company as
well as Music City and Grokster last week.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7474116.html
http://www.riaa.org/PR_Story.cfm?id=456
http://www.bumastemra.nl/
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o Content Delivery Network Akamai Laying Off 25% of Staff

Cambridge, Mass -- Akamai, the provider of a content delivery network that
speeds data across the Internet, announced on Thursday that it will lay
off up to 25 percent of its staff as part of cost reduction efforts the
company says will save $30 million annually. Massachusetts-based Akamai
said it expects to break even in the second quarter of 2002. Akamai
co-founder and chief technology officer Daniel Lewin was killed during the
terrorist attacks on September 11. Lewin was a passenger aboard American
Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011011/110056_1.html
http://www.akamai.com
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o Music Learning Software Firm Net4Music Raises $1.5 Million

Minneapolis -- Net4Music, a provider of music learning and notation
software, announced on Thursday that it has raised $1.5 million through a
private placement of its stock. New investor BGL Investment Partners led
the financing; existing investors Viventures, JM Hixon Partners, Martin
Velasco, Robertsau Investissements, Net Fund Europe and others also
participated. Minneapolis-based Net4Music said the funds will go towards
launching its new subscription-based music practice software for students.
Until recently, the company also operated a digital sheet music business,
which it has since sold.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/212840360&ticker=nmus
http://www.net4music.com
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o Briefly Noted:

(Seattle) RealNetworks announced on Thursday that it will offer an online
subscription for additional content from CBS' "Survivor: Africa" series.
Additional footage from the show will be added each week to both CBS'
website and Real.com. The first week of footage will be free for all
users; thereafter, users can either pay a one-time fee of $19.95 to access
"Survivor Insider" on CBS.com or subscribe to Seattle-based RealNetworks'
GoldPass service for $9.95 a month, which includes "Survivor Insider" as
well as other entertainment content.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011011/sfth049_1.html
http://www.cbs.com/survivor

(San Diego) MP3.com, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal, announced on
Thursday that it has reached a long-term agreement with the Island Def Jam
Music Group to promote artists on MP3.com. Island Def Jam is part of
Universal Music Group, which is also owned by Vivendi Universal. MP3.com
will use targeted email campaigns to offer fans of Island Def Jam artists
-- such as Elvis Costello, Jay-Z and Bob Marley -- news on new album
releases, tour dates and other important artist events. It will also
create pages for each Island Def Jam artist that offers "interactive,
on-demand full-length streaming" of new albums.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011011/lath036_1.html
http://www.mp3.com

(Redmond, Wash.) Microsoft's MSN consumer portal and Internet access
provider announced on Thursday that it has formed a marketing and content
agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL). Under the terms, MSN will
offer free audio webcasts of almost every regular season and playoff game
on both NHL.com and MSN, as well as hockey news and statistics. The
company recently partnered with ESPN.com in a marketing deal that puts its
logo on ESPN.com's homepage and brings sports news content to MSN.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011011/sfth039_1.html
http://www.nhl.com

(Atlanta) Internet access provider EarthLink announced on Thursday that it
has launched high-speed cable modem services on Time Warner Cable lines in
Greensboro, N.C. as well as Cincinnati, Ohio. As part of the government's
approval of the AOL Time Warner merger, the company must offer services
from a rival provider such as EarthLink within 90 days of launching its
own service. AOL Time Warner launched its high-speed cable access service
in Cincinnati last week.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011011/110106_1.html

(Helsinki, Finland) Mobile phone maker Nokia on Thursday released a new
phone that features a built-in digital music player and full keyboard for
text messaging. The Nokia 5510 features 64 MB of storage for either MP3 or
AAC-encoded music file formats. It also offers FM radio reception, and
allows users to record songs from the radio directly onto their phones.
Users can play games on the phone while listening to music, in addition to
sending WAP email or text messages. The phone is due to ship yet this
year.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/212840029&ticker=nok
http://www.nokia.com/phones/5510/demo/spindemo.html

(San Francisco) Microsoft confirmed that it has reduced the size of the
hard drive it will offer with its Xbox video game console from 10GB to
8GB, CNET reported on Thursday. The company originally planned to offer an
8GB drive, but later announced it would offer the extra storage. Microsoft
didn't explain why it decided to revert back to the 8GB drive other than
to say, "For a number of reasons it became more practical to include an
8GB [drive]." The Xbox is the first video game console to offer a built-in
hard drive.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-7479573.html?tag=mn_hd

(London) The British government is investigating potential antitrust
issues related to British Sky Broadcasting's (BSkyB) interactive TV
betting services, Newsbytes reported on Thursday. Britain's Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI) will investigate the proposed joint venture
between BSkyB and Ladbrokes, the sports betting unit of the Hilton Group.
BSkyB already offers iTV betting through two other services, including
Surrey Sports, which it acquired. The company planned to fold Surrey
Sports into the planned joint venture with Ladbrokes.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171033.html
http://www1.sky.com/skyActive/bet.htm
http://www.hiltongroup.com

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

> Vice President of Sales - United States

We are a six-year-old E-Learning company expanding our sales presence in
the US. We are looking for a proven sales leader. Our streaming technology
is proprietary, our client base is outstanding, our track record is
extremely strong. We are in search of kindred spirits who believe that
great technology companies are built by great people not hype. If your
knowledge of technology is strong and you have a demonstrable history
(10+years) of significant sales success -- we would like to speak with
you. This position can be located anywhere in the US. Send resumes to
njwlmw@aol.com

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

> CTAM Broadband Opportunity Conference, Nov. 6-8 -- Tysons Corner, VA

Get the FYI on HSI and iTV at CTAM’s Broadband Opportunity Conference Nov
6-8, Sheraton Premiere Tysons Corner. Keynote speakers: Maggie Bellville,
Incanta; Christopher P. Bogart, Time Warner Cable Ventures; Charles F.
Dolan, Cablevision Systems Corporation & Steve Wadsworth, The Walt Disney
Internet Group. Call CTAM at 703.549.4200.
For more information contact: tania@ctam.com 
http://www.ctambroadband.com
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> Office Space For Rent - Los Angeles

Prime Sunset Boulevard location. Approx. 588 sq ft. Second floor, spacious
two + offices with private bathroom. Convenient parking. Recently
renovated. Quiet, nice work environment. Other tenants in building are
primarily entertainment and new media companies. DSL-ready. Rent is $1,175
per month.
For more information, please call 323-363-3620.
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> SHORTSPAN Film & Video Festival, OCTOBER DATES

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 ultra-short documentaries like
"Peekaboo Sunday," a story about raising miniature horses or "Exotic
World," an inside look at the lives of some of America's first burlesque
performers-- and 57 more shorts! The tour will travel to 30 North American
cities.

CHICAGO, IL: Columbia College - Oct. 10 - 7PM
BOSTON, MA: Boston University - Oct. 10 - 7PM
KYONGIU CITY, SOUTH KOREA: Film & Video Dept - Oct 10
BROOKLINE, MA: Coolidge Corner Theatre - Oct. 12-18
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Lucky Bar - Oct. 23 - 8PM
SALT LAKE CITY, UT: Univ. of Utah Union Theatre - Oct. 24 - 8PM

HOLLYWOOD, CA: The American Cinematheque - Oct. 17 - 7:30PM
SAN DIEGO, CA: San Diego Museum of Art - Oct. 18 - 7:30PM
BERKELEY, CA: Fine Arts Cinema - Oct. 23-24 - 9:30PM

For more info: http://www.dreamspan.com/shortspan
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> Digital Media Revolution in the Americas, 11/29-12/01 -- Pasadena, CA

Presented by the Institute of the Americas and Annenberg School for
Communication, this 2 1/2 day forum will include Sr. Exec. Networking w/ a
special focus on Latin Americas & U.S. Hispanic markets, copyright, rights
mgmt., dist., infrastructure, digital film, iTV, streaming, device trends,
content financing. Early-bird 40% off till 9/30. Keynote Steven Bandel,
Pres. - The Cisneros Group. Sponsors: JP Morgan, Motorola, Global
Crossing, Walt Disney Company, Digital Media Wire, Cahners International
TV, iHollywood, Motion Picture Assoc., National Assoc. of TV Prog. Exec.,
National Assoc. of Theatre owners. For more information:
martin@iamericas.org
Register at: http://www.iamericas.org/events
______________________

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