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Today's Announcement


FUTURE OF
TELEVISION FORUM


November 21, 2003
New York City
 

Digital Media Wire & NYU's Stern School of Business are proud to present one of the premier television industry events of the year, featuring keynotes from Dallas Maverick Owner & HDNet Founder Mark Cuban, Rainbow Media's Josh Sapan and NBC's David Zaslav. Last day for Early Bird Registration. Register Now!


October 15, 2003 -- About Us | Advertise | Events | Publications | Subscribe

Main Stories
o Supreme Court to Examine Constitutionality of Child Porn Legislation
o RIAA Fights Charter's Motion to Quash Subpoena for File-Swapper IDs
o Microsoft, Tiscali, OD2 Sued Over Patent for European 'Net Music Services
o AOL to Launch New Discount Internet Service Carrying Netscape Name
o SoundExchange Rival Asks Copyright Office to Resolve Royalty Dispute
o Study: eDonkey File-Sharing Network Outpacing Kazaa in Europe, Israel
o Game Publisher Majesco to Merge With ConnectivCorp
o Britons Spend More Time on the Internet than Watching TV
o Report: Mobile Gaming to Generate $7 Billion in Europe by 2006


 > DMW Announcements:
 --Future of Television Forum, NYC - Last Day for Early Bird Registration
 --DMW Publications

 > Featured Advertisement:
 --Executive Seminars | Multimedia & Broadband Services in the Home
 --Apple Seminars, Training and Events
 --New Report Urges Recording Industry to Give Music Away for Free
 

o Briefly Noted: Grokster CEO Wayne Rosso - Optisoft, Primedia CEO, Virgin Pulse, XMCommander, Encore - Black Ops - "Fugitive Hunter: War on Terror," Gotham Games - "MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch," THQ - "Tak and the Power of Juju," Namco - Nintendo - multiplayer "Pac-Man," Gathering - "Space Colony," Rentrak - GameSpot, Handmark - Sprint, "The Matrix Reloaded" DVD - copy-protection

 
> Job/Event/Marketplace Classifieds:
 --The Micropayments Conference | NYC | Nov. 3
 --
Homeland Security: Knowing the Ropes - 10/22/03, 7:30 - 11:00 am
 --
HireStrategy - Accounting Supervisor
 --
BrainMedia, LLC, Product Manager - Northern Virginia
 --
Technical Writer
 --
New Low-Cost Sales & Lead Generation Program for Software Companies
 

o Supreme Court to Examine Constitutionality of Child Porn Legislation

Washington -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear arguments on whether a law intended to shield children from Internet pornography goes too far in censoring free speech. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) mounted a legal challenge to the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) in 1998. The Bush administration asked the high court to overturn a 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that declared the law unconstitutional because it relies on "community standards," which are not the same in every place the Internet is accessible. Lawyers for the government have argued that the law targets commercial pornographers who place explicit "teasers" for their services on sites that are available for anyone, including minors, to view. The Supreme Court is likely to deliver its verdict by next July.
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/orders/courtorders/101403pzor.pdf
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26735-2003Oct14.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1028-5090816.html
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,60811,00.html
_____________________________________________

o RIAA Fights Charter's Motion to Quash Subpoena for File-Swapper IDs

Washington -- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed court papers asking a judge to ignore cable TV giant Charter Communications' opposition to subpoenas seeking the identities of Charter subscribers it believes committed copyright infringement. Charter sued the RIAA last week in federal court, asking a judge to quash a subpoena for the identities of 150 Charter subscribers because the RIAA did not make individual subpoenas for each alleged infringer. "Charter's goal is transparent -- to increase the paperwork burden on copyright holders," the RIAA said in its filing. The RIAA has to date sued 261 individuals for infringing copyrights by offering music on file-sharing networks like Kazaa; the group has settled out of court with a number of these defendants, but also says it plans to file hundreds of additional lawsuits.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/031007/media_charter_riaa_1.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5091284.html 
http://www.riaa.com
_____________________________________________

o Microsoft, Tiscali, OD2 Sued Over Patent for European 'Net Music Services

Port Washington, N.Y. -- New York-based E-Data has sued Microsoft and a number of European music download services, asking a judge to shut them down for violation of a patent it holds on music downloads onto physical devices. E-Data says its patent covers "the downloading and recording of information, such as music, from a computer onto a tangible object, such as CDs, DVDs and MP3 players." The company says Microsoft's MSN Music Club and similar services offered by European ISP Tiscali and On Demand Distribution (OD2) violate its patent, and has asked for injunctions against the companies in Germany. All three services offer essentially the same a la carte downloads as does Apple's iTunes in the U.S., but E-Data's patent has expired in the region. E-Data said that it has won licenses from 30 companies in the U.S., and recently settled a patent dispute in Europe with Satellite Newspapers.
http://www.e-data.com/10-13-03%20Microsoft%20Litigation%20Final.pdf
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5090679.html
_____________________________________________

o AOL to Launch New Discount Internet Service Carrying Netscape Name

Mountain View, Calif. -- In a bold move to stem the tide of its dwindling subscriber base, America Online is expected to announce the launch of a new bare-bone Internet service under the banner of its Netscape unit, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The service is expected to cost $9.95 per month, compared to AOL's standard feature-rich service that costs $23.90. The new service will give users more of a "raw" Internet experience. For instance, subscribers reportedly will get just one email address instead of AOL's seven. The service, which will carry the name of AOL's Netscape unit, is expected to launch early next year.
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/031014/0041000024_1.html
_____________________________________________

o SoundExchange Rival Asks Copyright Office to Resolve Royalty Dispute

Burbank, Calif. -- An independent agency set up to collect royalty payments from webcasters who stream music online and distribute it to artists and copyright holders has asked the U.S. Copyright Office to arbitrate a dispute between itself and SoundExchange, a rival agency set up by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Burbank, Calif.-based Royalty Logic, Inc. (RLI) has asked the Copyright Office to convene a CARP (Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel) because it believes artists it represents should not have portions of their royalty payments recouped to SoundExchange to pay for its licensing, litigation and other costs since 1995. Royalty Logic is also asking that webcasters make detailed reporting of the music they stream, so that payments can be more easily distributed through the correct agency.
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=57944
http://www.royaltylogic.com 
http://www.soundexchange.com
_____________________________________________

o Study: eDonkey File-Sharing Network Outpacing Kazaa in Europe, Israel

Waterloo, Ontario -- While the FastTrack peer-to-peer network, which the popular Kazaa and Grokster file-sharing programs use, is the most popular among North American users, a new study from Canadian network equipment manufacturer Sandvine shows that other services like eDonkey 2000 are more popular in Europe and elsewhere. The study found that Kazaa generates more than 76% of all P2P traffic in the U.S. and Canada, and maintains 59% of traffic in the U.K., but in both Germany and Israel the eDonkey file-sharing application accounts for 52% of P2P traffic. The study also found that use of Gnutella-based file-sharing applications had declined considerably from its tally of P2P network traffic. "If a wildly popular application like Gnutella can emerge and all but disappear in less than three years, it's certainly possible that FastTrack, too, could one day be headed for history's technology dustbin," said Sandvine's Chris Colman.
http://www.sandvine.com/news/pr_detail.asp?ID=35 
http://news.com.com/2100-1025-5091230.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/22/33385.html
http://www.edonkey2000.com
_____________________________________________

o Game Publisher Majesco to Merge With ConnectivCorp

New York -- Video game publisher Majesco has signed a letter of intent to merge with New York-based holding company ConnectivCorp, in a transaction that would result in Majesco shareholders owning 80% of the merged company. Edison, N.J.-based Majesco has distributed over 90 titles on 13 platforms over the last 40 years, including games such as the upcoming "Drake," as well as "Bloodrayne," "Blowout" and "Advent Rising."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031015/155624_1.html
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=CTTV.OB 
http://www.majescosales.com
_____________________________________________

o Britons Spend More Time on the Internet than Watching TV

London -- Britons spend more time on the Internet than they do watching TV, according to a new survey by NOP Research. The survey, commissioned by BT Yahoo Broadband, reveals that average Briton spends 3.5 hours per day on the Internet, compared to 2.8 hours watching TV. Nearly half of those surveyed (44%) believe that the Internet provides better news and entertainment than TV. The survey revealed that 92% said that what they most liked about the Internet was the ability to find information, followed by online shopping and chatting.
http://www.nop.co.uk 
http://www.btyahoo.com
_____________________________________________

o Report: Mobile Gaming to Generate $7 Billion in Europe by 2006

London -- Once a new generation of sophisticated handsets becomes increasingly prevalent, the popularity of mobile games is set to grow dramatically, according to a new study by market consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan. In Europe, mobile gaming generated less than 685 euro ($799 million) in 2002; by 2006, that figure will soar to more than 6 billion euro ($7 billion), the report predicts. Frost & Sullivan attributes this rise in revenues to ever-widening distribution channels, increasing awareness of mobile gaming and subscribers' growing comfort with "over the air" payment and delivery.
http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/frost-home.pag

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 > DMW Events:

Future of Television Forum
November 21, 2003 - New York City
www.televisionconference.com

Digital Media Wire & NYU's Stern School of Business
are proud to present one of the premier television industry
events of the year, featuring following confirmed speakers:

Keynote Speakers
Joshua Sapan - President & CEO, Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc.
Mark Cuban - Chairman, HDNet, Owner, Dallas Mavericks
David Zaslav - President, NBC Cable

Panelists
Jeff Bader - EVP, Program Planning, Scheduling & Synergy, ABC
Dan Harrison - VP, Strategic Programming, Bravo Entertainment, NBC
David Poltrack - EVP, Research & Planning, CBS
Jeff Branman
- President, Interactive Technology Partners (QVC & Comcast)
Greg DePrez - VP, Subscription Video-on-Demand, Starz Encore Group
John Roberts - SVP, Interactive Online, Game Show Network
Jack Myers - Media Economist & Commentator, Jack Myers Report
Richard Hofstetter
- Partner, Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein & Selz, PC
Al Lieberman - Exec. Dir., EMT Program, NYU Stern School of Business
Ned Sherman - Co-Founder & CEO, Digital Media Wire
Bruce Leichtman - Pres. & Principal Analyst, Leichtman Research Group
Paul Sherman - Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Potomac Tech Wire
Scott Fedewa - COO & Executive Producer, BillOReilly.com
Lydia Loizides - Senior Analyst, Jupiter Research
Debby Mullin
- VP, New Media/Advertising Sales, Cox Communications
Rich Battista
- EVP, Bus. Dev., Fox Broadcasting & Fox Cable (tentative)

 Register Now! Last Day for Early Bird Registration
 

 > DMW Publications:

Digital Media Law Report - Monthly - Subscriptions - Order
Game Industry Quarterly
- Subscriptions - Order

Past Events | Sponsorship Materials | Partners & Clients
 

 

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> Featured Advertisement:

 > Executive Seminars: Multimedia and Broadband Services in the Home

Register Now! Parks Associates' Fall Focus: Banking on Broadband Services (Oct. 29 & 30) & Home Multimedia Experience (Nov 5 & 6) feature Parks' consumer research; "Visionary" Keynotes - EarthLink, HP, Intel Corp., Intel Capital, Personica Intelligence, Philips Semiconductors, Scientific-Atlanta, and Yahoo; & "Reality" Panel discussions among industry leaders. Download Parks' latest white paper, "The Home Network Market" to learn more! http://www.fallfocus.com

Questions: contact candi@parksassociates.com or call 972-490-1113
 



 


 > New Report Urges Recording Industry to Give Music Away for Free

 

In response to the growing legal campaign against music piracy, Parks Associates today issued a free white paper calling on the recording industry to change tactics.  The paper, Thinking Outside the Disc, recommends fighting digital piracy by exploring new business models such as a free music-on-demand service that relies on advertising revenue. To download it free, click the link below or visit www.parksassociates.com
              http://www.parksassociates.com/inthePress/resources/resources_form_digital.htm

Questions: contact info@parksassociates.com or call 972-490-1113

 

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o Briefly Noted:

(Madrid) Wayne Rosso has resigned as president of file-sharing network Grokster to take the helm at Madrid-based Optisoft SL, a manufacturer of peer-to-peer networks that promise users more privacy. Optisoft is the creator of such file-sharing programs as Blubster and Piolet. Rosso will take over as CEO of Optisoft immediately, the company said.
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5091358.html
http://www.grokster.com 
http://www.optisoft-its.com

(New York) Publishing giant Primedia, which owns 300 magazines and newspapers in 85 markets around the world, announced on Wednesday that it has named Kelly P. Conlin as its new president and CEO. Previously, Conlin was president and CEO of International Data Group, and has also held editorial and operational positions at CNN and The New York Times. Conlin replaces Charles G. McCurdy, president and interim chief executive officer, who will be leaving the company after a transition period.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031015/nyw100_1.html 
http://www.primedia.com

(New York) Virgin Pulse, the newly created consumer electronics arm within Virgin, announced on Wednesday a new line of "lifestyle electronics," which will be sold at Target retail stores in addition to its chain of Virgin Megastores. The products include two MP3 players, several CD players and a $499 portable TV/DVD player.
http://www.virginpulse.com

(Washington) XM Satellite Radio, a provider of satellite-delivered digital radio programming, announced on Wednesday the release of its XMCommander, a satellite receiver that works with any AM/FM car stereo. Terk Technologies will distribute the $159 device to retailers.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031015/dcw007_1.html 
http://www.terk.com
http://www.xmradio.com

(Los Angeles) Encore, a video game publisher and unit of Navarre Corp., said on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with Santa Monica, Calif.-based developer Black Ops to publish the company's "Fugitive Hunter: War on Terror" for PlayStation 2. A key target in the first person shooter title is to defeat real-world terrorist Osama bin Laden.
http://www.encoreusa.com 
http://www.blackops.com 
http://www.fugitive-hunter.com

(New York) Gotham Games, a publishing unit of Take-Two Interactive, announced on Wednesday the release of "MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch" for PlayStation 2, Playstation, Xbox and the PC. Based on the MTV claymation series, the game features the likenesses of celebrities and musicians including Justin Timberlake, Mr. T, Ron Jeremy, Busta Rhymes and Carrot Top.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031015/155186_1.html 
http://www.gothamgames.com 
http://www.mtv.com/onair/deathmatch

(Calabasas Hills, Calif.) Game publisher THQ on Wednesday released its "Tak and the Power of Juju" for PlayStation 2, GameCube and Game Boy Advance to retailers. Developed by Salt Lake City-based Avalanche Software, the game is the first created under THQ's relationship with children's TV network Nickelodeon, dedicated to creating original videogame content with multimedia franchise potential through Nickelodeon's television, movie, online, magazine and consumer product network.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031015/155397_1.html 
http://www.thq.com 
http://www.avalanchesoftware.com 
http://www.takgame.com

(Redmond, Wash.) Nintendo of America and Japanese game developer Namco announced on Wednesday that they have developed a multiplayer version of the arcade classic "Pac-Man" for GameCube and Game Boy Advance. "Pac-Man vs." lets players compete head-to-head using a Game Boy Advance and a Nintendo GameCube, connected by a Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance cable. One player uses the Game Boy Advance to control Pac-Man, while up to three other players on the Nintendo GameCube control the ghosts and chase Pac-Man around the board. The game is being bundled with Namco's "Pac-Man World 2," "R: Racing Evolution" and "I-Ninja."
http://www.nintendo.com 
http://www.namco.com/usa

(New York) Game publisher Gathering, a unit of Take-Two Interactive, on Wednesday said that it shipped its "Space Colony" PC title to North American retailers. The game was developed by London-based Firefly Studios.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031015/155172_1.html 
http://www.gathering.com 
http://www.fireflyworlds.com

(Portland, Ore.) Rentrak, a provider of market research and consumer behavior data, said on Wednesday that it will combine its video game rental data with similar data generated by CNET Networks' GameSpot Trax. The resulting combined data -- monitoring consumer demand, purchase intent, and post-purchase feedback for games, as well as rental and spending data -- will be offered to the companies' respective game publisher and retailer customers.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031015/sfw021_1.html 
http://www.rentrak.com 
http://www.gamespot.com

(Kansas City, Mo.) Handmark, a developer of software for Palm OS and Windows Mobile handheld devices, has signed a content publishing agreement with Sprint that will allow handheld users on the network to wirelessly download 11 games to their devices. Titles will cost between $9.99 and $29.99, and will include "Monopoly," "Scrabble" and "Yahtzee."
http://www.handmark.com

(Los Angeles) The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday that Warner Home Video has decided to leave out copy-protection technology on the DVD release of "The Matrix Reloaded." The technology, from Santa Clara, Calif.-based Macrovision, is used on most videos and DVDs to protect against digital and VHS copies of the movie from being created. At around $0.05 per disc, the technology's absence will mean a greater profit for AOL Time Warner. The Times pointed to a recent survey by anti-piracy firm BayTSP, which found 34,609 copies of the film already available on file-sharing networks.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-matrix15oct15.story

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> Classifieds:

> The Micropayments Conference - Harvard Club of NYC, November 3

Join senior executives from entertainment, media and publishing companies, financial institutions, payment companies and technology providers to explore how consumers consume, sellers sell, and what the future holds for business models in the on-line world.

The Conference, which is hosted by Peppercoin and produced by Digital Media Wire, and is a full-day event at the Harvard Club of NYC and includes breakfast buffet, 3 keynotes, 5 panels, banquet-style lunch and post-event cocktail reception.

To register online: www.micropaymentsconference.com 
Inquiries: info@micropaymentsconference.com
___________________

> Homeland Security: Knowing the Ropes - 10/22/03, 7:30 - 11:00 am

The DC Tech Council is proud to host a unique Homeland Security event with speakers and panelists representing the Department, the Hill, the VC community, current DHS vendors, and the Lobby. Network with security industry leaders and hear Congressman Curt Weldon (R-PA) give a keynote address about the investment and business opportunities associated with this well funded and rapidly developing sector. The Dept. of Homeland Security is committed to using cutting edge technologies in its quest to make America safer and your product or service may be something they're looking for. Don't miss this event (open to members and non-members) at the Army Navy Club. To Register or for more information contact lara@dctechcouncil.org
____________________

> HireStrategy - Accounting Supervisor

The position's primary functions are to manage certain aspects of the general ledger and month end process. These duties include the preparation of monthly journal entries for adjusting entries, G/L analysis and reconciliation, and preparation of related supporting documentation. The other primary function of this position is to manage the corporate accounts payable function. The position requires 3-5 years of accounting related experience, previous supervisory experience and B.S. in Accounting. CPA experience and previous accounting software experience are preferred but not required. If interested please email resume to mmolinas@hirestrategy.com  or visit http://www.hirestrategy.com/quicklinks/hire139.asp
___________________

> BrainMedia, LLC, Product Manager - Northern Virginia

Take ownership of a comprehensive audio compression system and associated products. Develop Product Requirements and Descriptions and work closely with Project Management and development team. Create Product Plan and establish life cycles and version control for all products. Influence the engineering development organization to achieve on time, within budget delivery of new products. Implement Product launch planning. Support Sales and Market Management. Send resumes to jim-herbert@msn.com  Visit http://www.brainmediaco.com
___________________

> Technical Writer

Work closely with both Product Management and Technology Development to create professional documentation for Product Requirements, Product Descriptions design specifications and development specifications. Follow industry standard documentation protocols conforming to ISO 9000 and Malcom Baldridge guidelines. Send resumes to jim-herbert@msn.com  Visit http://www.brainmediaco.com
____________________

> New Low-Cost Sales & Lead Generation Program for Software Companies

 Impact Sales and Telepath Consulting have partnered to offer a new outsourced sales program called "SalesExpress". Program combines software sales execs with intensive lead generation campaigns to focus on rapidly closing business based on ROI methodology. It is customized to fit the product and can be used to build or complement a sales force. Send inquiries to dougw@impactsalesinc.com Visit http://www.impactsalesinc.com

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About Us
Digital Media Wire, Inc. is a news organization, publisher and events company serving the digital media industry since May 2000. Our daily newsletter delivers original briefings on business, legal and financial developments shaping digital media and read by over 30,000 executives and professionals. To subscribe for free, please click here.

Digital Media Wire, Inc. is part of the Tech Wire Media Group, an international network of publications that includes Digital Media Law Report, Potomac Tech Wire, New England Tech Wire, Southeast Tech Wire, Bay Area Tech Wire, Tri-state Tech Wire and European Tech Wire. The network reaches more than 70,000 individuals from over 70 countries each business day.

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