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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- November 5, 2002
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com
o Macrovision Acquires CD Copy-Protection from Midbar Tech, TTR
o Fandango Settles Lawsuit with Moviefone; Loews Agreement Confirmed
o New Copyright Law Frees Educators to Use Copyrighted Works Online
o Dow Jones & Co. To Lay Off 230 Workers
o Cable Network Tech TV Lays Off 19, Closes Three Bureaus
o Game Developer Acclaim to Censor PlayStation 2 Version of "BMX XXX"
o RealNetworks, Envivio Partner for Wireless Multimedia Delivery
o Activision Pays $9 Million Cash, Plus Stock for Game Developer Luxoflux
> Digital Media Wire Event: "iTV Visions" | NYC | Nov. 14
> Featured Section
o Briefly Noted: Moviso - Launch, Citysearch - Yahoo, ProQuest - Tribune
Publishing, NTT DoCoMo i-mode - France, "FIFA Football 2003," MIT - HP -
DSpace
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> Jobs: East Coast Sales Rep.
> Events: NYNMA's Technology Showcase
> Marketplace: Homeland Security Directory, Interest-Based Navigation
Full Classifieds located beneath "Briefly Noted" section below.
To post a Classified Ad:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/mainpostingpage.html
or contact David Peebler at david@digitalmediawire.com
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o Macrovision Acquires CD Copy-Protection from Midbar Tech, TTR
Santa Clara, Calif. -- Macrovision, a developer of copy-protection
technologies for DVD, VHS, CD and other media, announced on Tuesday it has
acquired Midbar Tech, a developer of CD copy-protection technology, as
well as certain music copy protection and digital rights management
technology assets from TTR Technologies. Financial terms of both
transactions were not disclosed. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Macrovision
said it will integrate Tel Aviv-based Midbar's Cactus Data Shield CD
copy-protection, which to date has been deployed on 45 million audio CDs,
with its own SafeAudio and SafeAuthenticate products. The companies will
also develop controlled CD-burning technology and controlled export of
music files to consumer electronic devices. The purchase of New York-based
TTR's technology, subject to shareholder approval, will effectively
terminate a revenue-sharing agreement between the companies, and transfer
three issued and eight pending U.S. patents to Macrovision.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021105/40591_1.html
http://www.midbartech.com
http://www.ttrtech.com
http://www.macrovision.com
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o Fandango Settles Lawsuit with Moviefone; Loews Agreement Confirmed
Hollywood -- Fandango, a provider of advance online movie ticket sales,
announced on Tuesday that it has settled all outstanding litigation with
AOL Moviefone and Onex Corporation, Loews Cineplex Entertainment's
Canadian holding company. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Hollywood-based Fandango sued Moviefone and Onex over an exclusive
contract to provide advance ticket sales for Loews theaters, which
Fandango alleged that Moviefone had pressured Loews to break. In August, a
judge ruled that Loews must respect the exclusive contract. Collateral
litigation was then filed by both sides in several courts; today's
agreement settles all pending litigation and confirms Loews' agreement
with Fandango. In addition to Loews, Fandango also has exclusive
agreements to provide advance online ticket sales for Carmike Cinemas,
Century Theaters, Cinemark Theatres, Edwards Theatres and Regal Cinemas.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/223090139&ticker=
http://www.fandango.com/press_releases.asp?id=24
http://www.onexcorp.com
http://www.moviefone.com
http://www.fandango.com
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o New Copyright Law Frees Educators to Use Copyrighted Works Online
Washington -- The U.S. Copyright Office announced on Tuesday that
President Bush on Saturday signed into law the 21st Century Department of
Justice Appropriations Authorization Act (H.R. 2215), which includes the
Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act. Of
importance is the new law's amendment to the Copyright Act, which provides
increased flexibility for accredited, nonprofit educational institutions
to use the Internet to provide copyrighted materials to students enrolled
in distance education programs. The amendment allows professors to use
online music, movies and other copyrighted materials for "mediated
instructional activities," without permission from or payment to copyright
holders. It also re-establishes this particular "fair use" of a
copyrighted work -- still preserved for non-digital copyrights -- that was
made illegal under 1998's Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:1:./temp/~c107xLyiw9:e484010:
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o Dow Jones & Co. To Lay Off 230 Workers
New York -- Battered by a steep decline in advertising revenue, Dow Jones
& Co. said it will lay off about 230 of its workers starting this week.
The company declined to reveal details of the layoffs, beyond saying that
there will be some cuts at its flagship Wall Street Journal in New York.
The company has operations throughout the world, including European and
Asian editions of the Journal.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/830664.asp?cp1=1
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o Cable Network Tech TV Lays Off 19, Closes Three Bureaus
San Francisco -- Technology-focused cable TV network Tech TV announced on
Tuesday a restructuring that will see the closure of its New York, Seattle
and Silicon Valley bureaus, and the elimination of 19 employees. The
company will maintain its San Francisco and Washington, D.C. operations.
"The bureaus were opened when Tech Live was providing 9 1/2 hours a day of
tech news," said Tech TV COO Joe Gillespie. "Tech Live has since been
reformatted to a one half hour magazine show, delivering on our
programming strategy of providing our viewers with more lifestyle- and
entertainment-based programming."
http://www.techtv.com
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o Game Developer Acclaim to Censor PlayStation 2 Version of "BMX XXX"
Glen Cove, NY -- Bowing to a threatened retail boycott, New York-based
Acclaim Entertainment on Monday said its controversial video game "BMX
XXX" will not contain topless nudity in the version to be released for
Sony's PlayStation 2 later this month. Wal-Mart Stores and Toys R Us were
among a group of big retailers that said they would not carry the game
because it included "strippers, pimps and raunchy language." The PS2 edits
were "done with good taste and in humor," such as the decision to place
the title "BMX XXX" in black lettering over the tops of the previously
nude women, Acclaim CEO Gregory Fischbach told Reuters. Versions of the
game for Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube will not be edited.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021104/42160_1.html
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=1681051
http://www.bmxxxx.com
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o RealNetworks, Envivio Partner for Wireless Multimedia Delivery
Seattle -- RealNetworks, a provider of media delivery technology,
announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Envivio, a provider of
MPEG-4 broadcast and streaming technologies. Under the agreement, the two
companies will develop an MPEG-4-compliant encoder for wireless delivery
of streaming audio and video. The two companies will then market and sell
the co-branded product to mobile carriers and content providers worldwide.
Seattle-based RealNetworks said the encoder is expected to become
available in the first quarter of 2003.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021105/50041_1.html
http://www.realnetworks.com
http://www.envivio.com
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o Activision Pays $9 Million Cash, Plus Stock for Game Developer Luxoflux
Santa Monica, Calif. -- Activision paid $9.0 million in cash and 110,391
shares of Activision common stock to acquire game developer Luxoflux,
according to an SEC filing made by the company last week. Terms of the
purchase were not previously disclosed. The 30-member Luxoflux team has
developed next-generation console titles for Activision including "True
Crime: Streets of L.A." and "Star Wars Demolition."
http://biz.yahoo.com/e/021101/atvi10-q.html
http://www.activision.com
http://www.luxoflux.com
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EVENT -- DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE Presents...
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iTV Visions: Technology Transforming Entertainment
New York City | Thurs. November 14 | 1:30-7:30 PM
In association with the Interactive Television Alliance
Sponsors: Etronica | ITA | Filter Media | AIM
This half-day executive forum will present views on the future of
entertainment based on next generation interactive television technologies
emerging today. Thought leaders from leading edge companies that are
driving these technologies into the marketplace will gather to show how
entertainment is on the verge of yet another radical transformation.
For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events/itv_visions_111902.htm
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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:
(Los Angeles) Moviso, a provider of mobile entertainment content and
division of Vivendi Universal Net USA, announced on Tuesday that Yahoo's
Launch music destination will become a distributor of its ringtones and
graphics for cell phones. Los Angeles-based Moviso has licensed music
content for use as ringtones from labels including Universal Music, Sony
Music Entertainment and BMG. The company provides similar services for
Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Cingular, among others.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/223090112&ticker=
http://launch.yahoo.com
http://www.moviso.com
(Los Angeles) Citysearch, a network of local online city guides operated
by Ticketmaster, announced that its arts and entertainment content for the
top 100 U.S. markets will be featured on Web portal Yahoo's City Guides
property.
http://www.citysearch.com
http://cityguides.yahoo.com
(Ann Arbor, Mich.) ProQuest, a provider of electronic content to the
library and education fields, said on Tuesday that Tribune Publishing will
use its technology to deliver electronic archives of its Chicago Tribune,
Los Angeles Times and other publications to libraries. Under the
agreement, Michigan-based ProQuest will digitize the complete historical
backfiles of Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times from their first
published editions in 1847 and 1881, respectively, as well as more recent
editions of all 11 Tribune newspapers.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021105/nytu071_1.html
http://www.tribune.com
http://www.il.proquest.com
(Tokyo) Japanese wireless operator NTT DoCoMo said that Bouygues Telecom
will launch its popular i-mode mobile Internet service in France on Nov
15. The service, which has a massive following in Japan, allows users to
perform various multimedia functions on wireless devices. France marks the
sixth market for the i-mode service, which is already available in Japan,
Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan and Belgium.
http://www.nttdocomo.com/top.html
http://www.bouygtel.com
(Redwood City, Calif.) Game developer Electronic Arts on Tuesday announced
the release of "FIFA Football 2003," the latest version of its popular
soccer title, for all consoles, PC, and Game Boy Advance. The game
features an all-new game engine, developed with input from professional
players Edgar Davids, Ryan Giggs and Roberto Carlos.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021105/50094_1.html
http://www.fifa2003.ea.com
(San Francisco) CNET News.com recently reported on the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology's (MIT) work with Hewlett-Packard to develop a
digital repository for the massive amount of research and other
intellectual property generated by the school each year. The database,
called DSpace, will hold MIT lecture notes, research, conference papers,
technical reports and other data -- such as 30 terabytes of oceanic floor
maps -- that comprise the estimated 10,000 pieces of digital content
generated there each year. Hardware for the system may be replicated for
$100,000 to $500,000; the software that runs DSpace is distributed for
free, under the Berkeley license.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-964488.html
https://hpds1.mit.edu/index.jsp
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CLASSIFIEDS - JOBS
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To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobpostingpage.htm
East Coast Sales Rep - Imaging and Music Software Firm
Imaging and music software firm is seeking an independent, East Coast
sales representative. We have great products - you have strong
relationships with camera and computer hardware manufacturers and
marketers. Significant OEM experience strongly preferred. Position offers
a retainer and generous commissions. Interested parties should forward
their resume to David McKie at: david@simplestar.com
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====================
CLASSIFIEDS - EVENTS
====================
To Post Events: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/eventpostingpage.htm
NYNMA's Technology Showcase, November 7, NYC
Strong companies, an informed audience, New York opportunities. Register
now for NYNMA's Technology Showcase, November 7th. Join 90 top technology
companies and NY's leading executives, investors and entrepreneurs for
only $15 if you pre-register by Tuesday, November 5th. Use MatchPoint to
connect you with Showcase attendees, exhibitors and sponsors who could be
your next partner or customer.
http://www.technologyshowcase.org/registration.html
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CLASSIFIEDS - MARKETPLACE
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Only 80 copies remaining of Directory of Homeland Security
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AT&T and the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
To purchase the directory, go to: http://www.homeland-directory.com
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Etronica has developed a unique software toolset to enable "Interest Based
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Copyright 2002 Digital Media Wire, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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