Main Stories
o WTO Rules U.S. Online Gambling Ban Violates Free Trade Agreements
o FCC Rules Internet Phone Providers Not Subject to State Regulations
o Vodafone Launches Long-Awaited 3G Services in Europe
o French Court Says Apple Need Not Open iPod to Rival Song Formats
o Report: Top Broadband Providers Add Record 2.3 Million Subscribers in Q3

o Briefly Noted: Sony Vaio U, Skype - cordless phone VoIP, Warner Bros. Online - T-Mobile, Broadcast ITV, Xingtone, Proteus - Andres Cantor, Sony - "Gran Turismo 4," Electronic Arts - "Urbz: Sims in the City," DiStream, Square Enix, Jakks Pacific, Aspyr Media, Superscape Group - Vodafone, The Paris Review - online auction, Free Culture
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Geneva -- The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that the U.S. is violating free trade agreements by banning U.S. residents from gambling at online casinos operated out of the island state of Antigua and Barbuda. In its 287-page report, the WTO said the U.S. online gambling ban constitutes an unfair trade barrier, and was not specifically addressed by the U.S. in a 1994 global free trade agreement. "We will vigorously appeal this deeply flawed report to the WTO Appellate Body," said U.S. Trade Representative spokesman Richard Mills. "The WTO agreements confirmed the rights of Members to protect public morals and public order." If the U.S. appeal fails and it does not implement the WTO's ruling, Antigua and Barbuda would be justified in imposing trade sanctions against the U.S., although such sanctions would likely do more damage than good to the tiny nation's economy.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?K1EA260C9 
http://makeashorterlink.com/?A26B120C9  
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o FCC Rules Internet Phone Providers Not Subject to State Regulations

Washington, D.C. -- In a victory for Internet telephone providers, the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously on Tuesday to keep the companies under federal jurisdiction, exempting them from several key state regulations. The ruling came at the behest of New Jersey-based Vonage, which has been battling officials in Minnesota who had hoped to regulate its rates and subject it to other state rules. The ruling applies to all companies offering Internet phone -- or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) -- services. "To subject a global network to disparate local regulatory treatment by 51 different jurisdictions would be to destroy the very qualities that embody the technological marvel that is the Internet," said FCC Chairman Michael Powell in a statement. The FCC, however, has not yet ruled on a request by Vonage to declare such companies as information services instead of telecom providers, shielding them from several fees and taxes. There are more than 600,000 subscribers to VoIP services in the U.S. -- up more than four-fold from a year ago -- according to The Yankee Group.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-254112A1.pdf
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-254112A2.pdf 
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o Vodafone Launches Long-Awaited 3G Services in Europe

London -- U.K.-based Vodafone, the largest mobile operator in the world, launched its long-awaited 3G network on Wednesday, offering 3G services in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K. Vodafone said the services would include video calling, full-track music downloads, 3D games and an enhanced Web portal. Enhanced 3G services will include a downloadable music catalog, mobile TV, exclusive videos, pictures, animated greetings and wallpaper, and video clips from Champions League and Premiership football matches. The company also launched a range of 10 new 3G handsets. "Vodafone live! with 3G will become increasingly mass market next year, and we expect over 10 million customers to be using Vodafone live! with 3G by March 2006 in our subsidiaries," said Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin, whose company spent billions of pounds on 3G licenses more than four years ago. Until now, 3 UK, owned by Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, has been the only company to offer 3G services in the U.K. Orange and T-Mobile are set to launch their 3G services before Christmas.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?A2DA15FB9 
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N18B120C9   
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o French Court Rules Apple Need Not Open iPod to Rival Song Formats

Paris -- A French court has ruled that Apple cannot be compelled to open its iPod's digital rights management scheme, so that songs purchased from Virgin Group's French music download store may be played on the devices, CNET News.com reported. The French Competition Court ruled that there were not "sufficiently convincing elements" to make Apple open its Fairplay DRM so that songs in Microsoft's media format sold by retailers like Virgin can play on the iPod. The court also said a link has not been established between Apple's "possibly dominant position in the hard disc music player market and the competition situation with regard to the download market."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?K4BC220C9 
http://www.virginmega.fr 
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o Report: Top Broadband Providers Add Record 2.3 Million Subscribers in Q3

Durham, N.H. -- The top U.S. cable and DSL broadband Internet access providers added a record 2.3 million new subscribers during the third quarter of 2004, and now count a total of 30.9 million subscribers, according to a report from New Hampshire-based Leichtman Research Group (LRG). The report includes data from the top 20 broadband providers, representing 95% of the total market. Top cable providers added 1.28 million new subscribers, and retain a 6.6 million subscriber advantage over DSL with a 61% share of the total broadband market. "Cable and DSL providers responded to the slight downturn in the market last quarter by aggressively marketing broadband services with discounted introductory offers to woo new subscribers and returning college students," said LRG president Bruce Leichtman. "The seasonal variations in the broadband market that have taken place this year are likely to continue in the future, but without further slashing of prices, total net additions similar to this quarter may be difficult to replicate."
http://www.leichtmanresearch.com/press/111004release.html 

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(Tokyo) Sony has introduced a U.S. version of its Vaio U, a 1.2 pound PC and portable media player. The device features a 6.6-inch by 4.3-inch SVGA color screen, 20GB hard drive, Windows XP operating system and fold-up keyboard, and can send email in addition to playing DVDs and MP3s. Sony said it will begin selling the Vaio U in December with a $2,000 price tag.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?W2FB230C9 
http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/VGN-U50

(Geneva) Skype, a Luxembourg-based Internet telephony firm, announced on Wednesday that it has teamed up with German engineering firm Siemens to make an adapter that allows cordless phones to make calls using both traditional fixed-line networks and the Internet. "Siemens is delivering a giant step forward for Internet telephony for the residential market," said Skype CEO Niklas Zennstrom. The coupling of Internet and fixed-line telephony on a single phone is rare in Europe, especially between such heavy hitters as Siemens, one of the largest mobile-phone makers in the world, and Skype, the largest Internet telephony firm in the world.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N2D613FB9

(Glendale, Calif.) Warner Bros. Online announced on Wednesday that it has signed a wireless distribution deal with wireless network operator T-Mobile, to offer movie-related games, ringtones and other content to European subscribers. Warner said that T-Mobile will offer content based on Catwoman, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo and Harry Potter, in addition to new properties, to 5.5 million subscribers in the U.K., Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Netherlands, Croatia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia
http://www.warnerbros.com 
http://www.t-mobile.com

(Washington) Broadcast ITV on Wednesday launched an office in Washington, D.C to offer its live streaming video services to political candidates and organizations. The service will host Internet television channels, including features like audience polling and donations, that will be linked to from The FeedRoom, USA Today, Business Week and 48 local NBC affiliates. Broadcast ITV said it has partnered with the lobbying firm Van Scoyoc to generate potential customers.
http://www.broadcastitv.com

(Los Angeles) Xingtone, a developer of software that lets users create their own cell phone ringtones using songs from their personal media libraries, announced on Wednesday that its service is now available to Verizon Wireless customers. The new version 4.0 of the service, which also enables users to record their own voice and sound effects as ringtones, now supports more than 75 handset models and U.S. networks including Sprint, AT&T Cingular and T-Mobile.
http://www.xingtone.com

(Washington) Mobile entertainment publisher Proteus said on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with Telemundo Network soccer announcer Andres Cantor to offer his signature "Goooool!" exclamation as a cell phone ringtone.
http://www.proteus.com 
http://www.laradiodelmundial.com/andres.htm

(Tokyo) Sony Computer Entertainment announced that its "Gran Turismo 4" title for PlayStation 2 has gone gold, and will be released in Japan and North America in December. Japanese developer Polyphony Digital created the title, which will feature 700 car models but as expected won't offer online play; Sony will release a separate version with online play enabled in 2005. Sony will, however, release a $313 bundle that includes the game and a limited edition pair of Gran Turismo-branded Nike Shox sneakers.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=5419
http://www.polyphony.co.jp

(Redwood City, Calif.) Electronic Arts on Wednesday shipped its "Urbz: Sims in the City" title for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance to retailers. The game features nine tracks recorded in "Simlish" by hip-hop group the Black Eyed Peas, who also figure as characters in the game. EA said it partnered with Atomic Toys to produce a line of action figures from the Game Boy Advance version, and will a version for the Nintendo DS when the new handheld launches on Nov. 16.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/041110/105260_1.html 
http://www.theurbz.com

(Jacksonville, Fla.) DiStream, a provider of on-demand delivery technology for games and video, announced on Wednesday the launch of Game xStream, which it calls the first streaming on-demand service for graphics-intensive online games. The company said Game xStream uses intelligent streaming that does not download the same parts of the game each time a player changes levels, saving time and storage space. While not providing details on available games, DiStream said Game xStream does not require special programming be made to titles to enable them for the service.
http://www.gamexstream.com

(Los Angeles) Japanese video game publisher Square Enix and partner Disney Interactive announced on Wednesday that they will ship their "Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories" title for Game Boy Advance on Dec. 7. The title features Disney characters including Donald Duck and Goofy.
http://www.square-enix.com 
http://www.disneyinteractive.com 
http://www.kingdomhearts.com

(Malibu, Calif.) Toymaker Jakks Pacific on Wednesday shipped its Spider-Man TV Games product to retailers. Malibu, Calif.-based Jakks Pacific's TV Games devices consist of a game controller that plugs directly into a TV and contain several embedded games. The $20 Spider-Man unit includes five games featuring the Marvel Comics superhero.
http://www.jakkstvgames.com

(Austin, Texas) Game developer Aspyr Media on Wednesday shipped its PC and Mac versions of Activision's "MTX: Mototrax" console game. The game's soundtrack includes tracks from artists including Slipknot, Dope and Pennywise.
http://www.aspyr.com

(Hook, England) Mobile game publisher Superscape Group said on Wednesday that three of its 3D game titles are being offered by wireless network operator Vodafone, in connection with the company's launch of 3G services in Europe this week. Vodafone will offer U.K.-based Superscape's "AMF Xtreme Bowling," "Evel-ution" and "Ivan Ironman Stuart Baja Off Road Racer."
http://www.superscape.com

(New York) Literary magazine The Paris Review announced on Wednesday that it will hold an online auction and event to raise funds for its continuing publication. The auction will feature contributions from Hunter S. Thompson, Kurt Vonnegut and Peter Matthiessen, in addition to meet-ups with Charlie Rose, Lewis Lapham and Martin Scorsese. The Paris Review will also soon launch "DNA of Literature Project: The Complete Paris Review Interview Online," a free online archive of the publication's interviews.
http://www.charityfolks.com 
http://www.theparisreview.org

(San Francisco) Wired News on Wednesday reported on Free Culture, a grassroots student group that aims to educate campuses about copyright laws, encourage the use of open-source software, and get students involved with legislative issues surrounding copyrights. The group has launched projects like Undead Art, which challenges students to remix the classic horror film "Night of the Living Dead," which now resides in the public domain. "If the technology is not locked down and the [copyright] laws don't stop us, we can build a democratic, free culture in which everyone can participate, in which you don't have to have the major backing of a studio to make a movie," Nelson Pavlosky, co-founder of the Free Culture group at Swarthmore College, told Wired News.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65616,00.html
http://www.freeculture.org 
 
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