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November 21, 2003 -- About Us | Advertise | Events | Publications | Subscribe

Main Stories
o Bronfman Derails EMI's Bid for Warner Music
o SBC, RIAA in Court Friday Over Subpoenas for File-Swapper Identities
o DirecTV President to Resign Following News Corp. Takeover
o OMT Acquires Assets of Digital Music Provider Musicmusicmusic
o TiVo Adds 209,000 Subscribers in Third Quarter, Raises Projections
o French Telco Alcatel Buys PacketVideo Mobile Video Server Unit


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o Briefly Noted: On Command - Best Western, Micropayments, Sorrent - "Yao Ming Basketball '04," Digital Interactive Systems Corporation - Apex Digital, Vivendi Universal Games - "Contract J.A.C.K." - "Metal Arms: Glitch in the System," Konami Digital Entertainment America - "Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX," Atari - "Magic: the Gathering - Battlegrounds," Ubisoft - "Mucha Lucha: Mascaritas of the Lost Code"

 
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o Bronfman Derails EMI's Bid for Warner Music

London -- Shares in U.K. music giant EMI Group tumbled more than 10% on Friday after EMI's hopes of acquiring Warner Music were derailed by a last-minute bid from Canadian billionaire Edgar Bronfman Jr. A consortium led by Bronfman is believed to have made an offer of about $2.5 billion for Warner Music. EMI's bid is said to be almost 1 billion dollars lower. EMI, like the rest of the music industry, is beset with declining recorded music sales and Internet piracy, and industry consolidation is on the cards. "The decision by Warner to further explore Bronfman's bid is very bad news for EMI," commented WestLB.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?P20C12A96 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1885-2003Nov20.html
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o SBC, RIAA in Court Friday Over Subpoenas for File-Swapper Identities

San Francisco -- Internet service provider SBC Communications and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) will be in court on Friday, battling over whether SBC should be compelled to turn over the identities of certain of its Internet subscribers the RIAA believes infringed copyrights on music file-sharing services. The RIAA filed subpoenas for the users' identities, and SBC sued, arguing that the process by which the RIAA obtained the subpoenas was unconstitutional. Fellow ISP Verizon also sued over similar subpoenas, but a federal judge agreed with the RIAA and ordered subscriber identities turned over to the RIAA, which promptly sued many of the individuals for copyright infringement. CNET News.com reported that on Friday Judge Susan Illston will hear arguments for both the RIAA's motion to dismiss the suit, as well as SBC's motion for summary judgment. Lawyers told News.com a ruling is not immediately expected.
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5110296.html 
http://www.sbc.com 
http://www.riaa.com
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o DirecTV President to Resign Following News Corp. Takeover

El Segundo, Calif. -- The president of satellite TV provider DirecTV announced on Friday her intention to leave the company following News Corp.'s pending takeover of DirecTV parent company Hughes Electronics. Roxanne Austin was named DirecTV president and COO in June 2001. News Corp. and Hughes expect to close the transaction, whereupon News Corp. will acquire 34% of Hughes, by the end of the year, following considerations including approval from the Federal Communications Commission.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031121/215290_1.html 
http://www.directv.com
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o OMT Acquires Assets of Digital Music Provider Musicmusicmusic

Winnipeg, Canada -- OMT Inc., a provider of multimedia content and delivery technology to the entertainment and broadcast industries, announced that it has acquired the assets of Toronto-based Musicmusicmusic, including the company's library of 365,000 digital audio tracks. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. OMT said the purchase provides the infrastructure to immediately begin delivering subscription-based multimedia services to existing clients and new customers in North America. The company plans to offer services including branded Internet streaming radio, digital audio update services for radio stations, and a retail CD, DVD, and video game preview service.
http://www.omt.net/news/november23_2003.html
http://www.musicmusicmusic.com ____________________________________________

oTiVo Adds 209,000 Subscribers in Third Quarter, Raises Projections

San Jose, Calif. -- TiVo, a provider of standalone digital video recorders and associated services, announced that it added a record 209,000 subscriptions in the third quarter, more than doubling growth in the previous quarter. The company credited its partnership with DirecTV, which now offers a satellite receiver with TiVo features, as well as increased awareness and availability for its product, for the subscriber growth. "Our total sub base is now over one million and the pace of sub growth moving into the holiday season is at an all time high," said TiVo CEO Mike Ramsay. San Jose, Calif.-based TiVo also raised its guidance for the remainder of its fiscal year, now projecting it will have a total of 1.37 million subscribers, instead of its earlier prediction of 1.27 million.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031120/sfth005_1.html
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tivo21nov21.story 
http://www.tivo.com
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o French Telco Alcatel Buys PacketVideo Mobile Video Server Unit

Paris -- French telecommunications firm Alcatel announced on Friday that it has acquired the mobile video server business of San Diego-based PacketVideo, a developer of streaming video technology for mobile devices. Financial terms of the transaction, which does not include PacketVideo's device technologies, were not disclosed. PacketVideo will continue to operate as a developer of streaming video software for mobile devices. PacketVideo's Network Solutions video server business serves customers including NTT DoCoMo, T-Mobile, Orange, Mobilkom, New World Mobility and others. Alcatel said the purchase will strengthen its offering for portals, application service providers, content aggregators and mobile operator customers.
http://www.alcatel.com/vpr/?body=/latestnews/19112003_4uk
http://www.packetvideo.com

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o Briefly Noted:

(Denver) On Command, a provider of video-on-demand and other in-room interactive entertainment to hoteliers, announced on Friday that it has signed a three-year exclusive agreement with Best Western International, to market and sell its services to the company's 2,200 independently owned and operated properties. Denver-based On Command, which serves over 1 million hotel rooms worldwide, said it intends to enter into a similar agreement to cover Best Western hotels in Canada.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031121/laf025_1.html 
http://www.bestwestern.com 
http://www.oncommand.com

(Waltham, Mass.) Peppercoin, a provider of micropayments technology, said a recent survey of online merchants and other industry executives in its field found that 64% of respondents identified online music as offering the greatest potential for micropayments, followed by online games, publishing and video-on-demand. Eighty percent of those surveyed by Peppercoin plan to offer content via micropayments within the next year; 17% expect to generate between $1-10 million in micropayment revenue over the next year. Waltham, Mass.-based Peppercoin announced this week that Big Frank Records will use its technology to sell songs online.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?T6BE22B96 
http://www.peppercoin.com

(San Mateo, Calif.) Sorrent, a developer of wireless entertainment content, announced on Friday that its "Yao Ming Basketball '04," presented in conjunction with Fox Sports, is now available for subscribers of Verizon Wireless' Get It Now service. The title has already been released in China, and will now be distributed in other regions through an expanded agreement with FOX Sports Interactive Media and Yao Ming. San Mateo, Calif.-based Sorrent said the game is available on the Motorola T720, LG VX4400 and VX 6000 for $3.99 monthly access or $6.49 for download. The game will be available soon on LG 4500, Audiovox 8600, Audiovox 8900 and Samsung A610.
http://www.sorrent.com

(Long Beach, Calif.) Digital Interactive Systems Corporation (DISC), a provider of video game console technology to consumer electronics firms and PC manufacturers that enables them to create branded devices that play thousands of unmodified PC games, said on Friday that manufacturer Apex Digital will launch its own DISCover PC Game Console in January. Long Beach, Calif.-based DISC's console devices allow gamers to play PC games through their televisions and home entertainment systems.
http://www.apexdigitalinc.com 
http://www.discoverconsole.com

(Los Angeles) Vivendi Universal Games said that it has released its PC title "Contract J.A.C.K." to U.S. retailers. Developed by Kirkland, Wash.-based Monolith Productions, the game is meant to be a prequel to "No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way" and supports multiplayer game play. VU Games also shipped its "Metal Arms: Glitch in the System" title for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. The game was developed at Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Swingin' Ape Studios.
http://www.vugames.com/news_story.do?storyId=522
http://www.vugames.com/news_story.do?storyId=517 
http://www.lith.com 
http://nolf.sierra.com 
http://www.swinginape.com 
http://www.metalarms.com

(Redwood City, Calif.) Konami Digital Entertainment America has released its "Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX" title for Microsoft Xbox, based on the popular physically interactive arcade game. The game offers 45 new songs and game play modes, including head-to-head competition online via the Xbox Live service, where users will also be able to download new songs in packs of 5 for $5.00.
http://www.konami.com/usa/press/ultramix111903.html

(Los Angeles) Video game publisher Atari on Friday announced the release of its "Magic: the Gathering - Battlegrounds" title for Xbox and the PC. The game was developed for Atari by San Francisco-based Secret Level, and is based on the "Magic: The Gathering" trading card game, originally released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of toymaker Hasbro.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031119/195890_1.html 
http://www.atari.com 
http://www.secretlevel.com 
http://www.mtggame.com

(San Francisco) Game developer Ubisoft said that it has shipped "Mucha Lucha: Mascaritas of the Lost Code" for Nintendo Game Boy Advance, based on the Warner Bros. children's animated TV series of the same name, to retailers. The game was developed by Emeryville, Calif.-based Digital Eclipse Software.
http://www.ubisoft.com 
http://www.digitaleclipse.com

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> Business/Database Analyst

DB & programming, data-mining, routine & ad-hoc analyses, produce/automate reports, document methodology. SQL, MS Office & Access a must. Database design & procedures, VBA, Networking excellent assets. Responsibilities: Data analysis & reporting,automate reports, locate/import data from client dbs, design frameworks for analysis & document methodologies. Send resumes/questions to sfeller@daviescon.com  Visit http://www.daviescon.com
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> Director or Senior Associate

Qorvis Communications, the largest independently owned public relations firm in the Greater Washington area is looking for a senior level technology-focused PR professional. Require: Min 3 yrs PR success securing media coverage in national and media outlets, must be driven, possess superior written and verbal communications skills. Please send resumes to opportunities@qorvis.com  or mail to HR Department, 8484 Westpark Drive, #800, McLean, VA 22102. Qorvis is an equal opportunity employer.
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> Controller

Oversee all aspects of accounting, financial reporting, audit and taxation for extremely fast growing software company. Mixture of public and private experience desired. CPA preferred. 5 to 12 years experience considered. Send resumes to jyoung@ilumin.com  Visit http://www.ilumin.com
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> Sales Account Manager  - CA

EmergeCore Networks designer and developer of the Award Winning "IT in a BOX" solution for small business, actively seeking Sales Account Manager, based in the DC area, covering the Southeast/Atlantic Coast area. Require: Strong understanding of network technology solutions, account mgmt. and sales exp. in Channel Sales, exp selling into VAR Channel, ability to generate product sales in new accounts and markets, strong presentation skills, ability to work independently while achieving sales objectives, existing customer and industry contacts. Please send cover letter and resume to: salesmgr@emergecore.com  EmergeCore is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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> Tallan, Account Executive - New York City

The AE position will be responsible for generating and sustaining profitable revenue streams from the sale of software development projects. The AE establishes relationships with strategic buying influences at client organizations in order to monitor and maintain customer satisfaction levels and to uncover new opportunities. Send resumes to lisa.albis@tallan.com  Visit http://www.tallan.com
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> Public Relations Manager - Woburn, MA

Lois Paul & Partners, a nationally known public relations agency is currently seeking a proven PR Manager. Manages client accounts providing daily PR and editorial support. Directs media relations, writing or editing news releases, articles, speeches and presentations. Manages tours, product launches, editorial calendars and interviews. Manages team members directly or indirectly. Participates in new business prospecting including the development of pitches, presentations and proposals. Require project mgmt skills, media relations, analytical and PC skills. College degree reqd. Previous mgmt and PR exp. in high-tech reqd. Send resume with salary requirements to careers@lpp.com
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> Obtain Maximum Value for Your Excess Used Technology Equipment

BIZI International offers a suite of programs to maximize the return on your used excess technology assets. Specialists in Telecommunications and Test and Measurement equipment. Complete Turnkey Solutions for all of your asset liquidation needs. Established in 1985 with global operations. Massachusetts headquarters. Contact Bill at (978) 649-0722 x134 or bmccready@bizinetworks.com  Visit http://www.bizinetworks.com

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