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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- November 25, 2002
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com
o SoundExchange Temporarily Suspends Royalty Payments for Small Webcasters
o Judge to Rule On Whether Kazaa Parent Co. May Be Tried As U.S. Entity
o Naval Academy Seizes Student Laptops In Music Piracy Investigation
o Games Firm Bam Entertainment Cuts 50% of Staff, Will Sell U.K. Studio
o Liquid Audio CEO Resigns Amid Failed Merger with Alliance Entertainment
o Multimedia Content Delivery Firm Talkway Raises $3 Million
o Microsoft, BT Group to Launch U.K. Internet Joint Venture
> DMW Publications: Special Rates for DMW Subscribers
> DMW Marketing: 2003 Events & New Holiday Classifieds Section
> Featured Section
o Briefly Noted: MPEG-4 Visual License, DirecTV receivers - TiVo, MP3.com
- 250,000 artists, AOL - "Instant Messaging Buddies," Roxio - Pioneer,
Mobliss, Sonicblue Rio HT2030, YooMedia - Cartoon Network, Wall Street
Journal Online, Microsoft employees - P2P research paper
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> Jobs: Interactive Group Director, East Coast Sales Rep.
> Events
> Marketplace: eSubscriptions, Homeland Security Directory,
Interest-Based Navigation
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o SoundExchange Temporarily Suspends Royalty Payments for Small Webcasters
Washington -- SoundExchange, the recording industry entity set up to
receive and distribute royalty payments from online music, announced that
it has temporarily suspended small webcasters' obligation to pay statutory
royalties on streaming music until Dec. 15, as the group tries to hammer
out a new deal with webcasters as laid out in the recently-passed Small
Webcaster Amendments Act. The suspension is available only to webcasters
that qualify under a set definition of "small," who have already paid the
annual minimum royalty fee of $500. Those smaller webcasters taking
advantage of the suspension will be obligated to pay royalties "under the
rates and terms that SoundExchange and certain small webcasters hope to
submit shortly to the Copyright Office for publication in the Federal
Register," said SoundExchange executive director John Simson.
http://www.soundexchange.com/Simson_on_Suspension.cfm
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o Judge to Rule On Whether Kazaa Parent Co. May Be Tried As U.S. Entity
Los Angeles -- A Los Angeles federal judge is scheduled to decide today
whether Australia-based Sharman Networks, operator of the Kazaa
file-sharing service, may be sued in the U.S. by entertainment companies
for copyright infringement. Sharman is registered in the island-nation of
Vanuatu, operates out of Australia, and distributes the Kazaa software
from servers located outside the U.S. Attorneys for Sharman will argue
that their client is an off-shore corporation with no substantial contacts
with the U.S., thus the company cannot be sued in U.S. courts, according
to digital civil liberties group the Electronic Frontier Foundation. If
Sharman loses on the matter, its case will be grouped with existing
copyright infringement litigation against fellow file-sharing services
Grokster and Streamcast Networks.
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/MGM_v_Grokster/20021121_eff_pr.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-971086.html?tag=fd_top
http://www.sharmannetworks.com
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o Naval Academy Seizes Student Laptops In Music Piracy Investigation
Annapolis, Md. -- The U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland seized the laptop
computers of 100 midshipmen as part of an investigation into whether they
were used to illegally download copyrighted music and movies, The Capital
reported. Penalties for illegally possessing copyrighted material
reportedly range from court-martial to loss of leave and other
restrictions. The laptops are issued to students and then paid for through
deductions from their monthly paychecks. Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA) spokesperson Amanda Collins confirmed to The Capital that
the U.S. Naval Academy was among the colleges and universities which were
targeted by an Oct. 3 letter asking them to crack down on the use of
peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/live/11_23-19/NAV
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=1803061
http://www.riaa.org/PR_Story.cfm?id=575
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o Games Firm Bam Entertainment Cuts 50% of Staff, Will Sell U.K. Studio
San Jose, Calif. -- Video game developer Bam Entertainment announced on
Monday it will lay off 50 percent of its worldwide staff as part of a
previously announced restructuring effort. Bam will lay off 25 percent of
the staff at its San Jose headquarters as well as 70 percent of its
U.K.-based staff; the company also announced a letter of intent to sell
the assets of its London-based development studio to U.K. developer VIS
Entertainment. Bam executives will take an up to 50 percent pay cut in
exchange for stock in the company as part of the plan. San Jose,
Calif.-based Bam, whose games include "Reign of Fire" and a number of
titles based on a license with Cartoon Network, said the restructuring
will refine its publishing strategy to concentrate on "family
entertainment products and a more selective approach to titles focused at
'hard core' gamers." "These are difficult decisions on both a personal and
professional level, but they are needed to ensure the long term health of
the company," said Bam Entertainment CEO Ray Musci.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021125/sfm067_1.html
http://www.bam4fun.com
http://www.vis-plc.com
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o Liquid Audio CEO Resigns Amid Failed Merger with Alliance Entertainment
Redwood City, Calif. -- Liquid Audio, a provider of digital music
distribution technology, announced that co-founder, president and CEO
Gerry Kearby has resigned from the company. The struggling digital music
firm recently announced that its planned merger with CD and DVD
distributor Alliance Entertainment had been terminated, resulting mainly
from opposition from several shareholder groups. Also leaving the company
is co-founder and senior vice president of business development Robert
Flynn. Raymond Doig, previously an outside director on Liquid Audio's
board, will become the company's new CEO. According to Liquid Audio's
board of directors, the company will "continue to explore strategic
alternatives that will deliver the most value to all Liquid Audio
stockholders."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021122/sff022_1.html
http://www.liquidaudio.com
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o Multimedia Content Delivery Firm Talkway Raises $3 Million
Fremont, Calif. -- Talkway Communications, a provider of multimedia
content delivery services, announced on Monday that it has raised $3
million in its third round of venture capital financing, led by Asset
Management Partners. Fremont, Calif.-based Talkway provides services like
streaming video-enhanced email to firms including AT&T WorldNet, Bell
Canada, Japan's BIGLOBE and France's Club-Internet. The company will use
the funds to accelerate its sales and marketing strategies.
http://www.talkway.com/pr/021115twcfunding.htm
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o Microsoft, BT Group to Launch U.K. Internet Joint Venture
London -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said over the weekend that Microsoft
and BT Group will launch a joint venture aimed at promoting high-speed
Internet services in Britain. In an interview with The Sunday Times,
Ballmer said the two companies would each invest "several million pounds"
promoting the service, which will launch in Britain this week. The service
will be based around Microsoft's recently released MSN 8.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?A1B225D82
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DMW Marketing: 2003 Events & New Holiday Classifieds Section
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We are pleased to announce New 2003 Events & Marketing Information:
* 2003 EVENTS SCHEDULE - 4 Full-Day Industry Forums on Cutting-Edge
Topics
Forum Agenda:
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Questions: tinzar@digitalmediawire.com
* 2003 MARKETING PACKAGES -
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Marketing Packages:
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* CALL FOR SPEAKERS - Music, Games, Mobile, Marketing & iTV Events
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NEW DMW Classifieds Section: "Holiday Gift Ideas & Red Hot Deals"
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* Ads include 9 lines of text for you to describe gift ideas, products
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Briefly Noted:
(Denver) MPEG LA, an industry trade group holding patents on various
digital video technologies, on Monday announced the availability of its
MPEG-4 Visual Patent Portfolio License. The license covers the technology
for delivering MPEG-4 video developed by companies including Canon,
Philips, Matsushita, Microsoft, Samsung and Sony.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/223290331&ticker=
http://www.mpegla.com/mpeg4v/m4v_agreement.html
http://www.mpegla.com
(Germantown, Md.) Hughes Network Systems (HNS), a maker of satellite TV
receivers, said on Monday that it has shipped the first DirecTV satellite
TV receivers equipped with personal video recording technology from TiVo.
The $200 device features a 35-hour recording capacity and will be
available at consumer electronics retailers for this year's holiday
shopping season.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021125/dcm010_1.html
http://www.hns.com
(San Diego) MP3.com, a division of Vivendi Universal Net USA that allows
artists to post their songs online as digital music files, announced on
Monday that it now features music from 250,000 different musical artists.
San Diego-based MP3.com was founded by Michael Robertson in 1997 and later
acquired in August 2001 by Vivendi Universal for $372 million.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021125/lam012_1.html
http://www.mp3.com
(Dulles, Va.) America Online on Monday announced the launch of a new
instant messaging feature that will let Looney Tunes-branded plush toys
respond vocally to IM messages received by a PC. Characters including Bugs
Bunny and Daffy Duck "come alive" animatronically and speak 150
pre-recorded phrases when prompted by certain IM messages delivered via a
light-sensor connected to the PC. AOL partnered with United Internet
Technologies, a provider of Internet-connected consumer electronics
products, to develop the hardware and software for its $39.95 "Instant
Messaging Buddies."
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/223292154&ticker=aol
http://www.uitlive.com
(Santa Clara, Calif.) Roxio, a provider of CD and DVD burning software,
announced on Monday that its Easy CD Creator program will be bundled with
consumer electronics firm Pioneer's new DVR-A05 DVD-R/RW recorder. Santa
Clara, Calif.-based Roxio recently announced a bid of $5.3 million to
purchase the assets of bankrupt file-sharing service Napster.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021125/sfm022_1.html
http://www.roxio.com
(Seattle) Mobliss, a distributor of wireless entertainment content,
announced on Monday the launch of what it says is the first
cross-platform, multiplayer wireless game. Seattle-based Mobliss' "Family
Feud," based on the TV game show, may be played by all cell phones and
wireless devices that use WAP, SMS, J2ME and BREW platforms.
http://www.mobliss.com
(Santa Clara, Calif.) Consumer electronics firm Sonicblue on Monday
announced its Rio HT2030 product, dubbing it a "home theater in a box."
The device combines a VCR, DVD/CD player, AM/FM stereo digital tuner,
cable-ready TV tuner and 350-watt 5.1 channel amplifier, also shipping
with 5 two-way satellite speakers and a subwoofer. The device will cost
around $500 and will be sold at retailers including Best Buy.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021125/250099_1.html
http://www.sonicblue.com
(London) U.K.-based interactive TV content developer YooMedia has signed
an agreement to create interactive TV games based on Cartoon Network
properties. The first pay-per-play games will launch for Telewest digital
cable subscribers in the first quarter of 2003.
http://www.yoomedia.com/newsTemplate.asp?id=28
http://www.cartoonnetwork.com
(New York) Dow Jones and Co. has announced the resignation of Neil Budde
as publisher of The Wall Street Journal Online to pursue other
opportunities, the Associated Press reported. Budde is credited with
launching the subscription-based version of WSJ.com, which currently
claims 664,000 subscribers.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/11/22/financial1737EST0295.DTL
(London) The BBC Online recently reported on a research report penned by
several Microsoft-employed computer scientists, which states that the
spread of file-swapping systems and improvements in their organization
will eventually make them impossible to shut down. The paper was prepared
by the scientists for a U.S. Association for Computing Machinery workshop
on digital rights management, and represents the views of its authors, not
their employer.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2502399.stm
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CLASSIFIEDS - HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS & RED HOT DEALS
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CLASSIFIEDS - JOBS
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To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobpostingpage.htm
Interactive Group Director
The Interactive Group Director should have at least 10 years of management
experience, with at least five years focused on managing the interactive
operations of a company. Must be extremely detail-oriented, and willing
to roll up your sleeves to help solve both long term issues and daily
challenges in running the business. You will act as front line contact for
lead client and be charged with building processes/procedures to raise the
operating standard within agency.
Resumes: k-keene@pacbell.net
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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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