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December 8, 2003 -- About Us | Advertise | Events | Publications | Subscribe

Main Stories
o Sega Sues Fellow Game Developer Electronic Arts, Fox Over "Simpsons" Title
o Japanese Games Firm Sammy Buys Majority Interest in Sega
o Coca-Cola, OD2 to Launch U.K. Music Download Store Next Month
o Yahoo Launches Premium Content Service for Broadband Subscribers
o EarthLink Offers Co-Branded Music Download Service with Musicmatch
o Report: Over 1 Million E-Books Sold So Far in 2003
o SBC to Market Yahoo-Branded DSL Service at 2,000 Retail Stores


 > DMW AnnouncementsDMW Publications
 --Digital Media Law Report - November Report Available Now!
 --Game Industry Quarterly

 > Featured Advertisement:
 --Complete Information for Department of Homeland Security
 

o Briefly Noted: PayPal - micropayments for music retailers, Microsoft - AT&T Wireless, Napster - Miller Brewing Company, THQ - Marvel - "The Punisher," Rockstar Games, Nokia - "Operation Shadow," Capcom - "Gotcha Force" - "Chaos Legion," Equinix - NCSoft, Anno 2003 - Payshare, Mobius Entertainment - Spellbound Ltd.

 
> Job/Event/Marketplace Classifieds:
 --Apple Seminars, Training & Events
 
--Senior Business Development Manager
 --Manager of Sales and Marketing Support
 --Media Director - Greater Boston 
 --See it first at COMNET - January 26-29, 2004
 --Get a Jump on Fourth Quarter Sales Generation
 


o Sega Sues Fellow Game Developer Electronic Arts, Fox Over "Simpsons" Title

Redwood City, Calif. -- A new lawsuit filed in San Francisco claims that video game developer Electronic Arts and Fox Entertainment infringed on a patent when they jointly released a video game based on "The Simpsons" two years ago, Reuters reported. Sega of America claims that the 2001 game "Simpsons Road Rage," was intended to "deliberately copy and imitate" the Sega game "Crazy Taxi." Sega pointed to published reviews of the EA game that demonstrate its similarities to "Crazy Taxi." One independent review, in fact, called "Simpsons Road Rage" a "shameless incident of design burglary." Sega is seeking damages and a court order to stop the sale or import of EA's game.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/031204/media_sega_1.html 
http://www.ea.com 
http://www.sega.com 
http://www.simpsonsroadrage.com
_____________________________________________

o Japanese Games Firm Sammy Buys Majority Interest in Sega

Carlsbad, Calif. -- Sammy Studios, the U.S. arm of the Japanese video and pinball game manufacturer, announced on Monday that it has purchased additional shares of fellow game developer Sega, and now holds a 22.4% majority interest in the company. Earlier this year, Sammy was one of several companies to enter into negotiations to acquire Sega, but that deal fell through. "Sammy is a strong company financially and is looking to pursue strategic investment opportunities," said Sammy Holding Company president John Rowe. "Now that we have taken yet another step toward becoming a global force in entertainment, we look forward to finding mutually beneficial ways to work with Sega."
http://www.sega.com 
http://www.sammystudios.com
_____________________________________________

o Coca-Cola, OD2 to Launch U.K. Music Download Store Next Month

London -- Soft drink giant Coca-Cola has partnered with U.K. digital music distributor OD2 to launch a music download service in England next month, Reuters reported on Monday. The company did not announce pricing for the service, which will offer around 250,000 from all five major record labels to residents of the U.K. Coke rival Pepsi has also announced plans to enter the legitimate download market, having partnered with Apple's iTunes Store to place 100 million free song download promotions under the caps of its soft drinks in the U.S.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?P25D320C6 
http://www.od2.com 
http://www.mycokemusic.com
____________________________________________

o Yahoo Launches Premium Content Service for Broadband Subscribers

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Yahoo on Monday announced a new premium content subscription service for high-speed Internet subscribers, which will be offered for an additional $5.95 per month. The Yahoo Plus service is intended to compete with similar, higher-priced offerings like AOL for Broadband, which offers subscribers to any ISP the features of AOL for an additional fee. In addition to email accounts and firewall, anti-virus, anti-spam and pop-up blocking software, Yahoo Plus will offer subscribers access to the LAUNCHcast Premium streaming music service, an online games tournament service, and "premium video content from leading news and entertainment sources."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031208/85331_1.html 
http://plus.yahoo.com
____________________________________________

o EarthLink Offers Co-Branded Music Download Service with Musicmatch

Atlanta -- Internet service provider EarthLink announced on Monday the launch of a co-branded digital music download store with San Diego-based Musicmatch, a provider of music jukebox software and subscription services. In addition to the download service, which will offer 350,000 songs for $0.99 each, EarthLink will offer its subscribers Musicmatch's premium jukebox software for $19.99, as well as access to co-branded versions of the company's other streaming music subscription services. Musicmatch's jukebox software will now also be bundled with EarthLink's 2004 Internet access CD-ROM discs.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031208/clf055_2.html 
http://www.musicmatch.com  
http://www.earthlink.net/extras  ____________________________________________

o Report: Over 1 Million E-Books Sold So Far in 2003

New York -- The Open eBook Forum, an e-book industry trade group made up of publishers, retailers and e-book technology firms, announced on Monday that total e-book sales for the year 2003 have surpassed 1 million, and are up 64% over comparable sales after the third quarter of 2002. Revenues generated by e-book retailers during the third quarter were $2.6 million, a 37% increase over the $1.9 million reported during the same period last year. "These figures are particularly significant in light of the departure of e-book sales by Gemstar and Barnesandnoble.com," said Open eBook Forum executive director Nick Bogaty. "Double digit growth shows the strength of this industry and e-books represent one of the fastest growing segments in all of publishing."
http://www.openebook.org/pressroom/pressreleases/q303stats.htm ____________________________________________

o SBC to Market Yahoo-Branded DSL Service at 2,000 Retail Stores

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Trying to grow its market share in the high-speed Internet segment, SBC Communications said that it has struck deals with several major retailers to make its joint DSL offering with Yahoo available at more than 2,000 stores across the company's 13-state operating region. Under the deal, chains such as Best Buy, RadioShack, Cingular Wireless and Gateway will sell the service. The service is also available at Staples and Micro Center stores through an agreement with GetConnected, as well as at Sam's Club, OfficeMax, BJ's Wholesale Club, Menards, Kmart and Super Kmart through an agreement with Wireless Retail.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031204/45191_1.html

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 > DMW Publications:

> Digital Media Law Report
Must-read publication on legal and policy matters related to digital media. Law Report includes case summaries, news and analysis, policy updates, court filings, and exclusive interviews with legal counsel and business leaders. Published monthly. Subscriptions - Order

Available Now - November Law Report - 42 pages - Order

> G
ame Industry Quarterly
- Subscriptions - Order
The Game Industry Quarterly features news about key business, legal and finance developments impacting the game industry. Each issue includes sections on current industry research, financings, law and policy matters, game releases, business deals and other industry events.

Available Now - Q3 Game Industry Quartertly - 105 pages - Order

Past Events | Sponsorship Materials | Partners & Clients
 

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> Featured Advertisement:

> Making Your Way thru the Homeland Security Maze

Small businesses wanting to do business with the government face unique challenges when entering the federal marketplace. The 2003- 2004 Directory of Homeland Security includes a detailed list of procurement information and small business government contacts for the various federal departments and agencies. Contact names, titles, phone and fax numbers and descriptions are included in the listings. The Department of Homeland Security portion of the directory has entire section titled, "Doing Business with the Department of Homeland Security." To order the 2003-2004 edition, go to: http://www.tech-directories.com/dmw.htm
 

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o Briefly Noted:

(Universal City, Calif.) PayPal, a provider of online payment solutions and unit of eBay, announced on Monday a new scale of micropayment processing fees for high volume online digital music companies. The new fees will allow these merchants to process payments at a rate of 2.5% plus $0.09 for each transaction. PayPal said the reduced fixed fee represents a 30-50% savings compared to the industry's current payment processing rates of approximately 2% plus $0.20-$0.30.
http://www.paypal.com

(Redmond, Wash.) Microsoft on Monday announced that it partnered with wireless network operator AT&T Wireless to launch the Windows Mobile Start Service, for AT&T Wireless customers with the Motorola MPx200 cell phone handset. The service, which runs on Microsoft's Windows Mobile software, will let subscribers set up their cell phones so they may access Outlook email, as well as download free ringtones, screensavers and mobile games.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031208/sfm058_1.html
http://www.attwireless.com/smartphone

(Milwaukee, Wisc.) Napster, a unit of Roxio, announced on Monday a promotional partnership with Miller Brewing Company that will include giveaways of Samsung Napster portable music players and $50 in music credits on Napster. The two-month campaign, which includes promotions in bars and liquor stores, will kick off in June 2004 as a part of Rolling Stone magazine's "celebration of 50 years of Rock and Roll."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031208/cgm023_1.html
http://www.millerbrewing.com 
http://www.napster.com

(Calabasas Hills, Calif.) Video game publisher THQ announced on Monday that its Illinois-based Volition studio is currently developing "The Punisher" for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, based on the classic Marvel comic book. A feature film of the same name starring Thomas Jane, John Travolta and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is scheduled for release in April 2004. Calabasas Hills, Calif.-based THQ said the game titles would be released in the fall of 2004.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031208/85442_1.html 
http://www.volition-inc.com
http://www.marvel.com/bios/bios.htm?id=22&family=MARVEL+HEROES

(New York) Rockstar Games, a unit of video game publisher Take-Two Interactive, announced on Monday that it will ship its "Grand Theft Auto Double Pack" for Xbox to European retailers on Jan. 2, 2004. The title contains both the company's "Grand Theft Auto 3" and "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" games.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031208/85241_1.html
http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto

(Helsinki) Wireless developer Nokia announced on Monday that it will release "Operation Shadow," the company's second self-published game title for its N-Gage hybrid cell phone/handheld video game device, in the first half of 2004. The 3D title, which features multiplayer support for up to four players via Bluetooth wireless technology, is currently being developed at Melbourne-based Torus Games.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031208/75067_1.html 
http://www.torus.com.au

(Sunnyvale, Calif.) Capcom Entertainment, the U.S. arm of the Japanese video game developer, has announced the release of its "Gotcha Force" title for Nintendo GameCube, as well as a PC version of the PlayStation 2 title, "Chaos Legion."
http://www.capcom.com/news/news.xpml?prid=450108
http://www.capcom.com/news/news.xpml?prid=450109

(Foster City, Calif.) Equinix, a provider of data centers and Internet exchange services, announced on Monday that Korean online game developer NCSoft will use its network infrastructure to support its online games. As part of the agreement, the traffic on NCSoft Austin's game servers will be transferred to Equinix's equipment in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. NCSoft's game titles including "Lineage," "City of Heroes" and "Gameting."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031208/85286_1.html
http://www.ncsoft.net/eng/index.asp 
http://www.equinix.com

(Zug, Switzerland) Video compression software firm Anno 2003 on Monday announced the launch of Payshare, its peer-to-peer content distribution service offering licensed content for download. Purchasers of content on Payshare have the option to become "co-publishers," meaning they will themselves serve as re-distributors of the content in exchange for a percentage of profits from future sales, as determined by the original content owner.
http://www.anno2003.com 
http://www.payshare.net/news

(Leeds, England) U.K.-based game developer Mobius Entertainment announced that it has acquired fellow game developer Spellbound Ltd. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Both companies specialize in the development of game titles for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance handheld, and the merged company plans to focus on that platform as well as Sony's new entry into the handheld gaming market, the PSP.
http://www.mobiusent.com

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> Classifieds:

         

___________________

> Senior Business Development Manager

AQUENT’s Washington DC office is seeking a Senior Business Development Manager to focus and lead sales efforts of AQUENT’s services to Fortune 1000, mid-size companies and emerging markets in the Association, Non-profit and Federal sectors. Business impact goals are challenging. First 12 month expectations are to exceed $1,000,000 revenue. Send resumes to dcsales@aquent.com  Visit http://www.aquent.com

___________________

> Manager of Sales and Marketing Support

DC based Govt. Affairs and Sales Consulting firm is seeking an experienced business professional to help lead, support and manage the firm’s marketing and sales efforts. Min. 5-7 yrs exp. Require strong writing skills, proven ability to successfully manage multiple projects and tasks. Responsibilities: Development and creation of marketing and sales collateral, creation and maintenance of various databases, providing assistance with lead generation efforts; monitoring and tracking the firm’s sales process and direct interaction with senior business and govt. professionals. Please email your resume to marketgov@yahoo.com
___________________

> Media Director - Greater Boston

Our client is a full service Advertising Agency looking for a Media Director. This person will ensure proper maintenance and quality control for media planning and buying over multiple accounts as well as establish procedures and standards for media personnel. Proven management expertise and presentation skills required. Minimum of 8 years experience leading media teams. For consideration, please email your resume to dhorvath@pilenet.com Please put "Media Director" in the subject line when applying. Compensation: $75,000
____________________

> See it first at COMNET - January 26-29, 2004

COMNET '04 previews technologies impacting your network - security, wireless, VoIP, WAN, the data center. New conference format, new programs for 2004. Young companies, pitch your business in the new COMNET First: Venture Summit and Network. http://www.comnetexpo.com/comnetexpo/V40/index.cvn?id=10257&p_navID=174  Space is limited! VCs assess up-and-comers in the Venture Summit. Register today for COMNET using priority code MPOT at the new Washington Convention Center.
http://www.comnetexpo.com/comnetexpo/V40/index.cvn?ID=10017
See http://www.comnetexpo.com  for more information.
____________________

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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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