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December 10, 2003 -- About Us | Advertise | Events | Publications | Subscribe

Main Stories
o Pop-Up Ad Firm Challenges FTC Shutdown Order
o Rockstar Games to Remove "Kill Haitians" Dialogue from "Grand Theft Auto"
o Microsoft, Universal Team on Link-Based Music Distribution Scheme
o Game Developer Bam Entertainment Gets $1.5 Million Investment
o RIAA Hires Former ATF Director to Head Anti-Piracy Division
o Music Choice, Napster Partner on Broadband Cable Music Service
o U.K. Boasts More Than 3 Million Broadband Connections


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

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 --Complete Information for Department of Homeland Security
 

o Briefly Noted: AOL - Infinity Broadcasting - Case's Ladder - Love.com, Cablevision - digital video recorder set-tops, Yahoo en Espanol - LAUNCH, RealNetworks' Rhapsody - Omnifi, Square Enix U.S.A. - Verizon Wireless, Visionik - Nickelodeon, Nintendo - Customer Loyalty Program, THQ - "Warhammer 40,000; Dawn of War," Hollywood talent agencies - video game industry

 
> Job/Event/Marketplace Classifieds:
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OPS Consulting - Project/Technical Manager Positions
 
--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 Pop-Up Ad Firm Challenges FTC Shutdown Order

Washington -- A small company that used a feature in Microsoft's Messenger software to serve frequent pop-up ads -- which ironically often touted pop-up ad blocking software -- is challenging an enforcement lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) aimed at shutting down the service, the Associated Press reported. San Diego-based D Squared Solutions, which consists of two 20-year-old college students, are arguing that the FTC order is a protected free speech issue, saying the ads are "no more harmful than roadway speed bumps or television commercials." In its lawsuit, the FTC said D Squared's ads are "nothing more than a high-tech version of a classic scam. The defendants created the problem that they proposed to solve -- for a fee. Their pop-up spam wasted computer users' time and caused them needless frustration," said Howard Beales, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. D Squared is expected in court next week to argue for a reversal of the FTC's order to prevent the company from serving its pop-up ads.
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,61532,00.html
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/11/dsquared.htm
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2003/11/cv3108comp.pdf
_____________________________________________

o Rockstar Games to Remove "Kill Haitians" Dialogue from "Grand Theft Auto"

New York -- The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Rockstar Games, a unit of video game publisher Take-Two Interactive, has said it will remove dialogue contained in its popular "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" video game that instructs players to, "kill all the Haitians," after complaints from Haitian groups and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. "We are aware of the hurt and anger in the Haitian community and have listened to the community's objections to certain statements made in the game," Take-Two said in a statement. "Accordingly, we will remove the objectionable statements from future copies." Mayor Bloomberg condemned the game while speaking at a Haitian church on Sunday, calling it "disgraceful" and "vulgar."
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/10/nyregion/10HAIT.html
http://www.rockstargames.com/vicecity
_____________________________________________

o Microsoft, Universal Team on Link-Based Music Distribution Scheme

Los Angeles -- A group of media and technology firms including Microsoft and Universal Music Group are collaborating on a new content delivery system that will compensate artists and copyright holders while allowing users to share media files -- although swappers would be trading "links" to content instead of the actual files. The Content Reference Forum, which in addition to Microsoft and Universal includes copy-protection firm Macrovision, Japanese telco NTT, VeriSign and chipmaker ARM, announced its formation and intentions this week. When users click one of the links, or "content references," information on the content requested, such as its price, could be calculated on the fly according to the wishes of copyright holders. The Content Reference Forum expects to release a working specification in mid-2004. 
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-music10dec10.story
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=16700059
____________________________________________

o Game Developer Bam Entertainment Gets $1.5 Million Investment

San Jose, Calif. -- Bam Entertainment, a developer and publisher of video games, announced on Wednesday that it has received a $1.5 million investment from Laurus Funds, a New York-based investment group. In an SEC filing made in November, San Jose, Calif.-based Bam said it would need additional funds to continue operating as a going concern. The company has developed games based on a number of Cartoon Network properties, such as "The Powerpuff Girls," as well on franchises including the "Wallace and Gromit" claymation series.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031209/sftu123_1.html 
http://www.bam4fun.com
____________________________________________

o RIAA Hires Former ATF Director to Head Anti-Piracy Division

Washington -- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that it has hired Bradley Buckles, the director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as the head of its anti-piracy division. Buckles will oversee the RIAA's collaborative efforts with law enforcement agencies to clamp down on large-scale physical piracy operations, as well as the group's crusade against Internet piracy. "Brad's appointment should signal to everyone that we continue to take piracy, here and throughout the world, very seriously," said RIAA CEO Mitch Bainwol. "Piracy is becoming an increasingly sophisticated and lucrative criminal venture."
http://www.riaa.com    
____________________________________________

o Music Choice, Napster Partner on Broadband Cable Music Service

Horsham, Pa. -- Music Choice, a provider of pre-programmed digital music channels that play on cable TV systems, announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with the Napster music download store to offer users of a soon-to-launch new service the ability to download tracks or albums they hear directly from the service. Music Choice Broadband, scheduled to launch early next year, will deliver broadband digital music channels to its cable TV operator partners to offer to their cable modem broadband Internet customers. The service will deliver music via satellite multicast, rather than over the Internet. When a song available on Napster plays on the new service, users will see a "Download Now" button where they can connect to Napster and purchase and download the track or album.
http://www.musicchoice.com ____________________________________________

o U.K. Boasts More Than 3 Million Broadband Connections

London -- Telecommunications watchdog Oftel has given itself a pat on the back in creating a creating a competitive broadband marketplace after it announced on Wednesday that there are now more than 3 million high-speed Internet connections in the U.K. More than 40,000 households and businesses a week receive a broadband connection of between 128Kbps and 2Mbps, Oftel said. Oftel director general David Edmonds said that broadband is "transforming the way consumers and businesses use the Internet, and is now becoming an important market in its own right."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?E359215C6

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 > DMW Publications:

> Digital Media Law Report
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Available Now - November Law Report - 32 pages - Order

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ame Industry Quarterly
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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:

(Dulles, Va.) America Online on Wednesday had three new announcements in the realm of digital media. The company said it added streams from radio giant Infinity Broadcasting's WCBS-FM (New York City) and WUSN-FM (Chicago) stations to its Radio@AOL and Radio@AOL for Broadband services, with plans to launch additional streams from Infinity stations in Los Angeles and Washington in coming weeks. The company also partnered with Case's Ladder, a unit of eUniverse, to launch AOL Ladder, an online competitive ranking service for PlayStation 2 gamers. The service will expand to include Nintendo GameCube titles next year. Finally, AOL on Wednesday launched a preview of its Love.com personals site, which will integrate with the company's popular AOL Instant Messenger software.
http://media.aoltimewarner.com/media/press_view.cfm?release_num=55253666
http://media.aoltimewarner.com/media/press_view.cfm?release_num=55253664
http://www.infinityradio.com
http://www.casesladder.com 
http://www.love.com

(New York) Cable TV operator Cablevision Systems announced that it plans to offer its subscribers digital video recording functionality next year, joining the ranks of such competitors as Time Warner Cable and DirecTV that offer their subscribers the ability to pause and record live TV. Reuters reported that the company had initially hoped to offer the service through its own network, bypassing the need to distribute new set-top boxes to subscribers, but now says it will go the same route as its competitors and provide new set-tops.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/031209/media_cablevision_dvr_1.html

(Coral Gables, Fla.) Yahoo en Espanol on Wednesday announced the launch of a version of Yahoo's LAUNCH music destination for Hispanic audiences. The service offers on-demand music videos, Latin music streaming audio channels, music-related news, content, features and promotions. The company also launched a dedicated Enrique Iglesias Fan Club.
http://yahooenespanol.com 
http://espanol.launch.yahoo.com

(Seattle) Media delivery technology provider RealNetworks announced on Wednesday that its Rhapsody digital music subscription service is now compatible with consumer electronics firm Rockford's Omnifi home stereo/theater wireless digital media streamer, enabling subscribers to listen to Rhapsody tracks from their home stereo. The $299 product is a stand-alone receiver capable of streaming media from consumers' personal computers to their home stereo system using a wired or wireless network. Seattle-based RealNetworks also announced on Wednesday that Rhapsody subscribers streamed over one million songs per day on average during November, or over 33 million songs total, up 17% from October.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031210/sfw050_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031210/sfw049_1.html 
http://www.omnifimedia.com

(Los Angeles) Square Enix U.S.A., the U.S. publishing arm of the Japanese video game developer, announced on Wednesday that it will develop versions of its games for wireless network operator Verizon's Get It Now service. The first title from the "Final Fantasy" developer to be offered to Verizon subscribers will be "Brave Shot," available today; Square Enix said additional titles will be announced later.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031210/law014_1.html 
http://www.square-enix-usa.com 
http://www.verizonwireless.com/getitnow

(Copenhagen) Visionik, a unit of digital TV "smart card" developer NDS that develops interactive TV services, announced on Wednesday that children's cable TV network Nickelodeon will use the company's services to bring interactive TV games and applications based on its properties to the Sky digital platform in the U.K. Copenhagen-based Visionik's free-to-play games will run behind programming on the Nickelodeon, Nicktoons and Nick Jr. channels.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031210/105035_1.html 
http://www.visionik.com 
http://www.nick.com

(Redmond, Wash.) Nintendo of America on Wednesday announced the launch of a Customer Loyalty Program, which will reward customers who provide feedback on Nintendo systems and games with exclusive content and game information. Top-tier participants will occasionally be able to preview new Nintendo games and initiatives, the company said.
http://www.nintendo.com

(Calabasas Hills, Calif.) Video game publisher THQ announced on Wednesday plans to publish "Warhammer 40,000; Dawn of War" for PC in the fall of 2004. Based on the "Warhammer 40,000" tabletop war game from Games Workshop, the title will be developed by Vancouver-based Relic Entertainment.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031210/105361_1.html 
http://www.thq.com 
http://www.games-workshop.com 
http://www.relic.com

(San Francisco) Wired News on Wednesday reported on the new crop of Hollywood agents that are being trained by talent agencies to act as liaisons between the movie/celebrity and video game industries, as the market for video games based on various established entertainment properties continues to flourish. For instance, the William Morris Agency negotiated deals between pro skater Tony Hawk and Activision, as well as between author Tom Clancy and Red Storm Entertainment -- which both resulted in top-selling game titles. Meanwhile, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) represents Microsoft Game Studios, Valve Software, id Software and "Sims" creator Will Wright, and other agencies including Endeavor and International Creative Management (ICM) have their own game-related deals in the works.
http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,61358,00.html

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> Classifieds:

___________________

> OPS Consulting - Project/Technical Manager Positions

OPS Consulting, a software engineering consulting firm, is looking for qualified Software Project Managers (SPM) with 15 yrs exp. in large-scale application projects, Configuration Managers (CM) with 15+ yrs exp. in the use of configuration mgmt tools (5 yrs in Clearcase/ClearQuest), CMMI, software quality assurance and Requirements Managers (RM) with 15+ years exp. in CMMI/IEEE standards, object-oriented modeling tools, software testing and software engineering. A TS/SCI Security clearance is reqd. for all positions. For more info, visit http://www.opsconsulting.com  Send resume and salary requirements to hr@opsconsulting.com
___________________

> 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.

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