Main Stories
o President Bush Signs "Can Spam" Bill into Law
o Despite Ruling, Canadian Record Industry to Begin Suing File-Swappers
o Pop-Up Ad Firm Targeted by FTC Wins Right to Resume Sending Ads
o Philips to Launch "Open" Digital Rights Management System in 6 Months
o Sirius Satellite Radio Signs 7-Year Deal to Broadcast NFL Games
o Sony Licenses Gemstar's Digital TV Interactive Program Guide
o Report: Online Advertising in U.K. Grows in Second Quarter
o Video Game Tournament Software Firm Game Trust Raises $5.5 Million
o Interplay Sells Rights to "Galleon" Game Franchise to SCi Games Ltd.
o Nokia Releases Jay-Z Phone Embedded With Rapper's New Album

o Briefly Noted: Roxio - patent lawsuit response, AOL - 2003 top search terms, Fandango - Canada, Clear Channel - ClearSky Mobile Media, Crisp Wireless, Eidos - "Hitman: Contracts," Running With Scissors - "POSTAL 2: Share The Pain," Midway Games - "Ozzy & Drix," Electronic Arts - "The Sims Bustin' Out"

Washington, D.C. -- With unwanted email or "spam" threatening to undermine the Internet's most popular form of communication, President George W. Bush signed a new law on Tuesday imposing stricter fines and jail time for offenders. The so-called "can spam" bill was passed by Congress earlier this month and is one of the most far-reaching efforts to curb the plague of spam, which is generally estimated to account for about one-half of all email messages. The new federal law will nullify various tough anti-spam laws passed by states. Some skeptics of the law say it will do little to improve the situation. "Unfortunately, this law will have no effect on the worst spammers," said Brian Niles, CEO TargetX, an email marketing firm based in Pennsylvania. "Estimates are that 90% of all spam comes from about 200 groups around the world. They operate outside the jurisdiction of the U.S."
http://shorterlink.com/?WZBROG
http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=Cp96rubWbmZuWCdy1ntq
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o Despite Ruling, Canadian Record Industry to Begin Suing File-Swappers

Toronto -- Canada's National Post reported on Tuesday that, despite a recent ruling from the Copyright Board of Canada that said downloading media from the Internet is legal, the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) plans to begin suing peer-to-peer file-swappers in the country early next year. The CRIA's Brian Robertson told The Post that the legal action would target those who upload songs to file-sharing services like Kazaa -- much like the hundreds of suits filed against U.S. citizens by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "We've gone through a process, and spent $1 million on a value-of-music education campaign," Robertson told The Post. "But the industry continues to be devastated by file sharing. It is regrettable that we'll have to take this action, but we've been forced to." Legal experts predict any copyright infringement lawsuits against Canadians will be more cumbersome for the industry there, as Canada lacks the streamlined subpoena process laid out in the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which the RIAA has used to reveal the identities of file-swappers kept by their Internet service providers.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?S2F1424D6 
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5126053.html 
http://www.cria.ca
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o Pop-Up Ad Firm Targeted by FTC Wins Right to Resume Sending Ads

Baltimore, Md. -- A software company ordered by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to halt distribution of its pop-up ads and accompanying pop-up ad-blocking software offers has won a small court victory against the FTC, according to published reports. The FTC said San Diego-based D Squared Solutions' pop-up ads were "nothing more than a high-tech version of a classic scam" when it won a preliminary injunction against the company -- an injunction which a federal judge on Monday refused to extend in length. "It's not clear to me ... if there's substantial injury to consumers," said Judge Andre Davis. The decision from the U.S. District Court in Maryland effectively means that D Squared may resume distributing its pop-up ads until a full trial on the matter begins on March 8, 2004.
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/11/dsquared.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3978-2003Dec16.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1024-5125074.html
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o Philips to Launch "Open" Digital Rights Management System in 6 Months

Amsterdam -- The Netherlands' Royal Philips Electronics has announced that it will launch a system that allows consumers to play protected digital video and music on any digital media player, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The Dutch company said that it hoped its digital rights management (DRM) system -- which is currently being developed by InterTrust Technologies and is expected to be released in roughly six months -- would replace a wide range of propriety systems that have left most consumers baffled and frustrated. Philips co-owns InterTrust along with fellow consumer electronics firm Sony. Reuters quoted Philips' Intellectual Property and Standards CEO Ruud Peters as saying that "consumers want an open system, and the electronics industry wants it too."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?R29D122D6
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o Sirius Satellite Radio Signs 7-Year Deal to Broadcast NFL Games

New York -- Sirius Satellite Radio, a provider of satellite-delivered digital radio programming, announced on Tuesday that it has signed a seven-year contract with the National Football League (NFL) to broadcast all NFL games live nationwide. Beginning with the NFL's 2004 season, New York-based Sirius will carry the entire NFL regular season as well as select pre-season contests and playoff games. The company will also create "The NFL Radio Network," a dedicated Sirius channel featuring NFL news, features and programs from The NFL Network television channel, which launched in November.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031216/nytu061_1.html 
http://www.nfl.com 
http://www.siriusradio.com
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o Sony Licenses Gemstar's Digital TV Interactive Program Guide

Los Angeles -- Gemstar-TV Guide International, a provider of electronic program guides for digital television services, announced on Tuesday that it has signed a multi-year contract with consumer electronics giant Sony, allowing Sony to incorporate the company's interactive program guides into Sony digital video recorders and televisions sold in Japan. Sony plans to include Los Angeles-based Gemstar's program listings with its first Blu-ray Disc recorder, based on new blue laser DVD technology, as well as with the PSX, a PlayStation 2 console with added digital video recorder and other features that Sony will release in Japan. Gemstar has also licensed its program guides to Matsushita, Philips, Thomson, Sharp, Samsung, Zenith, JVC and Mitsubishi.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031216/165501_1.html 
http://www.gemstartvguide.com ____________________________________________

o Report: Online Advertising in U.K. Grows in Second Quarter

London -- According to a new survey conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), online advertising in the U.K. grew by a whopping 85% in the first half of 2003, remarkable news especially when considering that the global market has been in a slump for three years running. Spending on Web ads in the first half grew to more than $264 million, IAB said. The largest online advertising market in Europe now looks certain to break through the $525 million milestone for a full year, a $175 million increase compared to 2002.
http://www.iab.net
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o Video Game Tournament Software Firm Game Trust Raises $5.5 Million

New York -- Game Trust, a developer of infrastructure technology used to manage online video game tournaments, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $5.5 million through a private placement of its stock. Silicon Alley Venture Partners (SAVP) and Topspin Partners co-led the investment; CSK Ventures, Intel Capital, Tri-State PIN, NYNMA, PayPal co-founder Elon Musk and Timothy Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson also participated. New York-based Game Trust licenses its software -- which adds tournaments, ranking, chat, buddy lists, and game invitation functionality to any game on any device in any language -- to game developers, and gaming sites and portals. The company will use the funds to expand licensing opportunities internationally and in the wireless, console and PC markets, as well as to hire additional talent in its New York headquarters and Danish subsidiary.
http://www.gametrust.com ____________________________________________

o Interplay Sells Rights to "Galleon" Game Franchise to SCi Games Ltd.

Irvine, Calif. -- Video game developer Interplay Entertainment announced on Tuesday that it has sold all of the rights to its "Galleon: Islands of Mystery" game franchise to London-based SCi Games Ltd. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "In development for more than three years, Galleon no longer fits with Interplay's strategy going forward," said Interplay chairman and CEO Herve Caen. "Heading into 2004, Interplay is facing critical decisions about its future strategy, its resources, and its product lineup. The company's development resources will be streamlined and focused on high profile game titles we have planned for release next year and in the near term."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031215/dem019_1.html 
http://www.sci.co.uk 
http://www.interplay.com
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o Nokia Releases Jay-Z Phone Embedded With Rapper's New Album

Irving, Texas -- Cell phone maker Nokia announced on Tuesday that it partnered with hip-hop artist Jay-Z to create a special edition of the Nokia 3300 music phone called the Black Phone. The handset will come loaded with a multimedia card containing Jay-Z's recently released Black Album. The $124 music phone will also feature Jay-Z-themed ringtones and wallpapers, and will be sold at music retailers including Sam Goody and Media Play.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031216/datu023_1.html
http://www.nokiausa.com/phones/3300

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> 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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(Santa Clara, Calif.) Roxio, a maker of CD and DVD burning software and operator of the new Napster service, on Tuesday responded to a patent infringement lawsuit filed against the company by Irvine, Calif.-based Optima Technology. The suit alleges that Roxio is infringing on a patent Optima says covers the process of purchasing downloads that are burned onto CD. "We are aware of the Optima '531 patent and the claims within and believe that any claim of infringement by Roxio's software products is utterly without merit," Roxio said in a statement. "We intend to aggressively defend ourselves in this litigation."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031216/sftu053_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/031215/tech_roxio_1.html 
http://www.optimatech.com 
http://www.roxio.com

(Dulles, Va.) America Online on Tuesday released its list of the most-searched-for terms on its search engine among its 50 million users during 2003. Rapper 50 Cent was the top-ranking person on the list, replacing Britney Spears who held the top spot the two previous years, and who this year ranked second. The third most-searched-for person was Paris Hilton, who also topped the list of most-searched-for "news" items among AOL members during 2003.
http://media.aoltimewarner.com/media/press_view.cfm?release_num=55253676
http://www.aolepk.com/search

(Hollywood) Fandango, a provider of advance online movie ticket sales, announced on Tuesday the launch of its services in Canada. Hollywood-based Fandango partnered with theater exhibitor Cineplex Galaxy LP to sell tickets online to its Cineplex Odeon theaters in the Greater Toronto area, with the goal of adding additional theaters in 2004. Fandango also has partnerships with North American exhibitors including Carmike Theatres, Century Theatres, Cinemark Theatres, Edwards Theatres, Loews-Cineplex Entertainment, Regal Cinemas and United Artists Theatres.
http://www.loewscineplex.com/canada 
http://www.fandango.com

(Orlando, Fla.) Wireless entertainment publisher ClearSky Mobile Media announced on Tuesday a partnership with radio station owner Clear Channel Communications, to distribute ringtones and wallpaper through Clear Channel radio stations and their websites. Orlando, Fla.-based ClearSky said the service, first launching in central Florida, will be widely promoted with radio spots and live DJ interaction, and that each station will have a ringtone and wallpaper selection specific to the playlist and audience of that particular station.
http://www.clearchannel.com 
http://www.clearskymobilemedia.com

(New York) Wireless application developer Crisp Wireless on Tuesday released its "Hard Rock Live" application, available on a promotional multimedia card for the Nokia 3300 cell phone. Featuring artists from the "AT&T Wireless Presents Hard Rock Live" concert series at Hard Rock Cafe locations, the application lets users learn more about 20 emerging artists, preview and purchase ringtones, view exclusive photos from the shows and play trivia games.
http://www.crispwireless.com/products/demos/hard_rock

(San Francisco) U.K.-based video game developer Eidos announced on Tuesday that it will release a third installment in its "Hitman" game series with the release of "Hitman: Contracts" for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and the PC in the spring of 2004. The game is currently under development at Denmark-based IO Interactive.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031216/sftu032_1.html 
http://www.eidos.com 
http://www.ioi.dk 
http://www.hitmancontracts.com

(Tucson, Ariz.) Arizona-based video game developer Running With Scissors on Tuesday released its "POSTAL 2: Share The Pain" self-published title for the PC. The first installment of the game was banned in several countries, derided by Sen. Joe Lieberman, and prompted a trademark lawsuit from the U.S. Postal Service that was eventually won by the game developer.
http://www.gopostal.com/store

(Chicago) Midway Games on Tuesday shipped its "Ozzy & Drix" title for Nintendo Game Boy Advance, based on the popular Warner Bros. animated children's TV series airing on Kids' WB, to retailers.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031216/165002_1.html 
http://www.midway.com

(Redwood City, Calif.) Electronic Arts on Tuesday announced the release of its "The Sims Bustin' Out" title for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. Developed at EA's Maxis studio, the title supports online elements for the PlayStation 2, as well as connectivity between the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance versions of the game.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031216/165315_1.html 
http://thesims.ea.com

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