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Sonicblue Deals to Sell Units Fall Through; Assets to Now Sell at Auction

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 1, 2003 - 3:35am.
Santa Clara, Calif. -- Bankrupt consumer electronics firm Sonicblue announced on Tuesday that a proposed deal to sell its ReplayTV digital recorder business and Rio digital audio player business has fallen though, and the units will instead be sold at auction. Sonicblue, which filed for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection last week, said at the time it had a letter of intent to sell the units for $40 million to Japanese electronics firm D&M Holdings, Inc.; however, the companies failed to produce a final asset purchase agreement prior to the United States Bankruptcy Court appointed deadline. "While we worked very hard with the D&M team over the last few weeks, we were just not able to finalize all of the needed terms before the court set deadline," said Sonicblue CEO Greg Ballard. Separate auctions for Sonicblue's ReplayTV and Rio business units will now be held on April 15, while an auction for the company's GoVideo business line will be held on April 4. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030331/sfm138_1.html
tags: Deals | Auction | Assets | Sonicblue |

Norwegian Teenager Faces New Trial On DVD-Cracking Charges

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 1, 2003 - 3:34am.
Oslo -- A Norwegian teenager acquitted on charges he violated copyright law by creating a program that can crack the encryption security on DVD discs will now face a new trial, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Jon Johansen was acquitted in January of charges brought by the Norwegian government at the behest of the U.S. Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), related to his creation of the computer code "DeCSS," which Johansen created to allow DVDs to play on PCs running the Linux operating system. The DeCSS code may also be used illegally to copy DVDs, and its publication by several parties in the U.S. has spawned lawsuits under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Johansen's attorney, Halvor Manshaus, told Reuters that the Borgarting appeals court will begin hearing the appeal on Dec. 2. "I regard our prospects for the appeal as positive. We are in a stronger position now than ever before since we won the first time," Manshaus told Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=2487095 http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/DeCSS_prosecutions/Johansen_DeCSS_case
tags: Norwegian | Teenager | DVD-Cracking |

AT&T Launches Prepaid Online Content Cards Sold At Retail

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 1, 2003 - 3:34am.
Morristown, N.J. -- AT&T Corp. on Tuesday launched a new payment solution that will offer online digital content through prepaid cards available in retail stores. Content providers including Shockwave.com, Cellus USA and Disney Online will offer prepaid cards redeemable for ringtones, online games, screensavers and other content; cards will be offered in monetary or unit denominations or else in weekly, monthly or annual subscriptions. Retailers that will sell the cards initially include PRE Solutions, Inc. Retail Partner Network, Speedway SuperAmerica and Uni-Marts. The company, which partnered with Accenture to create the AT&T PrePaid Web Cents Service, expects cards will be available in some 4,000 retail stores by the end of April.
tags: Internet | AT&T | Cards |

EBay Ends Online Ad Sales Deal With AOL

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 1, 2003 - 3:33am.
San Jose, Calif. -- Online auctioneer Ebay has ended an alliance with America Online where AOL sold third-party ads on the auction service, according to an Ebay filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The companies signed a four-year agreement in 1999 worth $75 million. Ebay's decision not to renew the agreement is a blow to AOL, which has already suffered from the slumping advertising market. San Jose, Calif.-based Ebay said in the SEC filing that its third-party advertising decreased from $80.5 million in 2001 to $54.9 million in 2002. http://makeashorterlink.com/?M5E932D04
tags: Deals | Internet | eBay | AOL |

Report: Home Networking Revenues to Hit $5.3 Billion in 2007

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 1, 2003 - 3:31am.
Scottsdale, Az. -- Increased sales of products such as networked gaming consoles, media servers, and devices that connect TVs, stereos and PCs will drive the home networking market from $1.8 billion in 2002 to $5.3 billion in 2007, according to a report from Arizona-based In-Stat/MDR. The firm predicts that networked gaming consoles will be the most widely-networked media device, and that media networking, while accounting for just 6 percent of the market in 2002, will make up 49 percent of the revenues for total home networking by the end of 2007. North America will continue to lead market adoption, as In-Stat/MDR predicts the total number of installed home networks will grow from 9.2 million in both U.S. and Canada in 2002 to over 28 million by the end of 2007. "With the home networking market for broadband sharing moving from the early adopter to the early majority, the market is well positioned for the next phase, which is networked entertainment," said Mike Wolf, a director with In-Stat/MDR. "The need for networking connectivity to enable new and compelling applications such as on-line gaming and networked digital audio will grow across demographics and geographies throughout the forecast period." http://www.instat.com/press.asp?ID=590&sku=IN0301096RC
tags: VC | Reports | Home Networks |

Vivendi Executives "Astonished, Disgusted" by Liberty Media Suit

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 1, 2003 - 3:30am.
Paris -- Franco-American media conglomerate Vivendi Universal expressed "astonishment and disgust" over the weekend upon learning that TV programming giant Liberty Media had taken legal action against the company for allegedly having made misleading statements about Vivendi's true financial condition. Liberty officials contend that Vivendi tried to cover up a financial crisis, while at the same time negotiating a share swap for most of Liberty's stake in USA Networks for 11 billion euro ($12 billion).
tags: Vivendi | Liberty Media | Astonished | Disgusted |

Hitachi and Mitsubishi Launch European Joint Venture

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 1, 2003 - 3:29am.
London -- Hitachi and Mitsubishi Electronics on Tuesday launched a joint venture called Renesas Technology Europe. The new company will focus on the design and manufacture of semiconductor system solutions for the mobile, network, and automotive industries, digital home electronics and industrial markets. Renesas Technology Europe will be headquartered in Maidenhead in the U.K., with major centers in Dusseldorf and Munich in Germany. Matthew Trowbridge, formerly executive general manager of Hitachi Europe's Electronic Components Group, has been appointed CEO of the new company.
tags: Europe | Joint Venture | Hitachi | Mitsubishi |