Archive - May 1, 2003 | Digital Media Wire

Archive - May 1, 2003

Date

RIAA Settles Lawsuits Filed Against Student "Mini-Napster" Operators

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 1, 2003 - 8:28am.

Washington -- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced on Thursday that it has settled copyright infringement lawsuits it filed against four college students accused of operating "mini-Napster" campus file-sharing networks. The students -- two from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and one each from Princeton University and Michigan Technological University -- will pay damages of between $12,000 and $17,000 each over a four-year payment schedule, in addition to promising not to knowingly infringe music copyrights. The damages are far less than the maximum penalty of $150,000 per song that the RIAA initially sought in its lawsuits. "We believe it's in everyone's best interest to come to a quick resolution, and that these four defendants now clearly understand the seriousness with which we view this type of illegal behavior," said RIAA senior vice president Matt Oppenheim. "We have also sent a clear signal to others that this kind of activity is illegal." One of the defendants, 18-year-old Princeton sophomore Daniel Peng, denied any guilt in the matter. "I don't believe that I did anything wrong," Peng said, in a statement.

tags: Lawsuits | RIAA | Students | Mini-Napster |

Apple Reports 275,000 Songs Sold Through iTunes in First 18 Hours

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 1, 2003 - 8:27am.

New York -- Apple's new iTunes digital music service has proven popular so far -- as 275,000 tracks at $0.99 each were sold during its first 18 hours of operation, major label sources told Billboard.com. The number gains further importance when Apple's approximate 3 percent share of the computer market is taken into consideration. Label sources told Billboard that Apple plans to make iTunes compatible with the PC by the end of the year, having already secured licensing deals with two major labels for the PC version. http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1878475

tags: Reports | Apple | iTunes | Musics |

File-Sharing Service StreamCast Networks Gets $1.2 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 1, 2003 - 8:26am.

Los Angeles -- StreamCast Networks, distributor of the Morpheus peer-to-peer file-sharing software, announced that it has received $1.2 million in new financing in the form of a convertible loan. A federal judge last week ruled in a lawsuit filed against StreamCast by the entertainment industry that the company's software -- which lets users connect to one another's PCs and download music, video and other files -- does not infringe on copyrights. The company also announced this week the launch of Morpheus version 3.0, as well as the return of former CEO Michael Weiss as head of the company.

tags: File-Sharing | StreamCast | Networks |

German Soccer Player Gets EA Video Game Banned Over Unauthorized Likeness

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 1, 2003 - 8:24am.

Hamburg -- GameIndustry.biz reports that a German court has ruled that Redwood City, Calif.-based video game developer Electronic Arts must remove its "FIFA World Cup 2002" title from retailers' shelves in the country, as the company did not receive permission from German soccer player Oliver Kahn to use his likeness in the game. Damages are as yet undecided, although the prosecution claims that 300,000 copies of the game have been sold in Germany, equating to about $17 million in sales, and that that figure should weigh into any decision on compensation to Kahn. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/30445.html

Gist Announces Layoffs, Ends Free Online TV Listings

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 1, 2003 - 8:24am.

New York -- Gist, a developer of electronic program guides for digital television systems, has laid off all of the employees at its online unit as well as two senior executives as part of a cost reduction plan, itvt.com reported. The company also announced that it will no longer offer its free online TV listings service. New York-based Gist said it will continue to develop and market its electronic program guide for digital TV operators, as well as its TV Mag video-on-demand service; the company's guide is currently deployed on Canadian TV system Star Choice. http://www.itvt.com

tags: Internet | TV | Layoffs | Gist |

Digital Media Storage Provider Exavio Raises $14.3 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 1, 2003 - 8:22am.

San Jose, Calif. -- After operating in stealth mode for the past year, Exavio, a maker of digital media storage and IP-based switches, said on Wednesday that it has raised $14.3 million in its first round of funding. ComVentures, VantagePoint Venture Partners, Crystal Internet Venture Funds and Enspire Capital each participated in the round. The company also named Gary Law as vice president of marketing and Brian Bentley as vice president of sales. Exavio's technology is designed for large-scale digital media storage and the delivery of personalized on-demand video services by broadcast, cable and broadband service providers.

tags: VC | Digital Media | Exavio |

Square Enix U.S.A. Announces Titles to be Featured at E3 Game Convention

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 1, 2003 - 8:22am.

Los Angeles -- Video game publisher Square Enix U.S.A., the North American publishing arm of Japan-based "Final Fantasy" developer Square Enix, announced on Thursday the slate of video game titles it plans to showcase at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. In addition to the anticipated "Final Fantasy XI" for PlayStation 2 and the PC, the company will introduce "Unlimited Saga," "Final Fantasy X-2," "Star Ocean Till the End of Time" and "Drakengard" for PlayStation 2; "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles" for Nintendo GameCube, and "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance" and "Sword of Mana" for the Game Boy Advance.

tags: Square Enix | Titles | E3 Game | U.S.A |