Archives

Date

Sites Offer Beatles/Jay-Z Remix Album in "Grey Tuesday" Protest of EMI

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 24, 2004 - 8:03am.
London -- A coalition of websites are offering an album free for download on Tuesday in protest of major label EMI's efforts to ban its sale or distribution on grounds that it amounts to copyright infringement. The "Grey Tuesday" protest is "a day of coordinated civil disobedience" to distribute artist DJ Danger Mouse's "Grey Album," which samples and remixes elements from rapper Jay-Z's "Black Album" and the Beatles famed "White Album." EMI, which controls rights to the Beatles catalog, has sent cease-and-desist letters demanding that retailers destroy their copies of the album and websites remove them from their sites. Several hundred websites are ignoring EMI's threats and either offering the album for free download on Tuesday, or else turning their websites' pages grey in solidarity. "The lawyers and bureaucrats at EMI have shown zero flexibility and not a glimmer of interest in the artistic significance of this work," Grey Tuesday organizers Downhill Battle wrote on their website. "And without a clearly defined right to sample (e.g. compulsory licensing), the five major record labels will continue to use copyright in a reactionary and narrowly self-interested manner that limits and erodes creativity."
tags: Beatles | EMI | Grey Tuesday | Sites | Jay-Z Remix Album |

Eminem Sues Apple Over Use of Song in iTunes Store Commercial

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 24, 2004 - 8:02am.
Detroit -- Rapper Eminem's music publishing company has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Apple Computer, Viacom, MTV and ad agency TBWA/Chiat/Day, over the unauthorized use of one of his songs in a TV commercial for Apple's iTunes music download store, the Associated Press reported. The suit, filed by Eminem's Eight Mile Style publishing company, centers on an iTunes ad that aired multiple times on MTV in which a ten-year-old actor sings part of the rapper's Grammy-winning song, "Lose Yourself." "Eminem has never nationally endorsed any commercial products and ... even if he were interested in endorsing a product, any endorsement deal would require a significant amount of money, possibly in excess of $10 million," according to the lawsuit filed on Friday in District Court in Detroit.
tags: Apple | iTunes | Musics | Eminem | Commercial |

SightSound Wins Music Download Patent Settlement Against CDnow

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 24, 2004 - 8:01am.
Pittsburgh -- SightSound Technologies, a company that holds patents on technology enabling the sale of downloadable music and movies, announced on Tuesday that it has settled its patent infringement litigation against online retailers CDnow and N2K, and will receive a total payment of $3.3 million in compensation. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania ruled that Pittsburgh-based SightSound's patents are valid and enforceable. The company claims to have sold the first downloadable music on the Internet in 1995 and first downloadable movie in 1999, and says it now aims to expand its patent licensing activity. "Resolution of this dispute, after six years of vigorous litigation, is momentous," said SightSound attorney William Wells. "SightSound can now look forward with renewed strength to licensing those in the music and movie industry who seek to employ SightSound's patented technology in downloading digital music and movies over the Internet."
tags: Download | Musics | SightSound | CDnow |

French Wireless Firm Alcatel Distributing New Mobile Game, Music Video Services

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 24, 2004 - 7:59am.
Cannes, France -- Alcatel, a French provider of applications for wireless network operators, on Tuesday announced a number of new wireless multimedia initiatives, including a multiplayer game and music video services. The company partnered with French wireless games firm BeTomorrow to launch "Xploded," which it says is the first Java-based mobile multiplayer game that supports up to 40 simultaneous players. In April, Alcatel and Korean wireless network SK Telecom will launch a photo-music-video service, allowing users to combine their own digital photos with music and video content that they can send to other cell phones or e-mail addresses. Finally, Alcatel partnered with Universal Mobile to jointly develop, promote and market new mobile multimedia services featuring Universal content. The companies said their efforts will result in the creation of video mailbox, video delivery portal and video ring back tone services. 
tags: Alcatel | Mobile Game | French Wireless | Music Video Services |

Google, Yahoo Top January Search Destinations

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 24, 2004 - 7:59am.
New York -- Search engine rivals Google and Yahoo continue to rank one-two in the list of Internet search destinations, according to new research by New York-based Nielsen//NetRatings, a provider of Internet audience measurement services. In January, Google held a 39% market share, attracting more than 59 million unique users. That beat out Yahoo (30%, 46 million), MSN Search (30%, 45 million) and AOL Search (15.5%, 23 million). All told, 114.5 million Americans -- or 76% of the actice online U.S. population -- used a search engine during the month.
tags: Yahoo | Google | Websites | Search Destinations |