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Kazaa Australian Offices, Executives' Homes Raided in Copyright Investigation

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 6, 2004 - 10:20am.
Sydney -- The offices and homes of executives at file-sharing firms Sharman Networks (Kazaa) and Brilliant Digital Entertainment (Altnet) were raided by Australian music industry officials Friday morning in part of an ongoing copyright infringement investigation, ZDNet Australia reported. Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI), an Australian record industry trade group, obtained a special order from the court that allows copyright holders to enter premises and conduct a search and seizure of any copyright-infringing materials. In addition to the offices and homes of Sharman CEO Nikki Hemming, Brilliant Digital CEO Kevin Burmeister and Sharman director of technology Phil Morle, the raid also encompassed several Australian universities and four Internet service providers. "This is not about individuals; this is about the big fish," MIPI general manager Michael Speck told ZDNet Australia. "This is a signal that Internet music piracy is finished in Australia." Sharman and Brilliant Digital will come before Australian federal court Justice Murray Wilcox and record industry lawyers on Tuesday. "This action appears to be an extraordinary waste of time, money and resources going over legal ground that has been well and truly covered in the U.S. and Dutch Courts over the past 18 months," said Sharman Networks in a statement.
tags: Copyright | Kazaa | Investigation | Executives' Homes | Australian Offices |

Electronic Arts, Marvel Team on New Superhero Game Franchise

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 6, 2004 - 10:19am.
Redwood City, Calif. -- Video game developer Electronic Arts announced on Friday that it has partnered with comic book publisher Marvel to create a new series of fighting game titles that will pit Marvel superheroes against an original cast of "EA heroes." While Electronic Arts will receive a license to include Marvel characters like Spider-Man and the X-Men in the game, the company has granted Marvel exclusive rights for all consumer products and media licensing for the new EA heroes, and will publish new comic books introducing the EA characters. Redwood City, Calif.-based Electronic Arts said that games for multiple platforms are currently in development at its EAC studio in British Columbia. The company told Reuters that the first title is scheduled for release in late 2005.
tags: Games | Marvel | Electronic Arts | Superhero |

America Online, Apple Computer Launch Live Video Chat

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 6, 2004 - 10:17am.
Cupertino, Calif.. -- Nearly six months after receiving federal approval, America Online on Thursday said that it will begin offering live video chat throughout its instant messaging service. The service is fully compatible to Apple's iChat video conferencing technology, expanding on a 2-year-old instant messaging partnership between the two companies. For the first time, it will allow users to conduct live video instant messaging conversations. Other new features allow users to invite "buddies" to play online games through their IM connection and to link up and manage multiple screen names from the same session. AOL said that its AIM service is used by more than 50 million people each month.
tags: Internet | Apple | America | Computer | Video Chat |

Report: Online Teen Girls Spend More on Music Than Boys

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 6, 2004 - 10:17am.
New York -- American teenage girls who use the Internet spend 15% more of their money purchasing music than do boys, according to data from a survey from Jupiter Research. Nearly half of online teen girls spend more than $100 a year on music. Girls are also bigger digital music users overall, and top boys in all categories except for downloading and burning CDs. "Besides their spending, another thing that makes teen girls particularly attractive is their reliance on the Internet to gather music-related information," said Juliana Deeks, a research associate analyst with Jupiter. "Nearly one-half read about musicians or bands online." The survey included 1,800 online teens, aged 13 to 17.
tags: Internet | Reports | Musics | Teen Girls | Boys |

Roxio Wins Napster Domain Name from U.K. Treasury Solicitor

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 6, 2004 - 10:15am.
Santa Clara, Calif. -- Roxio, the company that recently acquired music service Napster, has won a victory against the U.K. Treasury Solicitor for the rights to the napster.co.uk domain name. The case has been a long time in the making: In 1999, so-called cyber-squatters hoping to take advantage of Napster brand-name recognition registered the name. In 2001, Napster went bankrupt, and in 2003, the name was transferred to the Treasury Solicitor, which deals with assets for which ownership has lapsed. U.K. registry Nominet ruled on Friday that the Treasury Solicitor's possession of the name was "abusive" and ordered it transferred to Roxio.
tags: Napster | U.K | Roxio | Treasury Solicitor |

Mobile Games Firm Dwango Names CEO, Acquires Ringtone Provider

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 6, 2004 - 10:14am.
Seattle -- Dwango North America Corp., a developer and publisher of wireless entertainment content, announced on Friday that it has named Rick J. Hennessey as president and CEO. The company also said that chief financial officer Jacques Faust and chief operating officer Conrad Hametner are leaving the company. Hennessey has served as president of the company's Dwango Wireless unit since July 2003. The company also announced that it has acquired Hennessey's ringtone company, Over the Air Wireless; financial details of that transaction were not disclosed. Finally, Dwango said it will relocate its corporate functions from Houston, Texas to Seattle, Wash.
tags: Mobile Games | CEO | Ringtone | Dwango |

Home Media Center Maker Video Without Boundaries Raises $1.1 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 6, 2004 - 10:13am.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- Video Without Boundaries Inc. (VWB), a developer of interactive home entertainment devices, has raised $1.1 million in a private placement from Geneva, Switzerland-based Margaux Investment Management Group. Margaux said that it will use the new funds to expand and develop ongoing projects, including a new joint software development project with Lung Hwa Electronics for the Taiwan Educational System.
tags: VC | Video | Home Media | Boundaries |