Archives

Report: San Diego First U.S. City to Report Majority of Broadband Users

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 11, 2004 - 6:23am.
Reston, Va. -- For the first time ever, a U.S. city now claims more broadband than dial-up Internet subscribers, as San Diego reported 52% of 'Net users there have broadband as opposed to 48% with dial-up, according to fourth quarter 2003 Internet usage data from Virginia-based ComScore Networks. The two closest runner-ups were Boston (50% broadband / 50% dial-up) and New York City (49% / 51%). Overall, broadband users now account for 36% of all U.S. Internet users. ComScore further broke down this data, reporting that 63% percent of broadband subscriptions are cable connections, while DSL subscriptions account for approximately 37% of the high-speed market. Of cable providers, Comcast claims the largest share of the market with 19% of all broadband users while DSL provider SBC claims 11% of the broadband segment. AOL still leads in overall market share for both broadband and dial-up subscribers, accounting for 28% of all U.S. Internet subscribers.
tags: Broadband | Reports | Report | San Diego |

Kazaa to Appeal Judge's Ruling on "Anton Piller" Search Warrants

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 11, 2004 - 6:22am.
Sydney -- Kazaa file-sharing network operator Sharman Networks announced on Thursday it will appeal an Australian judge's refusal to set aside his "Anton Piller"orders, which allowed the recording industry to enter the company's offices and executives' homes without notice and seize evidence as part of a copyright investigation. Sharman said that Justice Wilcox ignored many of its arguments when he refused its recent motion to set aside evidence gathered during the raids. The company says Wilcox failed to consider the fact that there was no real evidence of potential destruction of evidence -- one of the reasons an Anton Piller order is granted -- as well as the relevance of judgments in similar cases concerning Sharman in the U.S. and the Netherlands. "We remain resolute about our position in this case -- the plaintiffs are not raising any new issues here. This appeal is about standing up for what we believe in -- the right for peer-to-peer technology to exist as a legitimate model for digital distribution," said Sharman CEO Nikki Hemming. The Australian court handling the case will now set a date to hear Sharman's application for leave to appeal, and the appeal itself.
tags: Kazaa | Anton Piller | Search Warrants |

Rights Groups Sue FCC Over "Broadcast Flag" Digital TV Copy Controls

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 11, 2004 - 6:20am.
Washington -- A group including digital rights advocates and librarians have filed legal briefs voicing their opposition to the "broadcast flag," a mandate from the FCC that all digital TVs and related devices contain copy-protection technology. The American Library Association, Public Knowledge, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and other groups filed a petition last week asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rule that the FCC overstepped its authority by requiring device manufacturers to incorporate certain copy-protection technologies into their products by July 2005. "The FCC's digital broadcast television mandate is a step in the wrong direction because it would make digital television cost more and do less, undermining innovation, fair use, and competition," said EFF senior intellectual property attorney Fred von Lohmann. The FCC has asked the court to put the lawsuit on hold, pending its decision on other petitions to reconsider the broadcast flag mandate.
tags: FCC | Digital TV | Broadcast Flag | Rights Groups |

ASCAP, BMI License Digital Jukebox Firms TouchTunes, Ecast

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 11, 2004 - 6:19am.
New York -- Performing rights organization ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) announced on Thursday that it has reached licensing agreements with digital jukebox manufacturers TouchTunes and Ecast, covering the rights to perform music from ASCAP members on their jukeboxes in bars and restaurants. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed. Under the deals, ASCAP will receive detailed reporting information from both companies on which songs are played on their jukeboxes, in order to accurately compensate artists for their works. Separately, San Francisco-based Ecast said it has also secured a licensing agreement with the other large performing rights organization in the U.S., BMI (Broadcast Music International).
tags: ASCAP | TouchTunes | Jukebox | BMI | Ecast |

Global Technology Giants Propose Mobile Top Level Domain

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 11, 2004 - 6:18am.
Paris -- Nokia, Vodafone, Microsoft and a half dozen other global technology giants have joined forces to propose an Internet-address category for mobile Internet access. The companies, which are asking to operate a domain-names registry for wireless devices to encourage Web services, are understood to have signed a memorandum of understanding to apply for a mobile Top Level Domain. The companies also announced that they have agreed to form a joint venture and have plans to establish its headquarters in Ireland with a staff of up to 25 people. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) -- the global gatekeeper for the Internet's address system -- still must approve the proposal. The partners in the venture include Microsoft, Vodafone, Nokia, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, Orange, 3 UK, Samsung and the GSM Association.
tags: Mobile | Domain | Global Technology | Top Level |

E3 Expo to Feature Video Game Art Exhibit

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 11, 2004 - 6:18am.
Los Angeles -- Organizers of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the video game industry's annual convention in Los Angeles, on Thursday announced a call for entries for its first exhibit of video and computer game art, dubbed "Into the Pixel." The exhibit is a joint project of the E3 Expo, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, and The Graphic Arts Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Art submissions must be taken from published, or soon to be published, computer and video games, and will be curated by interactive entertainment industry art veterans and experts from the traditional art field. The deadline for submissions is April 15; the E3 Expo runs May 11-14.
tags: Video Game | E3 Expo | Art Exhibit |