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Report: Number of U.S. Music Downloaders Up 27%

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 26, 2004 - 3:19am.
Washington -- The number of online Americans who have downloaded music from the Internet -- both via file-sharing networks like Kazaa and purchased downloads through retailers like iTunes -- increased from 18 million to 23 million between November 2003 and March 2004, according to data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The Pew survey also found that 14% of online Americans say that they used to download files but don't anymore, with a third of these citing fear of lawsuits from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The Pew report also cited ComScore measurement data that shows that between November 2003 and February 2004 alone, more than 5 million fewer people were actively running the Kazaa file-sharing application. However, this was tempered by a rise in the use of smaller services including iMesh, BitTorrent and eMule. Overall, 31% of downloaders said they use file-sharing networks; 17% reported having purchased downloads via iTunes or other retailers, while the rest found free tracks on musicians' sites or used e-mail or instant messaging to trade songs.
tags: Music | Raise | U.S. |

Netflix to Expand Into 'Net-Delivered Movie Downloads Next Year

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 26, 2004 - 3:16am.
Los Gatos, Calif. -- Netflix, an online DVD rental service that uses the U.S. Mail, plans to expand into delivering movies directly over the Internet next year. "Our strategy is to get huge in DVDs and then expand into downloads," Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told Reuters. "From the beginning we believed in the Internet delivering movies, but we believed it would be 10 years, not two years. We were right on that because everyone who got into downloading in 1998 is bankrupt now." Hastings said the company would not focus on delivering movies to the PC, but to consumers' televisions via wireless home networks or digital video recorders like TiVo.
tags: Netflix | Expands | Net-Delivered Movie |

CNET Networks Adds MP3 Music Site to Download.com

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 26, 2004 - 3:14am.
San Francisco -- CNET Networks, a publisher of technology news and information, announced on Monday the launch of a free, legal music discovery and download service on its Download.com site. The service allows artists to upload their songs for free and gives users the ability to search the site for free MP3 files. "While commercial music services have proliferated, we are the first large-scale provider to offer free music downloads in a discovery-focused environment, saving music fans valuable time in finding tunes that match their tastes," said Download.com senior vice president Scott Arpajian.
tags: CNET | MP3 | Musics |

Advanced Video Services Provider Arroyo Raises $13 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 26, 2004 - 3:12am.
Pleasanton, Calif. -- Arroyo Video Solutions, a provider of advanced video services, announced on Monday that it has raised $13 million in a first round of venture capital funding. Doll Capital Management and Foundation Capital led the round, with participation from Time Warner Investments and Comcast Interactive Capital. Pleasanton, Calif.-based Arroyo's technology enables video providers, including cable companies and broadband operators, to dramatically accelerate delivery of new TV services like video-on-demand and interactive TV to their subscribers.
tags: Video | Deal | Arroyo |

French Insurance Company AXA Sues Google Over Paid Search Terms

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 26, 2004 - 3:08am.

Paris -- French insurance company AXA has filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming that the search engine giant sold its registered trademarks as paid search terms, The Register reported on Monday. The suit alleges that Google's search engine directed users who typed in the words "AXA" or "direct assurance" to ads from rival insurance companies who had paid for the results. A preliminary hearing is scheduled to take place in Paris on May 10. "It's definitely a threat to Google, but it's also a threat to anybody who sells keyword-linked advertising - including Overture and eBay," Danny Sullivan, the editor of the online newsletter Search Engine Watch, told the Associated Press. Google already is involved in similar litigation in the U.S. with American Blind and Wallpaper Factory and Pets Warehouse. AXA is the world's third largest insurer.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/26/google_french_court/
http://makeashorterlink.com/?A3C024128
tags: Law | Google | AXA | Paid Search Terms | Insurance |