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Date

FBI, DOJ, File-Sharing Networks Team to Combat P2P Child Porn

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 17, 2004 - 1:52am.
Washington -- The U.S. Depts. of Justice and Homeland Security and the FBI have announced a new law enforcement initiative aimed at the child pornography traded on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. "Operation Peer Pressure," which launched in the fall of 2003, has to date resulted in 350 search warrants being served and 65 arrests nationwide, on charges including possession and distribution of child pornography, as well as sexual abuse of children. "Today's announcement sends a clear message that the digital environment will not offer sanctity to those pedophiles who lurk in peer-to-peer networks, said FBI Director Robert Mueller. "[It] also raises public awareness to the inherent risks associated with file-sharing networks. Parents must know that access to these networks is free and exposure to child pornography is often a frightening reality." File-sharing networks including Kazaa said that they fully cooperated with law enforcement during the investigations.
tags: P2P | File-Sharing | DOJ | Child Porn | FBI |

AOL Exits Japan, Selling Off Unit for $18.4 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 17, 2004 - 1:51am.
Dulles, Va. -- Signaling its exit from the Japanese market, America Online has sold its Japanese Internet service to Japan's eAccess for about $18.4 million, several media outlets reports on Monday. eAccess reportedly plans to hire the majority of AOL Japan's 200 employees, as well as market its broadband DSL services under the AOL brand name. The deal is expected to close at the end of June. AOL entered Japan under a joint venture with NTT DoCoMo in 1996, with the goal of integrating AOL's services with Web-enabled cell phones. The offerings, however, failed to attract customers, and NTT DoCoMo exited the business late last year.
tags: AOL | Japan | Off Unit |

DoubleClick Buys Search-Based Marketer Performics for $58 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 17, 2004 - 1:50am.
New York -- DoubleClick, a provider of online advertising services, announced on Monday that it has acquired Performics, a provider of search engine marketing services, for $58 million in cash. Chicago-based Performics provides technology and support to clients to automate their paid placement, paid inclusion and comparison shopping listings across multiple search providers. New York-based DoubleClick said its foray into the lucrative search engine marketing field will enable its advertiser customers to measure the performance of their traditional online ad campaigns alongside their search engine-based marketing efforts.
tags: DoubleClick | Search-Base | Marketer | Performics |

Hitachi to Increase Production of Microdrive Used in Portable Music Players

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 17, 2004 - 1:49am.
San Jose, Calif. -- Japanese electronics firm Hitachi's Global Storage Technologies unit announced on Monday that it will increase production of its 4GB Microdrive product, the miniature hard disk drive used in digital music players like Apple's iPod Mini, as well as digital cameras, PDAs and other devices. The company's Thailand plant will begin producing 2 million drives per quarter, up from the current 200,000, as a result of shortages that led Apple to delay the global sales launch for the iPod Mini.
tags: Portable | Hitachi | Microdrive | Music Players |

Samsung to Release Satellite TV Phone in Korea in Third Quarter

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 17, 2004 - 1:46am.
Seoul, South Korea -- Korean consumer electronics firm Samsung plans to release a cell phone capable of receiving satellite TV broadcasts in Korea during the third quarter of 2004, CNET News.com reported. The company announced in February that it had developed a satellite digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) chip for mobile phones, and plans to introduce a service that includes 40 TV stations alongside the launch of the phones. Although phones capable of receiving full-length TV programs have been available in Korea since 2002, delivering a 90-minute soccer game using a traditional cellular network can cost up to $260, News.com reported.
tags: TV | Korea | Samsung | Phone | Satellite | release |

Lodging Industry Video Distributor VFM Interactive Raises $2.2 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 17, 2004 - 1:45am.
Toronto -- VFM Interactive, a provider of rich media content to the lodging and travel industry, announced on Monday that it has raised $2.2 million in its fourth round of venture capital financing from sole investor J.L. Albright Venture Partners. Toronto-based VFM's customers -- including Hilton, Wyndham and Holiday Inn -- use the company's service to distribute their videos, virtual tours and other rich media marketing collateral to thousands of travel websites where consumers are researching and booking hotels. The company will use the funds for sales, marketing and technology development.
tags: VC | Video | Distributor | VFM |