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RIAA Sues Another 482 Song-Swappers for Copyright Infringement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 22, 2004 - 8:12am.
Los Angeles -- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on Tuesday filed another 482 copyright infringement lawsuits against alleged music file-swappers, bringing the total number of individuals sued since the group began its legal campaign a year ago to 3,429. The new lawsuits were filed against "John Doe" subscribers to Internet service providers, and included 206 in Washington, D.C., 213 in St. Louis, 55 in Denver and six in New Jersey. The "John Doe" suits against individual defendants are a step the RIAA must now take in order to compel ISPs to identify their accused customers. Most defendants have settled their cases with the RIAA out of court, agreeing to pay an average of $3,000 to have charges dropped. "Illegal downloading continues to cause enormous harm to the entire music community," said RIAA general counsel Steven Marks. "We must stay on the path of education, enforcement, and offering great legal services."
tags: Law | RIAA | Sues | Copyright Infringement | Song-Swappers |

Loudeye to Acquire U.K. Internet Music Firm OD2 for $39 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 22, 2004 - 8:10am.
Seattle -- Loudeye Technologies, a provider of streaming song samples and other digital media services, announced on Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire U.K.-based Internet music firm OD2 (On Demand Distribution) for $39 million. Loudeye President and CEO Jeff Cavins said that the acquisition of OD2 -- co-founded by Charles Grimsdale and musician Peter Gabriel in 2000 -- would allow his company to become "the largest business-to-business digital media provider in the world with the largest licensed digital music catalogue in the industry." OD2 currently supplies music to Microsoft's MSN, Viacom Inc.'s MTV and Coca-Cola, among others. The newly merged Loudeye said it would be able to sell music in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, and that it would have rights to more than 1.3 million tracks in Europe and 4.6 million in the U.S.
tags: Loudeye | Acquire | U.K. Internet Music | OD2 |

Global Tech Companies Form "Digital Living Network Alliance"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 22, 2004 - 8:08am.
San Francisco -- A group of 145 electronics companies from all over the world has launched an alliance called the Digital Living Network Alliance. The alliance's aim will be to develop fledgling markets for PCs, home electronics and wireless devices that share digital information with one another, the group said. The group said it would soon publish a set of guidelines for compliant consumer electronics and begin to issue seals of approval for all devices that meet those standards. Formerly known as the Digital Home Working Group, the new alliance was established by Intel Corp. and Sony Corp. last year. Since then, companies aiming to get a leg up on the growing interest in digital content have scrambled to join up; the group now includes such heavy hitters as Microsoft Corp and Finland's Nokia, as well as International Business Machines Corp. and Hewlett-Packard, among others.
tags: Global Tech Companies | Digital Living Network Alliance |

Apple, BMW Partner on "Seamless" iPod Car Stereo Adapter

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 22, 2004 - 8:03am.
Cupertino, Calif. -- Apple announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with automaker BMW to create the first "seamless" connection between an iPod digital music player and a car audio system. The $149 BMW iPod Adapter connects an iPod to a cable located in the glove compartment, which connects directly to the car's stereo, uses the car stereo's own stereo interface for control, and draws power from the car's battery. The device will be available beginning July 12 for 2002-2004 model BMW X3, X5, Z4 and 3 Series. A version for the MINI Cooper will also be released later this summer.
tags: BMW | Apple | Deal | Seamless iPod Car Stereo Adapter |