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Supreme Court Rules Against Child Online Protection Act

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2004 - 7:12am.
Washington, D.C. -- By a 5-4 margin, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that legislation aimed at protecting children from Internet pornography violates free speech rights. While shooting down the measure, however, the justices left the door open for the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) to make a comeback, ruling that a lower court should decide whether technological advances now make it possible to block "harmful" online material from children while still preserving the rights of adults. Voting with the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that while Internet filters undeniably have flaws, "content-based prohibitions" like COPA "have the constant potential to be a repressive force in the lives and thoughts of a free people." The decision was seen as a victory for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). "The Court has made it safe for artists, sex educators and web publishers to communicate with adults about sexuality without risking jail time," said Ann Beeson, who argued the case for the ACLU last March and earlier in 2001.
tags: Law | Supreme Court | Child Online Protection Act |

Report: Global Entertainment & Media Industry to Grow to $1.7 Trillion in 2008

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2004 - 7:10am.
New York -- The global entertainment and media industry will be worth $1.7 trillion in 2008, as spending increases at a 6.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), up from a growth rate of 4.2% and spending of $1.2 trillion in 2003, according to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. The firm credits an impressive 9.8% CAGR for the Asia/Pacific regional market, as well as improved economic conditions, new distribution channels and new technologies for the overall growth. The number of broadband households will grow at a 31.3% CAGR to surpass 300 million for the first time in 2008, while Internet advertising will outpace the rest of the industry with a 12.7% CAGR as it grows to $18.9 billion in 2008. The fastest growing segment of the entertainment industry during the next five years will be video games, expected to grow at a 20.1% CAGR to $55.6 billion in 2008. PricewaterhouseCoopers also expects a turnaround for the struggling music industry, which will see a 2% CAGR and global spending of $33.7 billion by 2008. "After a few years of economic uncertainty, our projections for industry growth are encouraging across the board, highlighted by particularly swift gains in the video games and Internet advertising and access spending segments," said Wayne Jackson, leader of PricewaterhouseCoopers' entertainment and media practice.
tags: Reports | Grow | Global Entertainment & Media Industry |

Survey: 56% of U.S. Adults Say RIAA Shouldn't Sue File-Swappers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2004 - 7:09am.
Eagan, Minn. -- A majority of Americans surveyed said the music industry should not sue individuals who illegally download music off the Internet, according to a poll conducted by legal website FindLaw. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has thus far filed suit against over 3,400 suspected file-swappers, with around 600 of these settling out of court for about $3,000 each. FindLaw's survey of 1,000 American adults found that 56% oppose the lawsuits, while 37% support the industry's legal actions. Opposition was more pronounced among 18 to 34-year-olds, nearly two-thirds of whom were against the lawsuits; also more opposed were people with lower incomes. "I suspect that many people, when educated about the purpose of copyright law, support the law," commented Prof. Sharon Sandeen, of the Hamline University School of Law. "Public opposition to the lawsuits may be due, in part, to what some people consider hard-handed tactics by the RIAA."
tags: RIAA | Survey | File-Swappers | U.S. Adults |

Traffic's Steve Winwood, "Access Hollywood" Team for P2P Promotion

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2004 - 7:07am.
Los Angeles -- Steve Winwood, a veteran musician who played in Traffic and Blind Faith, announced that he has teamed with entertainment news program "Access Hollywood" to promote his music on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks like Kazaa, Reuters reported. The deal was brokered between interactive marketer Jun Group and Hearst-Argyle Television, which owns a stake in "Access Hollywood" as well as 10 NBC affiliate stations. The promotion will include the distribution of a previously unreleased live version of Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy" -- with an embedded five-second audio ad for "Access Hollywood" -- onto peer-to-peer networks, as well as the placement of additional video content and links to buy Winwood's new independent CD on the "Access Hollywood" website.
tags: Traffic | Deal | Steve Winwood | Access Hollywood | P2P Promotion |

U.K. to Launch Weekly Sales Chart for Music Single Downloads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2004 - 7:06am.
London -- The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said it would launch an official chart for downloaded music singles by Sept. 1. The BPI said the chart would record the sale of paid tracks from websites run by OD2, iTunes, HMV, Coca-Cola and Microsoft's MSN, among others. The organization has already released a Top 20 list for the third week of June, with the Pixies' iTunes-exclusive "Bam Thwok" leading U.K. download sales, followed by Maroon5's "This Love," OutKast's "Hey Ya!" and Anastacia's "Left Outside Alone." "Music remains overwhelmingly a CD market," said BPI Chairman Peter Jamieson. "But the excitement and energy surrounding the new legal music sites is giving a lift to the entire market." The chart will be compiled by the Official UK Chart Company, and the results will be broadcast by Radio 1, the BPI said.
tags: U.K | Launch | Sales Chart | Music Single Downloads |

Report: Global Digital TV Sales to Reach $70 Billion in 2008

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2004 - 7:05am.
Framingham, Mass. -- Global sales of digital televisions are poised to reach $70 billion in 2008, fueled by the popularity of DVD players, as well as plasma and LSD displays, according to a report from Massachusetts-based market research firm IDC. Sales for all televisions will grow from 170 million in 2003 to 196 million in 2008, as consumers begin to replace their analog sets. IDC reports that in 2003, 7.1% of global TV shipments were digital; this year the percentage will climb to more than 12%, and by 2008, 60% are projected to be digital. "As consumers become exposed to the crisp, vivid images and overall cinematic experience of HD, they will begin to see a compelling reason to replace their otherwise functioning analog solutions. This move is well underway as the selection of DTVs and HDTVs in retail continues to swell," said Danielle Levitas, director of consumer research at IDC.
tags: Reports | Global Digital TV Sales |

Video Gaming Network IGN Acquires DVD Site Rotten Tomatoes

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2004 - 7:03am.
Brisbane, Calif. -- IGN Entertainment, a video game news and information provider, announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement to acquire Rotten Tomatoes, a destination site for movie and DVD buyers. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Rotten Tomatoes reached a worldwide audience of 5.2 million during May 2004, according to comScore data, as compared with 17.7 million for all of IGN's properties. "Rotten Tomatoes will add tremendous depth and complementary value to IGN's existing portfolio of movie and DVD coverage on IGN's FilmForce," said IGN CEO Mark Jung. "The acquisition is a good demonstration of how IGN is applying our expertise in amassing vertical content, which we honed in the gaming field, to another key digital entertainment market segment -- movies and DVDs." Brisbane, Calif.-based IGN has also acquired GameSpy Industries and TeamXbox within the past year.
tags: IGN | Acquires | Video Gaming Network | DVD Site | Rotten Tomatoes |

Online Marketing Firm Agency.com Acquires Ad Firm Exile on Seventh

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2004 - 7:02am.
New York -- Agency.com, a provider of interactive marketing and technology services, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the assets of San Francisco-based online ad agency Exile on Seventh LLC. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Exile on Seventh, whose clients include eBay, 21st Century Insurance and Wells Fargo, will be integrated into Agency.com's San Francisco office and will assume the Agency.com brand in all markets except London.
tags: Acquires | Online Marketing | Agency.com | Exile |

BBC Sets Out Future Role in "Digital Britain"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2004 - 6:59am.
London -- The BBC, seeking to renew a royal charter due to expire in 2006, on Tuesday published its submission and outlined its role in creating a new "digital Britain." In its manifesto, the BBC pledged to improve public access to digital services and encourage more active and interactive participation. It also promised to open up its creative archive and grant more access to a veritable "treasure trove" of content. At the launch of the charter review paper -- called "Building public value: renewing the BBC for the digital world" -- Director General Mark Thompson and Chairman Michael Grade said the BBC was committed to working with the government and leading Britain into the digital age. Even so, the company criticized the government's 2010 target date for the national switchover to digital and set its own target of 2012.
tags: BBC | Future Role | Digital Britain |