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Date

State Forces Closure of Game Developer Interplay's Offices

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2004 - 3:04pm.
Irvine, Calif. -- The offices of video game developer Interplay were shut down on Friday, after a visit from the California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, which was investigating reports the company hadn't paid employees for a month and had no workers' compensation insurance, the Orange County Register reported. In addition to closing the company's offices, the state also fined Interplay $79,000, or $1,000 for every employee on payroll. The company also faces eviction from the facilities, where rent has not been paid since January. "The company has not shut down. (The state) can't do that," Interplay CEO Herve Caen told the OC Register. "It can only let me not let employees work… I hope to have that (insurance) back by Monday or Tuesday." Irvine, Calif.-based Interplay hired SG Capital in April to help explore strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company. The company's game titles include "Baldur's Gate" and "Alone in the Dark."
tags: Closure | State | Game Developer Interplay | Offices |

Reuters: Apple to Launch iTunes Store in Europe Next Week

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2004 - 3:01pm.
London -- Apple Computer will launch its iTunes online music store in Europe next week, sources familiar with licensing negotiations between Apple and record labels told Reuters. The company said in a statement on Monday that it will host a press conference in London on June 15, adding, "the biggest story in music is about to get even bigger." Rival Napster recently launched its digital music service in the U.K., where a total of 500,000 downloads have been sold collectively by various retailers so far this year. Sony also plans to launch its new Connect song store in the U.K. this month. Apple sold over 70 million songs through the U.S. version of its iTunes Store, which launched a year ago.
tags: Europe | Apple | Launch | Reuters | iTunes Store |

U.K. Telco BT to Launch Unprecedented Anti-Child-Porn Campaign

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2004 - 2:59pm.
London -- In an unprecedented move in the Western hemisphere, U.K.-based telecommunications giant BT Group recently announced that it would begin to block all child pornography websites on the Internet. The program, called Cleanfeed, was developed in conjunction with the U.K. Home Office and is expected to be operational by month's end, BT said. According to a report appearing The Observer, BT chairman Christopher Bland, after facing enormous pressure from both the British government and a number of U.K.-based children charity groups, made the decision to implement what many industry experts are deeming the largest censorship scheme of its kind. A number of other U.K.-based Internet service providers (ISPs), such as Energis and Thus, are also planning to implement similar operations later this month, The Observer reported.
tags: Launches | U.K. Telco BT | Anti-Child-Porn Campaign |

Apple Releases Wireless Music Streaming Device for iTunes

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2004 - 2:58pm.
Cupertino, Calif. -- Apple Computer on Monday introduced the AirPort Express, a wireless base station that features audio outputs enabling the device to stream music from a Mac or PC to any stereo in the home. The $129 mobile 802.11g wireless router has a range of 150 feet, and uses new software from Apple called AirTunes to automatically recognize speakers connected to the AirPort Express and allow users to create a wireless music network through iTunes. The product, which also performs such wireless router tasks as printer and broadband account sharing, will begin shipping in July.
tags: Apple | iTunes | Releases | Wireless Music Streaming Device |

BMG Canada to Use SunnComm Copy-Protection on Commercial CDs

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2004 - 2:57pm.
Phoenix, Ariz. -- SunnComm Technologies, a provider of CD copy-protection systems, announced on Monday that BMG Canada will begin releasing commercial CD albums using SunnComm's MediaMax copy-protection. The technology prevents the CD's tracks from being uploaded to the Internet, while providing alternate digital versions that may be played on a computer, and transferred to portable devices, burned to CD or shared with friends in a limited manner. "We have been testing MediaMax for several months and are extremely pleased with SunnComm's focus on producing a technology that protects the rights of content owners while allowing the consumer to enjoy the flexibility of the digital space," said Norman Miller, vice president of new media at BMG Canada.
tags: BMG Canada | SunnComm Copy-Protection | Commercial CDs |

Electronic Arts, Rhino Records Partner on Video Game Soundtracks

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2004 - 2:52pm.
Redwood City, Calif. -- Video game developer Electronic Arts announced that it has partnered with record label Rhino Records to provide catalog music for its EA Sports titles, including "Madden NFL" and "NBA Live." The initiative, called "EA Sports Throwback Trax Powered by Rhino," will result in songs from artists including House of Pain, Faith No More, The Cure and The Jesus and Mary Chain being featured in EA video game titles. "There is a lot of music we have that we think is completely relevant to today, and a lot of kids that will be playing these games will hopefully get turned on to music from the past that does not sound like their father's music," David Dorn, senior VP of new media strategy for Rhino, told Billboard.
tags: Deal | Electronic Arts | Rhino Records | Video Game Soundtracks |