Archives

Date

Microsoft Appeals European Antitrust Ruling, $600 Million Fine

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 9, 2004 - 10:49am.
Brussels -- Microsoft has filed an appeal of a landmark European antitrust ruling against the company, which would force Microsoft to sell a stripped-down version of Windows in Europe and pay a fine of over $600 million. Microsoft said in its appeal that the ruling would undermine innovation, while the European Commission found that Microsoft unfairly shut out competitors in the digital media space by bundling its own Windows Media Player with the Windows operating system. The March 24 ruling against Microsoft, set to take effect this month, will likely be put on hold until arguments in the appeal are heard by the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg.
tags: Microsoft | Fine | Appeals | European Antitrust Ruling |

Satellite TV Firm DirecTV Sells Stake in TiVo

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 9, 2004 - 10:48am.
El Segundo, Calif. -- The parent company of satellite TV provider DirecTV has sold its 55% stake in personal video recorder firm TiVo, sending shares of TiVo down 14% on Tuesday. A partnership between the two companies, whereby DirecTV distributes set-top boxes featuring TiVo technology, was responsible for almost 75% of TiVo's new subscribers last quarter, and roughly one million of TiVo's 1.6 million total subscribers. DirecTV has said it would not abandon the program, which is slated to run through February 2007. Last week, DirecTV vice chairman Eddy Hartenstein also resigned from TiVo's board of directors.
tags: TiVo | DirecTV | Satellite TV | Sells Stake |

Game Critics Awards Recognize Sony PSP, Nintendo Bongos Accessory

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 9, 2004 - 10:46am.
Los Angeles -- The 8th annual Game Critics Awards, which recognize the most promising titles previewed at the video game industry's annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, have announced winners in sixteen categories, with Sony's PSP handheld gaming device taking the award for "Best of Show." Other winners included Nintendo's "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat," which with its unique bongo drum controllers won for "Best Original Game;" Ubisoft's "Splinter Cell 3" ("Best PC Game"); Bungie Studios' "Halo 2" ("Best Console Game"); and Electronic Arts' "Madden NFL 2005" ("Best Sports Game"). The awards are voted on by 35 video game journalists, from publications including TIME, USA Today, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Informer and The Hollywood Reporter.
tags: Sony PSP | Game Critics Awards | Nintendo Bongos Accessory |

Microsoft Appeals $565 Million Eolas Web Browser Patent Ruling

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 9, 2004 - 10:45am.
Redmond, Wash. -- Microsoft has appealed a $565 million patent infringement ruling against the company won by Eolas, a developer of Web browser technology spun-off from the University of California. The U.S. District Court decision found that Microsoft infringed on Eolas technology, and ordered the company to pay $1.47 for each copy of Windows it sold between 1998 and 2001 -- a total of 354 million units. Microsoft has since also challenged Eolas' patent, claiming it is based on "prior art," and the U.S. Patent Office agreed and is currently engaged in a re-examination of the Eolas patent. In its appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Microsoft said that the lower court did not properly consider its claims that Eolas' patent is based on already-existing technology, and therefore invalid. The company is asking for the judgment to be set aside, or else for a new trial.
tags: Microsoft | Appeals | Eolas Web Browser Patent Ruling |

Justice Dept. Closes Antitrust Investigation of Movielink VOD Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 9, 2004 - 10:44am.
Washington -- The antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it has closed its investigation into Movielink, an Internet video-on-demand joint venture between Hollywood movie studios Sony, Warner Bros., MGM, Paramount and Universal. The Justice Dept. said that it investigated the service to see if it "facilitated collusion among the studios or decreased their incentives to license movie content to competing video-on-demand providers," but ultimately determined that "the evidence does not support a conclusion that the structure of the joint venture increased prices or otherwise reduced competition in the retail markets in which Movielink competes." However, the antitrust division said it will continue to monitor the emerging video-on-demand market.
tags: Justice Dept | Antitrust Investigation | Movielink VOD |

TiVo Adds Home Networking Features to Basic Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 9, 2004 - 10:42am.
New York -- TiVo, a provider of digital video recorder services, on Wednesday announced a new pricing structure for its service, which now includes all of the home networking features that were previously offered as premium features for the standard $12.95 per month. However, the company upped the price for adding additional TiVo units in the home to $6.95 per month. All TiVo Series2 subscribers with a broadband connection can now schedule recordings from the Internet, move content between two or more TiVo Series2 boxes in the home, and access digital music and photos stored on the TiVo on home entertainment systems. The company also announced that it partnered with electronics and music retailer Best Buy on a promotion to deliver new music releases to TiVo subscribers. Under the "New Music Tuesday" promotion, each week new music will be added to TiVo hard drives, which may then be streamed to home stereos. Universal Music Group is the first partner to utilize the promotion.
tags: TiVo | Home Networking Features | Basic Service |