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Justice Dept. Official "Skeptical" of Govt. Civil Suits Against File-Swappers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 23, 2004 - 2:09am.
Washington -- CNET News.com reports that a high-ranking official in the Justice Department has expressed skepticism towards the Pirate Act, a bill that would give the government the power to file civil actions against peer-to-peer file-swappers. R. Hewitt Pate, assistant attorney general for antitrust, said in a speech delivered on Monday that, while "the Justice Department is there to enforce the law, there's something to be said for those who help themselves," adding that the notion of the Justice Dept. filing civil suits was "something that people should take with a grain of salt." The Pirate Act would expand the powers of the government, which has to date never prosecuted an individual file-swapper on criminal counts, to allow civil lawsuits as well. The Pirate Act has already passed in the Senate, with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) noting that, "Tens of thousands of continuing civil enforcement actions might be needed to generate the necessary deterrence." The Justice Dept. is due to deliver a review on the Pirate Act and other proposed legislation to the Attorney General in the fall.
tags: Law | Justice Dept | File-Swappers | Skeptical |

Report: Internet Subscription Video Services to Generate $4.6 Billion in 2008

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 23, 2004 - 2:08am.
Scottsdale, Ariz. -- The global value of consumer Internet video subscription services will grow to more than $4.6 billion in 2008, as the market expands beyond its current staples of sports and movies, according to a report from Arizona-based market research firm In-Stat/MDR. The firm pointed to successful sports services from Major League Baseball and MSN, and from BSkyB in the U.K., as well as video-on-demand services from Movielink and CinemaNow. By 2008, In-Stat/MDR predicts, North America and Asia will account for about two-thirds of the worldwide market for online subscription video. Portable media devices are also projected to eventually create new business models for subscription video services.
tags: Internet | VC | Reports | Subscription | Video Services |

Discovery Acquires Second Educational Publisher for Video-on-Demand Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 23, 2004 - 2:07am.
Silver Spring, Md. -- Cable TV network operator Discovery Communications, which owns The Discovery Channel, announced on Monday that it has acquired educational publisher Rainbow Educational Media. The companies did not provide financial details of the transaction, which marks Discovery's second recent acquisition of an educational publisher, having purchased AIMS Multimedia last week. The deals will add programming to Discovery's newly formed Discovery Education video-on-demand unit, which aims to provide resources for educators. Raleigh, N.C.-based Rainbow produces educational videos, CD-ROMs and DVDs for children and students in grades K-8.
tags: Discovery | Video-on-Demand | Educational |

Vivendi Universal Games Sells Off Productivity Software Franchises

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 23, 2004 - 2:05am.
Los Angeles -- Vivendi Universal Games, the video game publishing unit of the Franco-American media conglomerate, announced on Monday that it has sold its home productivity software franchises, Hallmark Card Studio and Print Artist, to Calabasas, Calif.-based Nova Development. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Los Angeles-based VU Games said the divestiture is part of its strategy of refocusing its business exclusively on games.
tags: Games | Vivendi Universal | Software | Productivity | Franchises |