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Tech Firms, ISPs, Librarians Propose Alternative to "Induce Act"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 24, 2004 - 2:04am.
Arlington, Va. -- A group of technology firms, Internet service providers and library groups have submitted an alternative to a proposed copyright bill that would ban peer-to-peer file-sharing networks and any device that might "induce" consumers to infringe copyrights. The Consumer Electronics Association -- a large group of manufacturers -- as well as ISPs Verizon and SBC signed onto the "Don't Induce Act," meant to narrow language presented in the "Induce Act" that was debated at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month. The group's proposed changes to the language of the bill "address mass, indiscriminate infringing conduct while preserving the Supreme Court's Betamax decision, the Magna Carta of the technology industry which is in no small measure responsible for our nation's preeminence in technological innovation and entrepreneurship," the group said of its Don't Induce Act, which would narrow the Induce Act from banning "any" device capable of inducing copyright infringement to those "specifically designed" to enable piracy. Responding to the rewritten legislation, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) vice president Mitch Glazier told CNET News.com, "I don't think that as written anyone could be found liable...But I'm glad that people are trying to draw the line between the good guys and the bad guys."
tags: ISPs | Tech Firms | Librarians | Induce Act |

Report: Microsoft to Launch Digital Music Store This Week

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 24, 2004 - 2:03am.
San Jose, Calif. -- Microsoft plans to launch its own digital music download store this week, quietly adding the technology to the new version of its Windows Media 10 player software, The San Jose Mercury News reported. The report said early versions of the player closely resemble Apple's iTunes Music Store, currently the leader in the music download market, and also dispelled rumors that Microsoft's would be the first store to win the lucrative rights to sell Beatles tracks online.
tags: Reports | Microsoft | Digital Music |

MPAA Sues Two DVD Chipmakers Over Movie Piracy

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 24, 2004 - 2:02am.
Los Angeles -- The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) announced that it has filed suit against two manufacturers of chips used in DVD players, for selling chips that allow unauthorized copying of DVD movies. The MPAA sued Milpitas, Calif.-based Sigma Designs and Taiwan-based MediaTek for violating the license agreement they signed with the DVD Copy Control Association, by selling chips that can descramble DVD security technology to DVD player makers that have not been licensed to make such devices. The group said that in testing it found DVD players featuring the companies' chips that did not provide adequate security measures. The MPAA recently won an injunction in a similar case against DVD chipmaker ESS Technology.
tags: DVD | MPAA | Chipmakers | Movie Piracy |

Game Publisher Acclaim Faces Bankruptcy, Nasdaq Delisting

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 24, 2004 - 2:01am.
Glen Cove, N.Y. -- Video game publisher Acclaim Entertainment has announced that it will be forced to declare bankruptcy if negotiations with a new proposed lender fail to replace its existing credit facility with GMAC Commercial Finance, which expired on Aug. 20. Additionally, Acclaim said that the Nasdaq has notified it that its shares are in danger of being delisted from the exchange for failing to meet the minimum market capitalization requirements. Acclaim shares will trade on the Nasdaq Small Cap Market pending an appeal process of the Nasdaq's decision. Glen Cove, N.Y.-based Acclaim, known for its "All-Star Baseball," "NBA Jam" and "Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX" franchises, has struggled recently with weak sales of its game titles, in addition to several shareholder class action lawsuits and an accounting error that compelled the company to restate results for the past three years.
tags: Games | Nasdaq | Acclaim | Bankruptcy |

RealNetworks to Offer Digital Music Services at Two Universities

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 24, 2004 - 2:00am.
Seattle -- RealNetworks, a provider of media delivery technology, announced on Tuesday agreements with two universities to offer its Rhapsody digital music service at a "deeply discounted" price to students. The company's first on-campus distribution deals will provide 80,000 students at the Univ. of California, Berkeley and the University of Minnesota with access to its 725,000-song catalog. Berkeley students will have access to Rhapsody for free through Oct. 31, and afterwards at a sharply reduced monthly price; Minnesota students can sign up for either the monthly renewal service or for three-month or annual subscriptions at a further discounted rate. Rhapsody's rates for general consumers are $10 per month and $0.79 per song. Seattle-based RealNetworks also announced that it sold more than one million songs last week from its RealPlayer Music Store, fueled by its Freedom of Choice $0.49 per song download promotion.
tags: RealNetworks | Digital Music | Universities |

U.S. Online Retail Sales to Top $300 Billion by 2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 24, 2004 - 1:59am.
Cambridge, Mass. -- U.S. online retail sales will more than double over the next six years -- reaching $316 billion by 2010 -- according to a new report from Massachusetts-based Forrester Research. According to the report, a growing population of online shopping households, combined with effective "multi-channel" integration and site improvements from retailers, will drive e-commerce growth to account for 12% of total retail sales in 2010, up from nearly 7% in 2004. "Significant behavioral changes by consumers and retailers will fuel online retail growth over the next six years," said Carrie Johnson, a senior analyst at Forrester Research. "While consumers continue to become more comfortable buying a variety of items online, retailers will apply what they have learned in the early days of online retailing to implement site enhancements that provide a greater return on investment and a better experience for customers."
tags: Internet | VC | Sales | U.S |