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Following Court's Ban on Game Copying Software, 321 Studios Shuts Down

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 3, 2004 - 3:50am.
St. Louis -- Following a federal court's ruling last week banning sales of its software that let users make copies of video game discs, St. Louis-based 321 Studios has ceased operations, according to a note on the company's website. 321 was sued by game developers including Electronic Arts, Atari and Vivendi Universal Games for its GamesXCopy software; a judge issued an injunction against the sale of the application on Thursday. The company also lost two publicized lawsuits filed by the major movie studios over its DVDXCopy software, which allowed consumers to defeat copyright controls to make copies of DVD movies. "Despite 321 Studios' best efforts to remain in business, injunctions entered against 321 Studios by three US Federal courts earlier this year has resulted in 321 Studios no longer being able to continue operating the business," reads a note on the company's website. The company is holding an online close-out sale for its remaining inventory, save for those products whose sale is banned by court order.
tags: Games | Law | Ban | Studios | Shuts Down | Copying Software |

U.S., Australia Sign Trade Pact on Tariffs, Copyright Issues

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 3, 2004 - 3:50am.
Washington -- The U.S. has signed a trade agreement with Australia that will export some U.S. intellectual property laws, including software patents and controversial provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, CNET News.com reported. President Bush and Australian Prime Minister John Howard signed the agreement on Tuesday, with Bush touting the agreement both for eliminating tariffs on manufactured goods and agricultural products, and for its copyright-related provisions. The agreement will extend the duration of copyrights in Australia and also outlaw the circumvention of copy-protection schemes on digital devices. "The agreement strengthens protections for intellectual property and promotes electronic commerce," said Bush. "Our two nations are committed to the reduction of trade barriers and other restrictions that are keeping too much of the world from the kind of prosperity and opportunity that the developed world takes for granted."
tags: Deals | Australia | U.S. | Tariffs | Copyright Issues |

Europe to Wait until 2005 to Impose Digital TV Standards

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 3, 2004 - 3:49am.
Brussels -- The European Commission (EC) said late Monday that it will postpone until the end of next year its decision on whether to mandate a single digital TV standard for all of Europe. While the Commission encouraged member states to continue to promote "open and interoperable standards" for interactive digital TV on a voluntary basis, it said there was "no clear case for imposing technical standards at present." The Commission said it would let the industry develop interoperable standards on its own, at least for the time being. However, the EC also strongly advocated the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP), a standard used by German TV group, RTL, a unit of Bertelsmann. Industry experts said the decision would come as a relief for most digital TV equipment makers, but that consumers would continue to face a highly fragmented application programming interface (API) market.
tags: Europe | Digital TV | Impose | Wait |

U.K. Video Games Maker Eidos Confirms Buyout Talks

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 3, 2004 - 3:48am.
London -- U.K.-based video game developer Eidos on Tuesday confirmed that it is in preliminary discussions with a small number of parties interested in buying the company. Previously, the company had denied rumors and press reports indicating it was in possible takeover negotiations. Known for its "Tomb Raider" franchise, Eidos is the largest video game publisher in the U.K., with publishing operations across Europe (France, Germany, Spain and the U.K.) and in the U.S., Japan and Australia. The company recently said that sales of its "Hitman: Contracts" title would be far fewer than expected, and also pushed back the release of its "ShellShock: Nam '67" title until next year.
tags: Eidos | U.K | Video Games | Buyout Talks |

Yahoo Launches Local Search Engine Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 3, 2004 - 3:47am.
Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Yahoo on Tuesday launched a test of a new local search engine service, which will offer advertisers the opportunity to target users searching for local businesses. The company cited Kelsey Group data indicating that as many as one in four of all Internet searches have a local intent. The local search service will index the 14 million businesses found on Yahoo's Yellow Pages listings, and allow users to search by zip code and provide reviews and ratings for local businesses. Yahoo rival Google launched a similar local search service in March.
tags: Yahoo | Local | Search Engine |

AOL Completes $435 Million Deal to Acquire Advertising.com

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 3, 2004 - 3:46am.
Dulles, Va. -- America Online said late Monday that it has completed its $435 million acquisition of Baltimore-based Advertising.com, a provider of interactive marketing services. The deal, first announced in late June, will allow AOL to increase the services that it offers to its advertisers, adding more branding, paid placement and multimedia capabilities. Advertising.com works with more than 800 advertisers and 1,500 online publishers to optimize the performance of online marketing campaigns. More than 300 employees of Advertising.com will remain in Baltimore, with the unit being managed as a separate company.
tags: Deals | AOL | Advertising.com | Website |

Sega Forms Chinese Unit to Launch Online Game Titles in China

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 3, 2004 - 3:45am.
Tokyo -- Japanese game developer Sega on Tuesday announced plans to enter the Chinese online gaming market, establishing a new branch office in Shanghai to oversee the launch of titles including "Phantasy Star Online," "CTRacer" and "Shenmue Online" in the country. Sega provided Zarva Digital Entertainment with a license to operate "Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst," while Korea's Joyzone Networks will launch "CTRacer" and JC Entertainment Corp. will co-develop and co-publish "Shenmue Online," set to launch in 2005. Sega Shanghai Software counts 80 employees and is headed by Sega managing director Hideki Okamura.
tags: Games | Internet | China | Sega | Chinese Unit | Titles |