Archives

Date

TiVo Chief Executive Ramsay to Step Down

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2005 - 10:37am.
Alviso, Calif. -- TiVo, a provider of digital video recorder equipment and services, announced on Wednesday that co-founder, chairman and CEO Mike Ramsay will step down from his position as CEO. Ramsay will retain his title as chairman and remain CEO until a successor can be named, while the company has hired Howard Fischer Associates to aid in the search. "I believe it is a natural evolution of any company to have a transition of leadership as the company grows and matures," said Ramsay. "The time is right for me, personally and professionally, to bring in an outstanding chief executive officer to lead the company so that I can focus on future strategy." Alviso, Calif.-based TiVo claimed 2.3 million customers for its digital video recorder service as of October, and recently announced a new service that allows subscribers to port their recorded TV programs to a desktop PC or laptop for viewing while away from home.
tags: TiVo | Step Down | Chief Executive Ramsay |

SightSound Seeks Injunction to Shut Down Napster Over Patent Dispute

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2005 - 10:35am.
Los Angeles -- SightSound Technologies, a company that holds patents on the process of selling digital audio and video over the Internet, announced on Wednesday that it has filed a preliminary injunction against Napster, asking a judge to shut down the digital music service while a patent infringement lawsuit is considered. In a statement, SightSound president and CEO Scott Sander said that Napster sidelined negotiations with his company for a license of its audio technologies by demanding the free inclusion of a video license at the eleventh hour. "This lawsuit is the regrettable outcome of a long process that could have been resolved amicably," said Sander. "It is surprising that Napster has taken this road given that it seems to have been working to restore its brand value." Sander added that he believes Napster may now request a reexamination of SightSound's patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Last February, SightSound won a settlement in a six-year-old patent dispute with Bertelsmann subsidiaries CDnow and N2K. A hearing on Pennsylvania-based SightSound's request for an injunction against Napster has been scheduled for March 3 before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
tags: Law | Napster | Shut Down | Patent Dispute | SightSound |

Vivendi Universal Games Lays Off 89 French Workers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2005 - 10:33am.
Paris -- Vivendi Universal Games, the video game publishing unit of the Franco-American media conglomerate, told French newspaper Les Echoes that it plans to lay off 89 employees in France, Reuters reported. A Vivendi lawyer told Les Echoes that the company had already transferred most of the affected workers to Coktel, a studio that the company currently owns but is expected to sell off. The cuts come just six months after Vivendi laid off a total of about 380 workers, mostly from its U.S. operations. On a brighter note, Vivendi's Blizzard unit has seen record sales for its recently released massively multiplayer online roleplaying title, "World of Warcraft."
tags: Vivendi Universal Games | French Workers | Lays Off |

Report: E-Book Sales Up 25%; 2004 Bestsellers Include 4 Dan Brown Titles

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2005 - 10:32am.
New York -- The Open eBook Forum, a trade group of publishers and e-book technology vendors, on Wednesday announced continued growth for the industry, with e-book revenues for the third quarter of 2004 up 25% over the same period in 2003, to $3.2 million. The total number of e-books sold during the period topped 419,999, up 11% over the same period in 2003. The group also announced the top-selling e-books of 2004 -- a list dominated by author Dan Brown -- whose "The Da Vinci Code" and three other titles took the top four spots on the roster. Other top e-book sellers during 2004 included Isaac Asimov's "I, Robot," two titles from Greg Bear, a digital bible and two digital dictionaries.
tags: Reports | Bestsellers | E-Book Sales Up | Dan Brown Titles |

Chinese Mobile Games Firm C-Valley Gets Investments From Jamdat, THQ

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2005 - 10:30am.
Beijing -- Chinese wireless entertainment distributor C-Valley on Wednesday received strategic investments from two American firms, Los Angeles-based Jamdat Mobile and Calabasas Hills, Calif.-based THQ Wireless -- both also distributors of mobile games. The financial details of the investments were not disclosed. Both companies will benefit from having their wireless game titles distributed in China through C-Valley, which has relationships with leading Chinese mobile operators China Mobile and China Unicom. Other C-Valley investors include Japan's Access Co., a mobile content delivery provider, and mobile game developer Tose Co.
tags: THQ | Jamdat | Chinese Mobile Games | C-Valley | Investments |

Network Video Processing Firm RGB Networks Raises $12 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2005 - 10:28am.
San Mateo, Calif. -- RGB Networks, a maker of network video processing systems, announced that it has secured more than $12 million in a new round of funding, co-led by Comcast Interactive Capital and venture capital firm Mitsui & Co. Venture Partners. The round also includes investments from Accel Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. San Mateo, Calif.-based RGB's video processing and bandwidth management products enable cable operators and telcos to deliver and manage advanced services such as video on demand.
tags: VC | RGB Networks | Network Video Processing |