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ArchivesInvestment Firms Explore Buying News Publisher Knight RidderAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:29am.
San Jose, Calif. - Three private equity firms, including two based in New York, have teamed to explore the possibility of acquiring newspaper publisher Knight Ridder, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The paper reported that New York-based Blackstone Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, and Rhode Island-based Providence Equity Partners are in the early stages of the process, but are apparently leery of Knight Ridder's $4 billion market capitalization, which they consider too high. Just last month, Knight Ridder's largest shareholder, Private Capital Management, urged the company to "aggressively pursue the competitive sale of the company." Knight Ridder publishes 32 daily newspapers, including the San Jose Mercury News, and owns numerous web properties.
New RIAA Lawsuits Target 754 Music File-SwappersAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:28am.
Washington - Continuing its ongoing legal campaign against Internet file-sharing, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that it has filed a new round of copyright infringement lawsuits against 754 alleged song-swappers. The company has now sued over 12,000 individuals for copyright infringement. The "John Doe" lawsuits were filed against users of services including Grokster, Kazaa and LimeWire, and included defendants at 12 colleges. In addition, the RIAA said it filed 81 lawsuits against named defendants earlier this month, whose identities were uncovered through previous John Doe lawsuits. "These lawsuits have helped to contain illegal peer-to-peer use during a period of phenomenal broadband growth. They have helped to establish clear moral and legal rules of the road, weed out the bad actors and give lift to a robust legitimate marketplace," said RIAA president Cary Sherman. In September, the RIAA sent letters to seven peer-to-peer companies, asking them to shut down their services in light of the landmark Supreme Court ruling that found file-sharing software providers are liable for copyright infringement committed by users of the software.
Sony PlayStation 2 Worldwide Shipments Top 100 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:26am.
Tokyo - Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that total worldwide shipments of its PlayStation 2 video game console have now surpassed 100 million units. Since launching in 2000, the company said it has shipped 22.2 million PS2s in Japan and Asia, 40.7 million in North America, and 37.1 million in Europe. Sony said the PlayStation 2 reached the 100 million units shipped mark nearly 4 years sooner than the nine-plus years it took the original PlayStation console. The company added that it has shipped a total of more than 1.87 billion units of the 14,000 games available for both PlayStation consoles.
TiVo Lets Subscribers Buy Movie Tickets, Access Web Radio, Photos, WeatherAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:25am.
Alviso, Calif. - TiVo announced on Thursday a host of new features for its digital video recorder service that let subscribers access local movie listings and purchase tickets, listen to online radio and podcasts, and view shared photos and local traffic and weather information. The company partnered with Fandango to enable viewers to view local showtimes and purchase advance tickets from their televisions. Internet radio network Live365 will provide hundreds of streaming station choices, while Yahoo will enable TiVo users to browse their own and friends' shared photos, and offer its local weather and traffic data. Subscribers with a broadband-enabled TiVo Series2 set-top will have access to the new features free of charge.
U.K. Online Archive Features Recordings of Poets Reading Their WorksAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:23am.
London - U.K. Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and recording producer Richard Carrington have teamed to launch an online database that will include recordings of both living and deceased poets reading their own works, the BBC reported. Recordings of Kipling, Tennyson and Yeats are among the offerings from The Poetry Archive, which is being funded by the U.K. government and a number of arts organizations, including an education group headed by poet Jean Sprackland. Launched in 2000, the recording project has also helped to create recordings from poets Charles Causley and Allen Curnow, who have since passed away. Working poets featured in the archive include Seamus Haney and Harold Pinter. "Actors may, or may not, read poems well, but poets have unique rights to their work, and unique insights and interests to offer as we hear their idiom, pacing, tone and emphases," Motion told the BBC. "They all, in their different ways, validate the intention of the archive to preserve the mystery of poetry while tearing away some of the prejudices which can make it appear unduly 'difficult' or separate from familiar life."
Report: Internet Streaming Video Reaching More Mature AudiencesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:21am.
Reston, Va. - Internet streaming video is now reaching more mature audiences, according to new research from comScore Networks and StreamingMedia.com. The firms said that people ages 35-54 accounted for nearly half of all online video watch in August, and were 20% more likely to watch online video than the average Internet user, "Contrary to public perception, it’s not just 'college kids' or 'bleeding edge' Internet users who are streaming videos," said Erin Hunter, the senior vice president of comScore Networks Media and Entertainment Solutions. The firms said that more than 100 million users consume online digital media in the U.S. each month, representing almost 60% of the U.S. online population.
Fans Compel Grateful Dead to Replace Free Concert DownloadsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:20am.
San Francisco - Following a report in The New York Times, about backlash from Grateful Dead fans over a reported decision to have live recordings of its concerts removed from a free downloads site, the band has apparently reversed its stance and called for the show downloads to return, CNET News.com reported. The Live Music Archive said it may have misunderstood the band's wishes, and has reposted both amateur recordings, and "soundboard" recording downloads -- which the band also sells on its own website. "We are musicians not businessmen and have made good and bad decisions on our journey," Dead bassist Phil Lesh wrote, in a note on his website. "We do love and care about our community as you helped us make the music. Your concerns have been heard and I am sure are being respectfully addressed."
New ".eu" Top-Level Domain to Open for Business on Dec. 7Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:18am.
Brussels - The European Commission announced that the new ".eu" top-level domain, which allows businesses, public bodies and citizens to choose a pan-European Internet name for their websites and e-mail addresses, opens for business on Dec. 7. A sunrise period of four months will allow holders of prior rights, including businesses, to apply for the registration of domain names provided they are settled in the EU, the Commission said. From April 7, the Registry will open its doors for applications from the general public.
Warner Music Japan, KDDI Offer Multimedia Mobile DownloadsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:16am.
New York - Major record label Warner Music announced that it has partnered with Japanese wireless network operator KDDI to offer a mobile music bundle that includes audio, video, graphics and textual elements in a single download. The "WAMO Packs" will include videotones, mastertones, Flash screensavers, video commentary from artists and links to band websites. Initially, WAMO Packs from artists including Sean Paul, Ayaka and D.D.D. will be available in Japan from both KDDI and the label's Warner Mobile site.
Mazda to Offer Sirius Satellite Radio on 2006 VehiclesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:14am.
New York - Sirius Satellite Radio, a provider of subscription radio programming, announced on Thursday that automaker Mazda is now offering Sirius as a port-installed option on a number of its 2006 model year vehicles. Mazda will offer an installed Sirius receiver and a six month subscription to the radio service for an extra $430.
AOL Launches Mobile Search ServiceAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:13am.
Dulles, Va. - America Online said on Thursday that it has launched mobile search services, allowing users to search the web, comparison shop and access local listings from their mobile phones, smartphones and PDAs. The new services use content analysis technologies from InfoGin to automatically adapt search results and web pages for browser-enabled mobile phones.
Blinkx, Times Online Launch Contextual News ToolbarAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:12am.
San Francisco - Blinkx, a searchable index of Web video, announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Times Online, the website for the U.K. newspaper, to create a desktop toolbar that provides contextual news stories related to what a user is viewing on the desktop. For example, a user browsing sports-related sites will automatically receive links to breaking sports news reports and scores from the Times Online.
LamaBox DVD Recorder Also Downloads P2P VideoAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:10am.
The Hague, Netherlands - ZDNet Netherlands recently reported on the LamaBox DVD recorder, a Linux-based device designed by a Dutch firm that can download video files from Internet file-sharing networks like BitTorrent and eDonkey. The firm said that "sole responsibility lies with the provider and user of content," sidestepping allegations that its device facilitates copyright infringement. A 40GB LamaBox can be purchased for about $328, while a 400GB LamaBox with a DVD burner costs about $564.
Macrovision Launches Game Demo Web Browser ToolbarAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:08am.
San Francisco - Macrovision, a provider of copy-protection technology for CDs, DVDs and video games, announced on Thursday the release of a game Web browser toolbar, which will deliver the latest game demos directly to a user's desktop. In addition to free trials of PC games that can then be purchased, the toolbar will provide Web search and pop-up blocking features. San Francisco-based Macrovision said it teamed with online paid search marketing firm Broadspring to develop the toolbar.
EMusic Licenses Tzadik Records Tracks for Subscription ServiceAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 11:06am.
New York - Digital music subscription service eMusic announced on Thursday that it has signed an agreement to distribute tracks from Tzadik Records, owned by avant-garde jazz artist John Zorn. Other artists whose tracks will now be available on eMusic include Marc Ribot, Buckethead, Jim O'Rourke and Mike Patton.
K2 Network in $2 Million Deal to Host Webzen's "MU" Online GameAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 10:50am.
Seoul, Korea - Korean online game publisher Webzen announced on Thursday that it has signed an agreement with Irvine, Calif.-based game publisher K2 Network, to operate its "MU" massively multiplayer online roleplaying game in the U.S. and Europe. The $2 million licensing agreement gives K2 rights to operate the game for the next three years; "MU" is slated to launch in the U.S. and Europe in early 2006.
SouthPeak, DC Studios to Publish "State of Emergency 2" in FebruaryAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 10:48am.
New York - Game publishers SouthPeak Interactive and DC Studios announced on Thursday that they plan to publish "State of Emergency 2," a sequel to their 1.5 million unit-selling title, for PlayStation 2 in February 2006. The game will go on sale in Europe in March; a version for Sony PSP will also be available in the fall of 2006.
Weather Channel Online Games Incorporate Real-Time Weather DataAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 10:45am.
Atlanta - The Weather Channel Interactive said on Thursday that it has partnered with online game developer Skyworks Technologies, to launch two new online games on Weather.com that incorporate real-time weather data. The golf and driving games let users pick the time and location anywhere in the U.S. they would like to play, and real-time weather data is then used to create a realistic weather environment for gameplay.
Werd Interactive Launches World AIDS Day Mobile Game for CharityAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2005 - 10:39am.
Huntsville, Al. - Mobile game developer Werd Interactive on Thursday released a new mobile game to commemorate World AIDS Day and help to raise money for HIV/AIDS research. "Spectrum Tiles Red Ribbon," a puzzle game, is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Alabama-based Werd said it will donate at least $1 of the $4.99 cost of the game to charities searching for a cure and directly supporting HIV and AIDS sufferers.
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