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Musicians File Brief Supporting Grokster in Supreme Court Appeal

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 1, 2005 - 8:13am.
Washington -- In stark contrast to the efforts of much of the recording industry to shut down file-sharing networks, a number of musicians have filed a brief with the Supreme Court arguing that, while they don't endorse copyright infringement, file-sharing is a viable means of distribution for many artists, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. Artists including Steve Winwood, rapper Chuck D and the band Heart signed on to the legal brief, which supports file-sharing services Grokster and Streamcast Networks in a Supreme Court appeal brought against the company by the major record labels. Lower courts have ruled that file-sharing software providers are not liable for any copyright infringement committed by users of their software; the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the appeal on March 29. "Musicians are not universally united in opposition to peer-to-peer file sharing" the court filing reads. "To the contrary, many musicians find peer-to-peer technology . . . allows them easily to reach a worldwide online audience. And to many musicians, the benefits of this . . . strongly outweigh the risks of copyright infringement."
tags: Law | Grokster | Musicians | Supreme Court Appeal |

Illinois Lawmakers Seek Ban on Sale of Violent Video Games to Minors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 1, 2005 - 8:10am.
Springfield, Ill. -- Two Illinois state lawmakers have introduced legislation that would ban the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors, punishing retailers who violate the ban with fines of between $1,000 and $5,000. State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia and State Sen. Deanna Demuzio, both Democrats, will sponsor bills in the Illinois state House and Senate, respectively. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has also pushed for the legislation. "As a society, we've agreed that children do not have a right to certain things that pose a risk to their health or development: things like cigarettes, alcohol, and pornography," said Blagojevich. "We know violent and sexually explicit video games pose a direct risk to kids, so we should make every effort to keep them out of kids' hands." Although similar bills have been struck down on First Amendment grounds by courts in Washington state, St. Louis County, Mo. and the city of Indianapolis, efforts to ban the sale of violent games to minors are also progressing in California, D.C., Georgia, Michigan, Missouri and Pennsylvania. The proposed Illinois legislation would define violent games as "those that include realistic depictions of human-on-human violence in which the player kills, injures, or otherwise causes serious physical harm to another human, including but not limited to depictions of death, dismemberment, amputation, decapitation, maiming, disfigurement, mutilation of body parts, or rape."
tags: Minors | Ban | Violent Video Games | Illinois |

Cablevision to Shutter VOOM High-Definition Satellite TV Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 1, 2005 - 8:07am.
Bethpage, N.Y. -- Cable TV provider Cablevision has announced that it will shut down its VOOM high-definition satellite TV service in 30 days, having failed to reach an agreement with Cablevision chairman Charles Dolan, who had been negotiating to buy VOOM's assets. Dolan issued his own press release later in the day, announcing that he plans to try to maintain VOOM's service for its 46,000 subscribers nationwide. New York-based Cablevision announced in December that it would sell the VOOM satellite to DISH Network parent company EchoStar Communications for $200 million. Dolan then attempted to purchase VOOM's assets, but the Feb. 28 deadline to have completed a deal passed yesterday.
tags: Cablevision | Satellite TV Service | VOOM |

Ubisoft Signs Golfer Singh, Will Enter Sports Video Game Market

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 1, 2005 - 8:05am.
San Francisco -- In a bid to challenge the market dominated by Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive, French video game publisher Ubisoft has announced that it plans to develop a series of sports titles. The company has signed an exclusive licensing deal with PGA Tour pro golfer Vijay Singh, to produce a game that will compete with EA's "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" franchise. Ubisoft has also acquired the sports assets of Microsoft Game Studios, including the source code to titles such as "NHL Rivals," "NFL Fever," "NBA Inside Drive" and "MLB Inside Pitch." Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Interestingly, Ubisoft has been a rumored takeover target for Electronic Arts, which recently purchased a 20% stake in the company.
tags: Ubisoft | Golfer Singh | Sports Video Game Market |

Online TV Distributor Brightcove Raises $5.5 Million in First Round

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 1, 2005 - 8:04am.
Cambridge, Mass. -- Brightcove, a developer of online TV and video distribution technology, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $5.5 million in its first round of venture capital financing, led by General Catalyst partners and Accel Partners. Massachusetts-based Brightcove will provide an online service that offers video publishers -- such as video bloggers and broadcast and video-on-demand providers -- an Internet distribution channel for their products. "We are working towards a world where television and video production and distribution are much more democratized and where a creative spark, a camera, and a computer are all it takes to put television programming before the eyes of the consumer," said Brightcove founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire. Allaire was previously chief technology officer for Macromedia. Brightcove said the funding will be used for product and service development, business development, recruiting and general operations.
tags: Deals | VC | Brightcove | Online TV Distributor |

Convicted Oscar "Screener" Pirate Found Dead in Jail Cell

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 1, 2005 - 7:56am.
Los Angeles -- The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday that a man awaiting sentencing after being convicted on federal charges of Internet movie piracy has been found dead in his jail cell. Authorities told the Times that Russell Sprague, 52, may have died of a heart attack; an autopsy is scheduled for today. Sprague faced up to three years in prison for copying and posting online a number of films up for Oscars last year from the "screener" versions sent out by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences to Oscars voters. Sprague was also ordered to pay Columbia Pictures over $300,000 in damages. Actor Carmine Caridi, the Oscar voter and initial recipient of the screeners obtained by Sprague, was expelled by the Academy but not charged with any crime in connection with the prosecution of Sprague. "It's so sad," Sprague's attorney Anthony Brooklier told the Times. "He was upbeat. He had already served nine months. He may have only been looking at a maximum of eight more months."
tags: Oscar | Pirate | Screener | Dead | Jail Cell |