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Report: U.S. Internet Use Drops 2%; Hong Kong Usage Up 25%

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 18, 2005 - 10:18am.
New York -- Average U.S. Internet use at home has dropped 2% in the past year, mirroring minimal to flat growth in other more mature Internet markets like the U.K., Brazil, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden, according to a report from New York-based Nielsen/NetRatings. U.S. Internet users logged on an average of 25 times per month, for a total average of 13 hours and 44 minutes. By contrast, Internet use in Hong Kong grew 25%, where users logged on an average of 30 times per month for a total average of 22 hours per month. In addition to Hong Kong, Australia, France and Italy also saw double-digit growth in the number of monthly user sessions. "The easiest opportunities are in countries where Internet usage patterns and user/site relationships are less established," said Nielsen/NetRatings senior Internet analyst Kaizad Gotla. "Acquiring users in markets that are currently in their growth stages will lead to a loyal user base that will pay dividends for Internet companies in the future."
tags: Reports | Usage | Hong Kong | U.S. Internet |

Sen. Orrin Hatch Named to Head New Intellectual Property Subcommittee

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 18, 2005 - 10:15am.
Washington -- Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has been named to head a new Senate Intellectual Property subcommittee, recently created by Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter (R-Penn.). The subcommittee will be responsible for creating copyright and patent legislation and overseeing the U.S. Copyright Office. Hatch, an amateur songwriter in his own right, has been a vocal advocate for the recording industry -- who once said that copyright holders ought be able to destroy the PCs of infringing file-swappers. Hatch endorsed legislation called the "Induce Act," that critics said was worded so broadly as to go beyond unauthorized file-sharing to outlaw products like the iPod or the PC. Hatch spokesman Adam Elggren told The Washington Post that reintroducing the Induce Act would not be on the new subcommittee's "immediate agenda."
tags: Head | Sen. Orrin Hatch | Intellectual Property Subcommittee |

Aussie File-Sharing Raid on ISP Leads to Closure of 50 P2P Sites

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 18, 2005 - 10:13am.
Sydney -- The Australian recording industry's anti-piracy division said this week that a raid on Aussie ISP Swiftel last week, which was alleged to be hosting BitTorrent file-sharing websites, has resulted in the closure of 50 file-sharing hubs in the country. Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI) said that 50 of 63 sites it was investigating have shut down in the aftermath of the Swiftel raid, including one reportedly accessible only by Swiftel subscribers; MIPI said in this case Swiftel "adopted BitTorrent technology for the purpose of generating a commercial benefit." "The knock-on effect of last week's raid represents an important development in the fight against Internet piracy in Australia and proves that the Internet service provider industry is prepared to take copyright issues seriously," Michael Speck, a representative of the anti-piracy unit, told ZDNet Australia. "We will get to them in due course if they don't shut themselves down," Speck added, referring to the remaining 13 active hubs. "We take the view that the raid on Swiftel was sufficient warning for the 63 targets. The remaining (active hubs) don't get further warning."
tags: ISP | Aussie | Closure | P2P Sites | File-Sharing Raid |

Report: U.K. Govt. Should Support Local Video Game Industry

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 18, 2005 - 10:11am.
London -- According to a new report by market analysis firm Screen Digest, the U.K. video game industry is healthy, but needs more support from the British government. The U.K. video game industry generated $384 million in positive trade balance in 2003, compared to a negative trade balance from the U.K. film ($541 million) and television ($893 million) industries. Although more software and games are being sold abroad than are imported, the rising cost of making games in the U.K. has forced many studios to close, Screen Digest said. In fact, the report found that the number of U.K. developers has fallen by 6% since 2000. "Our greatest asset is our creativity, and in recent times we have seen this talent being leeched away through lack of funding and more attractive prospects overseas," said Roger Bennett, director general of the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. "It is now time for government to recognize the valuable contribution we make to the U.K. economy, comparative to other entertainment sectors."
tags: Games | Reports | U.K. Govt | Local Video Game Industry |

Report: Wireless Internet Access Grows Nearly 30% in 2004

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 18, 2005 - 10:08am.
New York -- The number of wireless Internet users in last year grew by 29%, according to a new survey conducted by market research firm Ipsos-Insight. An estimated 171 million people, or 44% of Internet users in the 12 measured markets, have accessed the Internet wirelessly, according to the firm. Wireless growth was largely driven by the two biggest Internet markets, the U.S. and Japan, fueling 69% of the increase. The survey involved interviews with more than 6,500 adults.
tags: Reports | Wireless Internet Access | Grows |

Google Now More Popular in U.K. than in U.S., Report Says

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 18, 2005 - 10:05am.
London -- According to a new report by Internet monitoring firm Hitwise, Google is more popular in the U.K. than in the U.S. The report found that google.co.uk came in first place in terms of market share of visits, 48%, and volume of searches, 63.7%. By comparison, Google's U.S. website only commands 36.6% market share and accounts for 56.7% of search volume. The report showed that Google came in 55 percentage points ahead of its nearest competitor, MSN Search, which accounted for just 7.86% of the market based on volume of searches. The following sites rounded out the Top 10: google.com (7.7%), uk.search.yahoo.com (5.5%), ifind.freeserve.com (4.45%), search.yahoo.com (2.93%), ask.com (1.92%), search.msn.com (1.22%), ask.co.uk (1.22%) and altavista.com (0.71%).
tags: Reports | Google | U.K | U.S. |