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Court Overturns $565 Million Eolas Patent Ruling Against Microsoft

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 2, 2005 - 7:53am.
San Francisco -- A federal appeals court has overturned a $565 million patent infringement judgment against Microsoft and ordered a retrial of the lawsuit, brought by Internet browser developer Eolas, a UCLA spin-off. The decision was hailed by both Microsoft and Eolas, as the split ruling included provisions benefiting both sides. Most importantly, the appeals court found that the lower court incorrectly threw out the "Viola" browser, developed by Pei Wei, which Microsoft had argued represented "prior art" that would invalidate the Eolas patent. "It's a huge victory," Andy Culbert, associate general counsel of patent litigation for Microsoft, told News.com. "The essence of our defense was that this patent was invalid, based on the good work done by Pei Wei, and the court of appeals has completely vindicated our assertions."
tags: Law | Microsoft | Court | Eolas Patent |

Lawmakers Call for Indecency Fines for Cable, Satellite TV and Radio

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 2, 2005 - 7:51am.
Washington -- The Republican chairmen of the Senate Commerce Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversee the broadcast industry, have announced their support for expanding indecency standards to for-pay cable and satellite TV and radio services, Reuters reported. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) said they think for-pay services should play by the same rules as traditional TV and radio, which utilize the publicly-owned broadcast spectrum. "Cable is a much greater violator in the indecency area," said Stevens. "I think we have the same power to deal with cable as over-the-air." Recently, legislators approved the raising of maximum indecency fines for TV and radio broadcasters from $32,500 to $500,000, both for individual entertainers and the broadcasters who air their indecent acts. The legislation did not address for-pay satellite or cable broadcasts. "We believe any regulation of cable content raises serious First Amendment objections and will oppose efforts to impose regulation on cable programming," Brian Dietz, a spokesman for the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, told Reuters. The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that indecency standards should apply only to traditional broadcasters.
tags: Radio | Satellite TV | Cable | Lawmakers | Indecency Fines |

RIAA Sues Another 753 Alleged Music File-Swappers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 2, 2005 - 7:50am.
Washington -- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that it has sued 753 more "John Doe" defendants for copyright infringement on Internet file-sharing networks, bringing the total number of individuals sued by the RIAA to over 9,000. The new batch includes lawsuits filed against students at 11 universities, including USC, Texas A&M and Louisiana State University. "Even while we work to hold accountable the businesses that encourage and profit from illegal file sharing, it's critical to simultaneously send a strong message that the individual users of these pirate networks can be caught and face the consequences," said RIAA president Cary Sherman. "The lawsuits are a critical deterrent. They have helped arrest the extraordinary growth of illicit p2p use."
tags: Music | RIAA | Music File-Swappers |

Bill Would Prevent Use of Terrestrial Repeaters for Localized Satellite Radio

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 2, 2005 - 7:48am.
Washington -- A bill has been introduced in the U.S. House that would codify an agreement between radio stations and satellite radio providers, under which satellite radio firms XM and Sirius are prohibited from using their ground-based repeater transmitters to broadcast localized radio content. Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS), a vice chairman on the House Commerce Committee, introduced the Local Emergency Radio Service Preservation Act of 2005. The bill would prevent XM and Sirius, which already offer local traffic and weather data to subscribers, from using their ground-based transmitters to offer 'local' channels that change depending on where one is in the country. It would also instruct the FCC to study the impact on local broadcasters of local weather and traffic offered on satellite radio. "I believe in a diverse media with local, community voice," said Pickering. "I also subscribe to satellite radio for national media and programming. This legislation would ensure consumers continue to have access to both radio types, and our communities continue to receive the emergency services of local broadcasters."
tags: Bill | Terrestrial Repeaters | Localized Satellite Radio |

Yahoo to Rebrand Overture Services Unit

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 2, 2005 - 7:46am.
Sunnyvale, Calif. -- About a year and a half after first acquiring the company, Yahoo has announced that it will rebrand its Overture Services paid search placement unit as Yahoo Search Marketing Solutions. The move is designed to unify Overture's sponsored search offerings and Yahoo's listings products under the same banner. In conjunction with the move, Yahoo said that it will launch a new Advertising Solutions Center in the U.S., allowing businesses to plan and buy the company's search marketing products. Overture will formally change its brand in the U.S. early next quarter. After the U.S. re-branding is complete, Overture's international markets will be re-branded at a later date -- except for Japan and Korea, where the Overture brand will be maintained. Yahoo acquired Overture for about $1.7 billion in 2003.
tags: Yahoo | Overture Services Unit |

Infinity Broadcasting to Stream 11 News, Talk Radio Stations

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 2, 2005 - 7:43am.
New York -- Infinity Broadcasting, a unit of Viacom that operates 183 U.S. radio stations, announced on Wednesday that it will offer Internet streaming audio simulcasts of 11 of its news and talk stations, beginning March 14. Stations that will begin streaming include 1010 WINS (New York), KFWB-AM (Los Angeles), KMOX-AM (St. Louis) and KDKA-AM (Pittsburgh). Infinity said its news stations reach an estimated 12 million listeners each week. "As more and more listening is being done away from home and the car, we must extend our stations beyond their dial positions to meet the needs of the consumer," said Infinity chairman and CEO Joel Hollander. "We believe streaming our stations online will not only exceed their expectations, but will also create an outlet with which we can target a larger audience and increase time spent listening."
tags: News | Infinity Broadcasting | Talk Radio Stations |

Video-on-Demand Delivery Firm Arroyo Raises $12 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 2, 2005 - 7:40am.
Pleasanton, Calif. -- Arroyo Video Solutions, a provider of video-on-demand delivery technology, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $12 million in its second round of venture capital financing. Matrix Partners led the round; previous Arroyo investors Doll Capital Management, Foundation Capital, Time Warner Investments and Comcast Interactive Capital also participated. The company also announced that CEO Kim Kelly has stepped down, to be replaced by co-founder and chief technology officer Paul Sherer on an interim basis. Pleasanton, Calif.-based Arroyo said its video-on-demand system, which it released in October, is now in trials or has been deployed by three top North American operators. The company, which has raised a total of $25 million to date, said the new financing will be used to accelerate growth in advanced video services by addressing new strategic opportunities and markets.
tags: Deals | VC | Arroyo | Video-on-Demand Delivery |

Vivendi Signs Rapper 50 Cent to Star in Action Video Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 2, 2005 - 7:37am.
Los Angeles -- Vivendi Universal Games has signed hip-hop artist 50 Cent to appear in an action video game for PlayStation 2, Xbox and the PC, according to published reports. "50 Cent: Bulletproof" will feature both the rapper's likeness and original music, some of which players will be able to remix within the game, as well as additional tracks, voices and likenesses of Dr. Dre, and other G-Unit members. MTV.com is currently hosting an online trailer of the game.
tags: Deals | Vivendi | Rapper 50 Cent | Action Video Game |