Archives

Date

Settlement Over Battery Claims Gives iPod Owners $50, Extended Warranty

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 3:17am.
San Francisco -- Apple Computer has settled a class-action lawsuit brought by owners of its iPod digital music players who said Apple made false claims about battery life, with consumers to receive $50 vouchers and extended warranties under the tentative settlement. While Apple initially claimed the iPod battery would last the product's lifetime and 10 hours on a single charge, consumers filed suit against the company in 2003, arguing their iPod batteries lasted less than 18 months. They also said a fully-charged iPod would play for as little as four hours before needing a charge. Lawyers representing the consumers told the Associated Press that perhaps 2 million people who purchased an iPod before May 2004 will be eligible to receive the voucher and extended warranty -- which will enable them to have their iPod batteries replaced.
tags: iPod | Settlement | Extends | Warranty |

New .XXX Domain for Adult Websites to Launch Later This Year

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 3:14am.
Brussels, Belgium -- The non-profit organization in charge of Internet domain names has approved a new .xxx domain for adult entertainment websites that will become available by the end of 2005. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has partnered with ICM Registry, which plans to sell .xxx domain names for $60 per year, a premium over the $30-$40 most domain name registrars charge. The .xxx domain will make it easier for software used by parents to filter objectionable content from children to block pornographic websites, by disallowing access to the domain entirely. However, there is no law forcing adult site operators to switch over from their existing .com domains to a new .xxx address, and many are expected to remain where they are.
tags: Adult | Websites | XXX Domain |

Spanish Court Shutters Discount MP3 Site Weblisten.com

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 3:13am.
London -- A long-running Spain-based website that offered discount MP3 song downloads has been shut down by a Spanish court for copyright violations. Founded in 1997, Weblisten.com had previously survived numerous legal actions brought against it by AGEDI, the Spanish producers' collecting society, as well as from major and independent record labels. The maintained its legality, saying it had secured licensing agreements it secured with music publishers, but was shut down by the Third Criminal Court of Madrid following a court hearing on May 31. As part of its ruling, the court ordered Weblisten to pay an undisclosed fine, and destroy its databases of unauthorized music. "We have finally achieved justice and put an end to this website's activities," said AGEDI president Antonio Guisasola. "The company has earned a lot of money illegally by exploiting artists' recordings and has given nothing back to the creators and producers of that music."
tags: Law | MP3 | Spanish | Website | Weblisten.com |

Scientific-Atlanta, Gemstar Settle Patent Dispute Over TV Program Guides

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 3:11am.
Atlanta -- Scientific-Atlanta, a maker of set-top box receivers for digital TV services, announced on Thursday that it has settled patent infringement litigation with Gemstar-TV Guide International that will result in the companies cross-licensing one another's patents on interactive program guide technologies. Under the long-term agreement, Scientific-Atlanta will pay $154 million to Gemstar, while Gemstar will pay $89 million to Scientific-Atlanta in licensing fees. Scientific-Atlanta will also aid Gemstar in porting its interactive program guide software onto Scientific-Atlanta's Explorer set-top box platform. Scientific-Atlanta expects to record a charge of $30-$50 million in the fourth quarter related to the settlement. Gemstar has filed numerous patent infringement actions over its interactive program guide against various TV equipment makers, eventually also settling with firms including TiVo and DISH Network operator EchoStar Communications.
tags: Scientific-Atlanta | Gemstar | Guides | TV Program |

MTV to Introduce "Flux" Cell Phone Music Network in Japan

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 3:09am.
Tokyo -- Viacom's MTV Networks on Thursday introduced a new mobile entertainment network -- Flux -- that will deliver audio and video music content to cell phone subscribers, initially in Asia. MTV said Flux will launch in Japan on June 30, costing $3 per month for KDDI subscribers. The company plans to expand Flux's availability to other Japanese wireless carriers, as well as into other international markets. MTV partnered with technology provider Faith, Inc. on the service, which will target 13-34 year-olds with mobile music videos from Japanese singer Utada; clips of TV shows like Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob Squarepants" and MTV's "Dirty Sanchez" and "Gutterpups"; locally produced animation like "Lightman," "Hanamoski" and "Sguy and the Family Stone"; and master recording ringtones from record labels such as Avex, BMG Funhouse and Columbia Music Entertainment.
tags: Music | MTV | Japan | Cell Phone | Flux |

SafeNet to Acquire Anti-Piracy Firm MediaSentry for $20 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 3:07am.
Baltimore -- Continuing to aggressively grow its rights management business, SafeNet, a provider of information security hardware, software and chips, said on Thursday that it will pay $20 million in cash and stock to acquire New Jersey-based MediaSentry, a provider of anti-piracy and business management services for the recording and motion picture industries. Under the deal, SafeNet will pay $14 million in cash, with the remainder in stock. MediaSentry's anti-piracy offerings are designed to help clients detect and deter unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content and prosecute those who engage in piracy. The company's clients include Warner Brothers, the Motion Picture Association of America and the Business Software Alliance. The deal is expected to close later this month.
tags: Anti-Piracy | SafeNet | MediaSentry |

Mobile Entertainment Firms Sorrent, Macrospace Merge to Form Glu Mobile

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 3:05am.
San Diego -- California-based mobile entertainment publisher Sorrent and U.K.-based technology provider and mobile game studio Macrospace announced on Thursday that they have merged their brands to form a new company, Glu Mobile. The combined company will offer more than 100 original and branded titles, including games like "DRIV3R," "Deer Hunter" and "Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Mobile," and video clips from Cartoon Network, Fox Sports and Celador International. "Glu Mobile is the culmination of two world-class publishers coming together under a single global identity," said Glu Mobile president and CEO Greg Ballard. "The mobile entertainment market has evolved tremendously in the past few years, yet it's still early in consumer adoption and understanding, making the time right to launch a new brand."
tags: Glu Mobile | Mobile Entertainment | Sorrent | Macrospace |

CNET Networks Launches TV Show Enthusiast Site TV.com

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 2:59am.
San Francisco -- CNET Networks on Thursday launched TV.com, an online community site for TV show enthusiasts built from the foundation of TVTome, a site with 3.5 million users that CNET acquired by in January. TV.com will offer detailed information on specific episodes of TV shows, in addition to series backgrounds, news and photos, and will enable fans to contribute their opinions through message boards and reviews areas. "TV.com brings our brand of engaging interactive content environments to people who love specific TV shows enough to learn more about them, contribute their knowledge and opinions, and meet others who share their interests," said CNET chairman and CEO Shelby Bonnie. CNET also operates GameSpot.com for video game enthusiasts, and MP3.com for music artists and their fans. The company expects the new TV site to attract a wider range of advertisers, specifically TV networks and marketers looking to target specific shows' audiences.
tags: Website | TV Show | CNET Networks | TV.com |

Yahoo, Pepsi Team to Offer Music Concert Webcasts

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 2:57am.
Santa Monica, Calif. -- Yahoo announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Pepsi to give a new online home to "Pepsi Smash," a live concert series that originally aired on TV. "Smash on Yahoo Music" will feature on-demand video of live performances, in addition to lifestyle segments, interviews and other footage from artists including Coldplay, Kanye West, Gwen Stefani, Billy Corgan and Mark Hoppus. The site will also offer features on cover song performances, electronic music DJs, emerging hip-hop, music news and promotional contests.
tags: Yahoo | Pepsi | Webcasts | Concert | Musics |

Mobile Community Software Firm Trilibis Raises $1 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 2:56am.
San Francisco -- Trilibis Mobile, a San Francisco-based maker of mobile software for online communities and content providers, said that it has raised $1 million in its initial round of funding. The company said that the round of angel financing included investors from Southern California and Indiana. Trilibis plans to use the capital for continued product development, as well as sales and marketing programs. The company released its first mobile community service in 2003 with the launch of peepsnation, a subscription-based mobile social networking community. In 2004, online dating service Webdate.com chose Trilibis as its partner for the development and launch of a new mobile service.
tags: Mobile | VC | Software | Trilibis |

Report: Number of EU Broadband Lines Increases by 70%

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 2:51am.
Brussels -- The number of broadband lines in the EU increased by 70% year-on-year to more than 40 million lines, according to the latest government figures. On average, more than 45,000 broadband lines were connected every day in the EU in 2004, a remarkable increase compared to the average of 29,000 lines per day recorded in 2003. EU Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding warned that many member states' performances have been patchy despite the fact that Europe's overall performance has been very strong. The Netherlands and Denmark lead the pack with penetration rates of 19% and 18%, respectively, but a second group of member states averages out at about 8%, while a third group has been unable to push its average rate above 6%, Reding said.
tags: Broadband | Reports | EU | Increases |

Motorola Invests in U.K.-Based Mobile Audio Developer Sonaptic

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 2, 2005 - 2:49am.
High Wycombe, England -- Wireless developer Motorola announced that it has made a strategic minority investment in Sonaptic, a U.K.-based developer of audio technologies for the mobile market. Financial details of the investment were not disclosed. Sonaptic has developed an audio engine that creates 3D sound, which users can hear through embedded speakers in portable devices or standard headphones. "Our decision to invest in Sonaptic was motivated by its world-class technology and the ability to enhance the mobile end-user experience," said Motorola Ventures EMEA Managing Director John O'Donohue. "We also believe that Sonaptic will play a major role in the next generation of mobile handsets."
tags: Mobile | Motorola | U.K | Audio Developer | Sonaptic |