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Report: Two-Thirds of College Students See No Problem With File-Sharing

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2005 - 8:33am.
Washington -- Two-thirds of university students see nothing unethical about downloading copyrighted media for free, and 52% believe the practice is also acceptable workplace behavior, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of the Business Software Alliance (BSA). Forty-five per cent of students said they used campus networks for peer-to-peer downloads, with 36% reporting an increase in their downloading behavior. A minority of 32% of students said it's not okay to swap files, up from 23% in 2003. The survey also found that 27% of admitted music downloaders also reported downloading pirated software programs; however, 70% of students said that media reports about unlicensed software or industry actions against downloaders have made them less likely to download. While nearly three-quarters of academics also surveyed for the report said they believe campus downloading policies are effective, only 45% of students surveyed agreed.
tags: Internet | File Sharing | Download | Students | Peer to Peer | statistics |

Mashboxx Licenses Sony BMG Songs for Legal File-Sharing Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2005 - 7:20am.
Virginia Beach, Va. -- Mashboxx, an authorized peer-to-peer music file-sharing service being developed by the former head of Grokster, announced on Wednesday that it has licensed major label Sony BMG's songs for inclusion on the service. "Sony BMG has done the heretofore unthinkable: embrace file sharing," said Wayne Rosso, CEO of Mashboxx and former head of Grokster -- which lost its landmark Supreme Court copyright infringement case earlier this week. Mashboxx said that negotiations are currently under way with other labels to license songs for its service, which will place protected versions of their songs for sale on major existing file-sharing networks. Users will pay 99 cents per track, and will be able to listen to several full-track previews before purchasing a song. Mashboxx is using Napster founder Shawn Fanning's Snocap "acoustic fingerprinting" song ID service to ensure that only authorized tracks are made available. Snocap has already signed additional deals with Universal, EMI and Warner to include their songs in its authorized database. Virginia-based Mashboxx said it plans to soon begin beta testing of its legal peer-to-peer service.
tags: Law | Sony BMG | File-Sharing | Musics | Mashboxx |

Court Says WhenU Can Serve Pop-Up Ads on Competitors' Websites

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2005 - 7:16am.
New York -- A federal appeals court has ruled that Internet adware developer WhenU did not violate companies' trademarks when using them to serve pop-up ads for their competitors. WhenU's software is often bundled with file-sharing programs or other applications, and once installed then monitors Web surfing and overlays its clients' ads when users visit a competitor's site. Contact lens retailer 1-800-Contacts sued WhenU for trademark violations in 2002; when a lower court sided with 1-800-Contacts, WhenU appealed the ruling, which was overturned on Monday by the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals. "A trademark owner is not entitled to control your desktop just because you happen to be visiting its website," said Fred von Lohmann, a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which filed an amicus brief on behalf of WhenU in the case. "This decision is good news for consumers who want the freedom to install tools that help them customize their web-surfing."
tags: Law | Websites | Pop-Up | Competitors |

German Prosecutors Target Online Buyers of Pirated Movies, Software

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2005 - 7:14am.
London -- Prosecutors in Germany have begun criminal proceedings against the first of some 15,000 users who allegedly knowingly paid to download pirated movies and software on the Internet, The Register reported. Authorities last year arrested two brothers operating a download service called Ftpwelt.com, alleging the men had profited more than $1.2 million from sales of pirated movies, games and software on the site. In addition to pressing charges against the operators of Ftpwelt.com, German prosecutors have also narrowed a list of consumers who purchased pirated content from the site from 45,000 to 15,000; those consumers now face potential lawsuits, fines and even prison time.
tags: Internet | Software | Pirated Movies | German | Prosecutors |

Report: New Consoles to Spur Video Game Sales to $26 Billion in 2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2005 - 7:12am.
San Diego -- The release of next-generation video game consoles will spur interactive entertainment software sales from $18 billion in 2004 to $26 billion in 2010, according to a forecast from San Diego-based market research firm DFC Intelligence. While the firm believes Sony's PlayStation 3 will maintain the company's lead in the market, DFC predicts that Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's "Revolution" will increase the companies' respective market shares. "The next generation of console systems will connect to broadband networks right out of the box and this should significantly expand revenue possibilities," said DFC president David Cole. "With a true worldwide marketplace and increasing ownership of multiple systems, this is not a winner take all situation. Instead it is about how profits can be maximized across the unique installed base of different console, portable, PC and location-based platforms."
tags: Reports | Video Game | Spur |