Top Stories

Report: U.S. Online Ad Revenues Up 15.2% in First Half of '08

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2008 - 8:45am.

New York - U.S. Internet advertising revenues for the first half of 2008 totaled $11.5 billion, an increase of 15.2% from the same period a year ago, according to a report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Revenues for the second quarter were up 12.8% over the same period of 2007, but showed a slight decline of 0.3% from the first quarter.

Supreme Court Declines EchoStar Appeal; TiVo to Get $104M

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 6, 2008 - 8:47am.

Alviso, Calif. - The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal lodged by DISH Network operator EchoStar Communications (NASD: DISH) of a federal appeals court ruling that found the company committed willful patent infringement against TiVo (NASD: TIVO), meaning EchoStar will now be forced to pay TiVo approximately $104 million in damages. EchoStar said in a statement that the ruling was expected, and that it has the money to pay the damages in an escrow account and will release it to TiVo in the next few days.

Judge Orders Temporary Halt to Sales of RealDVD Software

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 6, 2008 - 8:33am.

Los Angeles - A federal judge has ordered a temporary halt to the sales of RealNetworks' (NASD: RNWK) new DVD-copying software, RealDVD, siding with Hollywood movie studios who asked for an injunction while the court hears its arguments that the software facilitates copyright infringement, NewTeeVee reported. A RealNetworks representative told NewTeeVee the judge ordered the halt until Tuesday so that all of the papers filed in the case may be reviewed.

tags: Law | Lawsuits | Movies | DVD | MPAA | DMCA | Copyright | RealDVD |

Copyright Royalty Board Rejects Rate Hike for Songwriters

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 2, 2008 - 10:05am.

Washington - The rate that digital retailers like Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iTunes must pay songwriters and music publishers will stay the same under a decision handed down Thursday by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), which rejected the publishers' petition for a 66% rate hike. The decision to freeze royalty rates at 9 cents per song for songwriters and music publishers comes as it was revealed this week by Fortune magazine, that Apple said in a letter sent to the CRB last year it might shutter its iTunes music store should it have to incur any increase in music royalties that would make the store unprofitable.

EMI Loses Case Against Robertson; MP3tunes Suit Goes to Trial

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 2, 2008 - 7:17am.

San Diego - A federal judge has dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by major label EMI against Michael Robertson, founder of MP3.com and current head of digital music locker firm MP3tunes, but allowed the label's lawsuit against MP3tunes to proceed to trial. "Suing CEOs personally is a nasty tactic media companies are engaging in to intimidate individuals, forcing them to either enter into a settlement or face the possibility of losing their homes, cars, and all their personal belongings," said Robertson.

Five Studios Pledge Support for Digital Cinema Upgrades

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 1, 2008 - 11:35am.

Los Angeles - Five of Hollywood's major movie studios on Wednesday pledged to support a $1 billion effort to equip 20,000 U.S. movie theater screens with digital cinema projection systems. Digital Cinema Implementation Partners (DCIP), a joint venture that represents theater owners AMC Entertainment, Cinemark and Regal Cinemas signed the pact with Disney (NYSE: DIS), Fox (NYSE: NWS), Lionsgate, Paramount (NYSE: VIA) and Universal (NYSE: GE), which calls for the studios to pay a "virtual print" fee of about $1,000 per screen to help offset costs, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. Private Equity Firms on Pace to Break Fundraising Record

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2008 - 10:45am.

New York - Despite significant turmoil in the public financial markets, U.S. private equity firms actually picked up the pace of their fundraising during the first three-quarters of this year, and are on pace to break an all-time record, according to a new report by Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst.

Microsoft, Universities Fund Research on Educational Games

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2008 - 8:59am.

New York - Microsoft's (NASD: MSFT) research arm on Tuesday announced the formation of a joint research endeavor with New York University and a range of other schools, which aims to "provide the fundamental scientific evidence to support games as learning tools for math and science subjects among middle-school students."

Spotify Gets Label Deals, Debuts Ad-Supported Music Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2008 - 8:31am.

Stockholm, Sweden - Spotify, the Sweden-based developer of an ad-supported digital music service, on Tuesday announced its launch with the signing of licensing deals with all four major record labels, as well as independent labels represented by Merlin and The Orchard.

Yoko Ono, EMI Withdraw Copyright Suit Against Filmmakers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2008 - 8:17am.

Stanford, Calif. - Major record label EMI and recording artist Yoko Ono have withdrawn all copyright infringement claims against Premise Media, the producers of a documentary called "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" that uses a 15-second clip of a John Lennon song.

News Corp. Acquires Rest of Jamba From Verisign for $200M

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2008 - 7:52am.

New York - News Corporation (NYSE: NWS) announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the rest of mobile entertainment firm Jamba from joint venture partner Verisign (NASD: VRSN) for about $200 million.

IPTV Firm KIT Digital Acquires Visual Connection

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2008 - 7:41am.

Dubai - KIT digital, a provider of IPTV delivery technology, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Visual Connection, a Czech Republic-based provider of digital media and IPTV services, for $2.5 million in cash plus $7.5 million in performance-based payouts.

MindFuse Gets Funding for Multiplayer Casual Games

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2008 - 7:26am.

Berkeley, Calif. - MindFuse, a developer of multiplayer online casual games, has raised $1 million in convertible debt from the Keiretsu Forum, and also expects to raise an undisclosed sum of venture funding over the next month, VentureBeat reported.

tags: Games | Deals | VC | Casual Games | MMOG | MindFuse |

Social Media Advertising Firm Appssavvy Lands $3.1 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2008 - 7:18am.

New York - Appssavvy, a provider of social media advertising services, announced on Tuesday that it has secured a $3.1 million first round of funding, led by True Ventures with participation from About.com founder Scott Kurnit.

U.K. Musicians Form Coalition to Lobby for Artists' Rights

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 6, 2008 - 11:19am.

Manchester, England - A coalition of over 60 U.K. recording artists that includes Radiohead, Billy Bragg and Robbie Williams has been formed with the objective of lobbying for artists' rights in the digital age.

Report: iPhone 3G is Top-Selling U.S. Smartphone

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 6, 2008 - 10:56am.

Port Washington, N.Y. - Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone 3G was the top-selling smartphone among U.S. consumers from June-August, commanding 24% market share, and was second only to Motorola's (NYSE: MOT) RAZR in overall mobile phone sales, according to a report from market research firm NPD Group.

Tina Brown, Barry Diller Debut News Aggregator The Daily Beast

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 6, 2008 - 10:27am.

New York - Former Vanity Fair and The New Yorker editor Tina Brown on Monday launched her new online venture with IAC's (NASD: IACI) Barry Diller, The Daily Beast, which will mix original journalism and celebrity gossip with content aggregated from around the Web.

Netflix Shares Drop on Lowered Subscriber, Revenue Forecasts

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 6, 2008 - 10:03am.

Los Gatos, Calif. - Online DVD rental service Netflix (NASD: NFLX) on Monday lowered its guidance on the number of subscribers it expects to count during the third quarter, as well as revenue targets for the fourth quarter, sending shares of the company down nearly 9%.

Melodis Raises $7 Million for Midomi Music Search Technology

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 6, 2008 - 9:29am.

San Jose, Calif. - Melodis, a developer of search and sound recognition technology, announced on Monday that it has raised $7 million in its second round of financing, led by TransLink Capital.

Mobile Content Distributor Crisp Wireless Nabs $5 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 6, 2008 - 8:19am.

New York - Crisp Wireless, a provider of mobile content distribution services, has raised $5 million in its second round of financing, led by Meritage Private Equity Funds, PEHub.com reported, citing a regulatory filing.