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Mark HefflingerReport: Video Game Software Sales Down 6% in Q3Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 10:18am.
 New York - Video game software
sales across the U.S.,
Europe and Japan
fell 6% during the third quarter of 2009, according to a report combining sales
data from NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track Limited and Enterbrain. While Japan actually
saw video game software unit sales increase by 15% in the third quarter --
compared with the 20% decline seen in the same period last year -- year-to-date
sales in the country are down 9%, according to Enterbrain.
Skype Litigation Settled; Sale by eBay to Investors to ProceedAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 8:35am.
 San Jose,
Calif. - Skype parent company
eBay (NASD: EBAY) announced on Friday that litigation between an investor group looking to
acquire Skype and the creators of the Internet telephone service has been
settled, and that its sale of a majority stake in Skype will now proceed. As a
result of the settlement, the acquisition deal has been restructured, and Skype
creators Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis will now join the investor group, led
by Silver Lake, and make a "significant
capital investment" in exchange for a 14% stake in Skype.
tags: Deals | Law | Lawsuits | eBay | Acquisitions | Skype | Joost | Mike Volpi | Silver Lake Partners | Andreessen Horowitz | Janus Friis | Niklas Zennstrom |
E.U. to Allow "3-Strikes" Laws in New Telecoms RegulationAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 12:35pm.
 Brussels - The European Union
has dropped language from proposed telecoms regulation that would have
established Internet access as a "fundamental right," providing new
leeway for countries like France
and Great Britain
that have enacted or are considering "three-strikes" laws that
suspend repeat copyright infringers' Internet connections, according to
published reports. The issue had been a sticking point holding up the telecoms
regulation, and the new version represents a compromise between copyright and
consumer interests.
tags: Video | Law | Policy | Music | Copyright | European Union | Three-Strikes | La Quad | Viviane Reding |
No Doubt Sues Activision Over Avatars in "Band Hero"Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 11:13am.
 Los Angeles
- The rock band No Doubt has filed a lawsuit against "Band Hero"
video game publisher Activision (NASD: ATVI), alleging the company overstepped the
permission granted by the band to include their likenesses within the game, Reuters
reported. According to the lawsuit, the band did authorize its likenesses to be
used to create avatars to perform its own songs within the game, but did not
authorize the No Doubt avatars to perform songs by other bands.
Beatles to Release Re-mastered Catalog on $279 USB DriveAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 10:38am.
 London
- The Beatles' record label, Apple Corps, and EMI Music have announced plans to
release a limited edition apple-shaped USB drive, containing the entire Beatles
re-mastered catalog in FLAC and MP3 format. The 30,000 USB apples will become
available on Dec. 7 in the U.K.
and Dec. 8 in North America, with a price tag
of $279.
tags: Law | Lawsuits | Music | Copyright | EMI | Apple Corps | The Beatles | BlueBeat | Hank Risan |
Report: Skype Creators, eBay, Investors Near SettlementAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 9:29am.
San Francisco - Litigation between the inventors and former
owners of Internet phone service Skype, current owner eBay (NASD: EBAY), and an investor
group looking to acquire Skype from eBay, could be nearing a settlement, The New
York Times reported, citing several people who have been briefed on the
situation. Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis -- the inventors of Skype and the
peer-to-peer technology behind file-sharing service Kazaa and video portal
Joost -- sued the investor group in a bid to block their acquisition of Skype
from eBay.
Report: Doug Morris to Step Down as Universal Music CEOAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 8:02am.
 New York
- Universal Music Group chairman and chief executive Doug Morris intends to
step down from his CEO role next summer, BusinessWeek reports. The company is
reportedly grooming international CEO Lucian Grainge to replace Morris, 71, who
is expected to remain chairman of the world's largest record label.
China's Baidu Qualifies Partnership with Music Service QtraxAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 10:41am.
Los Angeles - Chinese search giant Baidu (NASD: BIDU) has issued a statement
indicating that it will not in fact be directing users searching for music on
the site to ad-supported downloads available from U.S.-based Qtrax -- as that company
announced earlier this week, IDG News Service reported. "The partnership
with Qtrax regards text-based information, such as singer backgrounds; it has
nothing to do with the music itself," a Baidu spokesperson told IDG. Qtrax
said in its announcement that Baidu would direct users to Qtrax "wherever
Qtrax has the queried...song in its catalogue."
Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target in Pre-Order DVD Price WarAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 10:38am.
New York
- After retail giant Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) cut the price of pre-order DVDs on its website to
$10 on Thursday, rivals Amazon (NASD: AMZN) and Target (NYSE: TGT) followed suit by lowering their own pre-order
DVD prices to $9.99, the Associated Press reported. On Friday morning, Wal-Mart
responded by further discounting pre-order DVDs to $9.98. The price-cutting
wars followed a similar battle over book prices amongst the three retailers --
which in recent weeks pushed prices as low as $8.98.
AOL Names Susan Lyne to New Board of DirectorsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 10:36am.
New York
- Nearly two weeks after unveiling its new board of directors, AOL on Friday
announced one new member. The company, which expects to complete its spin out
from parent Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) by the end of this year, named Susan Lyne, the CEO of
online luxury retailer Gilt Groupe, as the board's tenth member. Lyne also has
served as the president and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and
previously served in various positions at Walt Disney Company, rising to
president of ABC Entertainment. Chaired by CEO Tim Armstrong, the board also
will include Michael Powell, Fredric Reynolds, James Wiatt, Richard Dalzell,
Karen Dykstra, William Hambrecht, Patricia Mitchell and James Stengel.
Norwegian Court: ISP Telenor Need Not Block The Pirate BayAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 9:57am.
Oslo, Norway - International record label trade group IFPI
has lost its court case that sought to compel Norwegian ISP Telenor to block
its subscribers' access to file-sharing hub The Pirate Bay, TorrentFreak
reported.
Korean Social Network Cyworld to Shutter U.S. ServiceAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 9:42am.
Los Angeles - Cyworld, a
Korea-based online social network owned by SK Telecom, has decided to shutter
its U.S.
service three years after launch, having failed to attract a large audience.
Judge Orders Site Selling Beatles Tracks to CeaseAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 9:04am.
Los Angeles
- A federal judge has ordered BlueBeat, a company selling unauthorized Beatles
recordings online, to immediately cease the practice.
U.S. E-Commerce Spending Falls for Second Straight QuarterAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 8:46am.
Reston, Va.
- For the first time on record, U.S.
e-commerce spending has now seen negative growth for two straight quarters,
according to new figures from comScore.
Walmart.com Prices Top 10 Pre-Order DVDs at $10Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 1:28pm.
Brisbane,
Calif. - Walmart.com (NYSE: WMT) is now
offering a $10 price tag and free home delivery on its top ten pre-order DVD
and Blu-ray movie titles. Titles available through the offer include
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Star Trek" and
"Julie and Julia." The DVD promotion comes as Walmart.com is engaged
in a price-cutting war with Amazon and Target.
Streaming Service Deezer Adds Premium Subscription PlansAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 1:27pm.
Paris
- Deezer, a France-based, ad-supported streaming music service with 11 million
members, on Thursday announced the launch of a new subscription-based offering.
Deezer Premium, which will first be available in France
before expanding to the rest of Europe, will
provide ad-free streaming, mobile access, and the ability to download tracks
and playlists. A $7.42 per month tier will provide higher-quality, ad-free
streams, while a $14.85 per month tier will provide downloads and mobile
access. Deezer recently raised $9.6 million in new financing.
Nokia Inks Promotional Deal With Universal Music, RihannaAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 1:26pm.
Los Angeles
- Nokia (NYSE: NOK) on Thursday announced a promotional partnership with Island Def Jam
Music Group and Universal Music Group International, which will exclusively
premiere tracks from Rihanna's forthcoming album with Nokia. The deal includes
an exclusive, live streamed concert on Nokia websites. Additionally, Comes With
Music customers will receive a version of the album with a bonus track and
other additional content, while the Ovi Store will offer a Rihanna application
with exclusive content.
Blockbuster to Market iMemories Home Movie Transfer, StorageAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 1:24pm.
Scottsdale,
Ariz. - iMemories, a website that
provides digitization, storage and sharing service for home movie films and
videos, on Thursday announced a partnership with Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI), which will market
its services on Blockbuster.com and in select Blockbuster retail stores. The
service lets users create custom DVDs of their home movies, as well as share
them on password-protected websites.
Consumer Electronics Assn. Names New Executive BoardAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 1:22pm.
Arlington,
Va. - The Consumer Electronics
Association (CEA) on Thursday announced its 2010 executive board, which will
continue to be chaired by Gary Yacoubian, the vice president of strategic
development for Monster Cable Products. Other members include Brian Dunn, the
CEO of Best Buy; Denise Gibson, the chairman, of Brightstar U.S.; Stan Glasgow, the president and COO of
Sony Electronics; Ian Hendler, the director of business development at Leviton
Manufacturing; and Mark Luden, the president and CEO of The Guitammer Co.
Drop in MySpace Traffic to Cut $100M Off Google Ad DealAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 1:00pm.
New York
- News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) MySpace may lose out on at least $100 million of the $900
million it was contracted to receive from a search advertising agreement with
Google (NASD: GOOG), due to lackluster traffic to the website, the Financial Times reported.
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