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FrenchFrench Mobile Video Developer Eyeka Raises $4.8 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 28, 2006 - 10:39am.
Paris - Eyeka, a France-based provider of mobile video and image service applications, announced that it has secured $4.8 million in first-round venture-capital financing just months after the company was founded. Paris-based Ventech Capital and U.K.-based DN Capital led the round. Eyeka said DN Capital's expertise in digital media and strong presence in the U.K. and U.S. would be "crucial" for its international expansion. The French firm said it would use the investment to develop its platform and hire new staff.
Microsoft Acquires French Mobile Search Developer MotionBridgeAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 14, 2006 - 10:31am.
Barcelona - Microsoft announced that it has acquired MotionBridge, a France-based provider of mobile search technology and navigation services, for an undisclosed sum. Under the terms of the deal, Microsoft will obtain MotionBridge's operator partnerships (T-Mobile, Orange, Sprint and O2 Ltd., among others) and its flagship technology, which provides clustered results and "deep links" to downloadable content from multiple providers. MotionBridge was founded in 2000 and later funded by Siemens Mobile Acceleration.
French Court OKs File-Sharing for Personal UseAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 9, 2006 - 3:48am.
Paris - The District Court of Paris has ruled that downloading and uploading content to peer-to-peer file-sharing networks is legal, as long as it is for personal use, The Register reported. The French record label trade group SCPP sued a Frenchman in late 2004 for allegedly offering 1,212 music tracks for download on file-sharing networks. The District Court of Paris found that the acts of downloading and uploading on peer-to-peer networks constituted "private copying." The SCPP is appealing the ruling. Meanwhile, the French Parliament is also weighing a proposal to charge file-swappers a $6 per month voluntary surcharge for accessing peer-to-peer networks.
French Video Compression Developer Ateme Raises $4.8 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 9, 2006 - 3:34am.
Paris - Ateme, a France-based developer of video compression technology, announced that it has raised $4.8 million in venture capital financing. France-based XAnge Private Equity and Ventech led the round. Ateme said it would use the funds to enhance its video compression technology and support international expansion. The company's next subsidiary will be opened in Silicon Valley, according to CEO Michel Artieres.
French Auto Racing Site Racing-Live.com Raises $1.2 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 15, 2005 - 6:18am.
Paris - Racing-Live.com, a France-based auto-racing website, has raised $1.2 million in its third round of venture capital financing, according to a posting on the blog Swiss Ventures. French venture capital firms Ventech, LV Capital and Xange led the round. Swiss Ventures said Racing.Live.com planned to use the funds to develop its premium content and wireless data service for Formula 1 racing fans. To date, the company has raised a total of $11.7 million.
Disney Planning French Mobile Virtual Network for KidsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 1, 2005 - 4:38am.
Paris - According to a report in French newspaper Les Echos, Disney is planning to become a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in France. Quoting unnamed sources familiar with the situation, Les Echos said Disney intended to sell prepaid cards aimed at younger mobile users. The Sunday Times recently wrote a similar report claiming that Disney was planning to become an MVNO in the U.K. as well. Earlier this year, Disney struck a deal with Sprint to launch an MVNO in the U.S. next year, while another MVNO using Disney's ESPN sports channel is scheduled for launch in the U.S. on Feb. 5.
French National Library President Criticizes Google ProjectAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 22, 2005 - 4:37am.
Paris -- Jean-Christmas Jeanneney, president of the National Library of France (BNF), has written an article in French news daily Le Monde criticizing the Google Print project. Search engine giant Google has teamed up with some of the world's most prestigious libraries (Oxford University, Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan and New York's Public Library) in a plan that would put their entire collections online. Although Jeanneney acknowledged that the "Messianic" project would make thousands of important works available to "poor countries" and "underprivileged populations", he lamented the fact that the vast majority of documents would be digitized in English. Jeanneney called on the EU to provide a "generous budget" in order to launch a similar project with European libraries and prevent the "crushing domination of America".
French Consumer Group Sues Apple, Sony Over Music ServicesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 14, 2005 - 10:48am.
Paris -- A French consumer advocacy group has filed legal complaints against Apple and Sony, claiming the companies' respective digital music download stores are anti-competitive because they only support their own portable music player devices, the French newspaper Les Echos reported on Monday. "The total absence of interoperability between DRM removes not only consumers' power to independently choose their purchase and where they buy it from but also constitutes a significant restraint on the free circulation of creative works," UFC-Que Choisir said in a statement. UFC-Que Choisir has sent a court summons to the French subsidiaries of Apple and Sony; a similar effort from VirginMega last year in France to get Apple to open its iPod to competitors was unsuccessful.
Court to Revisit French Suit Over Yahoo's Nazi AuctionsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 11, 2005 - 11:06am.
Sunnyvale, Calif. -- The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Thursday said that it will rehear some arguments in a suit filed by a pair of French human rights groups trying to ban the sale of Nazi-related items on sites run by Yahoo, the Associated Press reported. The Union of Jewish Students and the International Anti-Racism and Anti-Semitism League, both based in France, first sued Yahoo five years ago, winning a French court order to block Yahoo's sites in France from selling Nazi memorabilia. Selling or displaying racist material is a crime in France. Yahoo, however, kept the items -- which included swastika-laden flags and excerpts from Hitler's "Mein Kampf" -- on its more popular U.S.-based site, which is still accessible to French surfers. Following another court ruling in 2001, Yahoo theoretically now owes more than $5 million in fines. "If American companies have to worry that foreign judgments entered against them might be enforceable, it could end up with companies censoring their web sites," Mary Catherine Wirth, a senior corporate council at Yahoo, told AP.
French Court: Google Breached Louis Vuitton Trademark RightsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 7, 2005 - 3:12am.
Paris -- The Parisian District Court has ruled that U.S.-based search engine firm Google's practice of selling brand-name triggered advertising infringed on the trademark of Louis Vuitton. Google makes around 98% of its money by selling so-called "keyword-linked" advertising. Charged with trademark counterfeiting, unfair competition and misleading advertising, Google must now pay the French luxury goods firm $250,000, the court said. Google must also stop displaying ads for Vuitton's competitors whenever Internet users type the company's name into the search engine. Google said it was still considering whether or not to appeal the ruling. "We're studying the ruling," said Google spokesperson Myriam Boublil. "No decision's been taken yet on an appeal." Only a month ago, Google lost a similar case with Le Meridian Hotels, in which the search engine firm was fined $2,550 and ordered to pay costs.
French Mobile Game Publisher In-Fusio Acquires German Firm Mobile ScopeAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 2, 2005 - 3:38am.
Bordeaux, France -- In its second acquisition in a week, French mobile game publisher In-Fusio announced that it has purchased German mobile game publisher Mobile Scope, following on its acquisition of U.S. publisher Thumbworks. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal gives In-Fusio control of Mobile Scope's roster of titles, which include mobile games based on the films "Die Hard" and "Ice Age," and increases its worldwide staff to 250. "In six years, In-Fusio has become one of the world's top three mobile game publishers and has built a unique position in connected mobile game services," said In-Fusio co-CEO Giles Corbett. "Just after the purchase of Thumbworks, the acquisition of Mobile Scope perfectly matches our strategy to deliver entertaining content for mobile phones and services dedicated to players communities."
French Court Rules Apple Need Not Open iPod to Rival Song FormatsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2004 - 7:42am.
Paris -- A French court has ruled that Apple cannot be compelled to open its iPod's digital rights management scheme, so that songs purchased from Virgin Group's French music download store may be played on the devices, CNET News.com reported. The French Competition Court ruled that there were not "sufficiently convincing elements" to make Apple open its Fairplay DRM so that songs in Microsoft's media format sold by retailers like Virgin can play on the iPod. The court also said a link has not been established between Apple's "possibly dominant position in the hard disc music player market and the competition situation with regard to the download market."
French Consumer Group Sues EMI, Retailer Over Copy-Protected CDsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on August 25, 2004 - 1:53am.
Paris -- A French consumer advocacy group has sued major record label EMI and record store chain Fnac over copy-protected CDs sold in the country, accusing them of "deception over the material qualities of a product," the Associated Press reported. A French judge has launched an investigation based on a complaint from French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir, which says the CDs aren't playable in many CD players and computers, and further that they violate a 1985 law ensuring French consumers can make personal copies of CDs. The lawsuit could impose a maximum fine of $227,000 on EMI and Fnac, aside from unspecified damages that UFC-Que Choisir is seeking in the case. The group said it is also considering a lawsuit against Warner Music Group over that label's copy-protected CDs.
French Virgin Unit Files Complaint Against Apple Over iPod CompatibilityAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on August 5, 2004 - 3:34am.
San Francisco -- The French online music unit of Virgin has filed a complaint against Apple Computer, alleging unfair competition over Apple's refusal to license the FairPlay security technology necessary to make songs purchased from Virgin Mega and other retailers play on Apple's popular iPod player, CNET News.com reported. Apple revealed the complaint, which was filed with the French Competition Council in June, in its quarterly report released on Thursday. A hearing on Virgin Mega's complaint will be held in October or November. Apple has thus far ignored all requests to license FairPlay, and threatened legal action against rival RealNetworks, which on its own last week released software called Harmony that works around FairPlay and allows songs purchased from Real to play on the iPod.
French Game Publisher In-Fusio Raises $27 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on August 4, 2004 - 3:39am.
Paris -- In-Fusio, a France-based mobile game publisher and game services provider, said it has raised $27 million in its latest round of financing. Insight Venture Partners, a U.S.-based venture capital firm, led the funding, with existing investors Banexi Ventures, Partech International, VPSA (formerly Viventures) and Innoven Partenaires also participating, In-Fusio said. The company said the funds would be used to further secure market share in Europe and solidify its growing presence in the U.S. "This new funding is key to accelerating our U.S. expansion through a series of strategic North American acquisitions that we have already started to discuss," said In-Fusio co CEO and President Gilles Raymond. In-Fusio currently publishes 65 game titles for over 70 wireless carriers.
French ISPs to Unplug File-Swappers Under Government Anti-Piracy PlanAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on July 29, 2004 - 4:13am.
Paris -- French Internet service providers Club-Internet, Free, Noos, Tiscali France and Wanadoo have signed an agreement with the French government that will allow the ISPs to pull the plug on people who illegally download music. Under the terms of the agreement, which enjoys the full support of several record labels and musician's groups, the ISPs will begin to employ termination or suspension clauses to cancel subscriptions of pirates caught in flagrante delicto. The government's charter also calls on music copyright holders to publicize by year's end targeted civil and criminal court action against pirates. Hoping to head off criticism of the agreement, Christine Levet, head of the local Association of Internet Service Providers, told French news agency AFP that members of her organization would send warning messages to customers upon request from rights holders, emphasizing that Internet service would be cut off "only upon the decision of a judge."
French ISPs to Start Cutting Illegal Downloaders' ConnectionsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on July 19, 2004 - 5:13am.
Paris -- An agreement between French Internet service providers (ISPs) and the local music industry may allow government authorities to pull the plug on people who download music illegally, according to French news daily Liberation. Spearheaded by the French Ministries of Industry, Culture and Finance, the agreement could be signed as early as this week, Liberation said. If the agreement is approved, record labels monitoring peer-to-peer (P2P) networks would be able to file complaints about specific repeat offenders. In turn, a judge would be able to order an ISP to shut down that individual's Internet connection. Studies show that file-sharing is becoming increasingly popular despite the efforts of the international music recording industry. According to the OECD Information Technology Outlook 2004, the number of people using P2P networks to download music, movies, images, games and software from the Internet increased by 30% compared to the same period last year.
Apple: U.K., French, German iTunes Stores Sell 800,000 Tracks in First WeekAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on June 23, 2004 - 7:59am.
Cupertino, Calif. -- Apple announced on Wednesday that its new iTunes Music Stores in the U.K., France and Germany sold a combined 800,000 songs in their first week of operations. "After selling over 800,000 songs during its first week, iTunes is Europe's top online music store," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "In the U.K. alone, iTunes sold more than 450,000 songs in the last week -- 16 times as many as OD2, its closest competitor." OD2 (On Demand Distribution), the digital music firm co-founded by musician Peter Gabriel that distributes tracks for European digital retailers including HMV, Virgin, MSN and Tiscali, was acquired on Tuesday by Seattle-based Loudeye Technologies. Napster, which launched in the U.K. on May 20, has not yet released sales figures for its U.K. store.
Head of French Record Industry Says File-Swapper Lawsuits LoomingAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 31, 2004 - 3:51am.
Paris -- The head of France's record label trade group said that lawsuits against individual music file-swappers would be filed shortly in the country, on the same day that an international record label trade group filed 247 suits against alleged pirates in Denmark, Germany, Italy and Canada, Reuters reported. "We will do the same thing in France in the coming weeks or months. Whatever happens, lawsuits against Internet users are inevitable," Herve Rony, head of France's SNEP (Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique), told Reuters. In addition to prosecuting file-swappers, France will also go after Internet service providers, utilizing a law that will go into effect shortly that asks them to filter copyrighted content on their networks. "We have a two lines of fire: taking action against individual Internet users does not imply we will not act against service providers to oblige them to filter," Rony added.
Hip Interactive Buys French Game Publisher LSP for $3.8 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 10, 2004 - 9:26am.
Mississauga, Ontario -- Hip Interactive, a developer and publisher of console and PC video games and accessories, announced that it has completed its acquisition of French game publisher LSP. The company paid about $3.8 million to acquire all of LSP's outstanding shares. LSP, which employs 20 and reports annual sales of $5 million, has released over 50 titles including several based on Hollywood properties, such as "Antz" and "Inspector Gadget." "The acquisition of LSP is an important building block in our strategy to grow our publishing division," said Hip Interactive president and CEO Arindra Singh.
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