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Investigation

EU Drops Investigation of Three-Party Acquisition of ContentGuard

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 15, 2005 - 3:22am.
Brussels -- The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it has been forced to drop its investigation into a joint bid for anti-piracy software firm ContentGuard because it has no legal authority to review mergers and acquisitions involving more than two equal co-owners. Expressing concerns that a deal could hurt Europe's digital rights management software market, the Commission initially launched its investigation last year when U.S.-based software giant Microsoft proposed bidding for ContentGuard through a joint venture with Time Warner. Since then, however, France-based technology firm Thomson has been invited to join the joint venture as an equal partner. "Through the conjunction of Thomson's acquisition of an equity stake, and of changes in ContentGuard's governance structure, no shareholder will have control over ContentGuard," the Commission said. "Thus, this transaction is not subject to EU merger rules." Following the news, Microsoft, Time Warner and Thomson on Tuesday announced the completion of their three-way acquisition of ContentGuard. "We all worked closely and constructively with the European Commission throughout this process and are pleased to reach this resolution," said Brad Smith, Microsoft senior vice president and general counsel.
tags: EU | ContentGuard | Investigation |

EU Commissioner Opens Investigation on New Media

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 9, 2004 - 6:27am.
Brussels -- EU Competition Commissioner Mario Monti said this week that he would open an inquiry into whether European TV, music and sports operators were keeping their content from so-called New Media providers like mobile-phone operators and suppliers of video-on-demand. A growing number of Europe's smaller entertainment and telecommunications companies are complaining that video stores and TV networks have little interest in accommodating New Media and that they being discriminated against. An openly sympathetic Monti said that video-on-demand was being "hindered … by strong tendencies by established TV operators to protect their position to the detriment of new technologies and new players". He also said the EU would move to promote the "rapid and undisturbed development" of New Media and "act wherever we detect foreclosure of markets".
tags: New Media | Investigation | EU Commissioner |

Kazaa Australian Offices, Executives' Homes Raided in Copyright Investigation

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 6, 2004 - 10:20am.
Sydney -- The offices and homes of executives at file-sharing firms Sharman Networks (Kazaa) and Brilliant Digital Entertainment (Altnet) were raided by Australian music industry officials Friday morning in part of an ongoing copyright infringement investigation, ZDNet Australia reported. Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI), an Australian record industry trade group, obtained a special order from the court that allows copyright holders to enter premises and conduct a search and seizure of any copyright-infringing materials. In addition to the offices and homes of Sharman CEO Nikki Hemming, Brilliant Digital CEO Kevin Burmeister and Sharman director of technology Phil Morle, the raid also encompassed several Australian universities and four Internet service providers. "This is not about individuals; this is about the big fish," MIPI general manager Michael Speck told ZDNet Australia. "This is a signal that Internet music piracy is finished in Australia." Sharman and Brilliant Digital will come before Australian federal court Justice Murray Wilcox and record industry lawyers on Tuesday. "This action appears to be an extraordinary waste of time, money and resources going over legal ground that has been well and truly covered in the U.S. and Dutch Courts over the past 18 months," said Sharman Networks in a statement.
tags: Copyright | Kazaa | Investigation | Executives' Homes | Australian Offices |

U.S. Senators Call for Investigation into NBC-Vivendi Merger

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 9, 2003 - 4:47am.
Paris -- A pair of U.S. senators have called on the federal government to take a closer look at the recent merger between NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment. In a statement, Sens. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) said that the deal was the "latest example of the increasing consolidation in our media industry," a trend that should "concern all of us who care about the diversity of viewpoints available to all Americans." The two said that they were considering holding hearings on the impact of the deal -- which stands to create a media empire worth more than $43 billion dollars -- on the U.S. media market.
tags: NBC | Vivendi | U.S | Investigation |

SEC Launches Formal Investigation Into Interactive TV Firm Liberate

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 3, 2003 - 2:07am.
San Carlos, Calif. -- Liberate Technologies, a provider of interactive TV software and services, announced on Monday that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a formal order of investigation to determine whether there have been violations of the federal securities laws or regulations by the company. Previously, San Carlos, Calif.-based Liberate had been cooperating with the SEC on an investigation into its accounting practices. The formal investigation status will enable the SEC to subpoena individuals and entities. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030303/sfm120_1.html
tags: TV | SEC | Liberate | Investigation | Formal |