Swedish

Swedish Virtual Paper Doll Makeover Site Stardoll.com Raises $4 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 17, 2006 - 7:20am.

Stockholm, Sweden - Stardoll.com, a website aimed at girls that lets them makeover and dress paper doll versions of celebrities in various clothing and accessories, announced that it has raised $4 million in its first round of venture capital financing. Index Ventures led the investment round; angel investors also participated. Launched in 2004 by a 50-year-old retired Scandinavian woman, Stockholm-based Stardoll.com (formerly Paperdoll Heaven) now claims 900,000 members. The company also said it named Mattias Miksche, founder and CEO of E-trade in Germany and Scandinavia, as its new CEO.

Motorola to Acquire Swedish Set-top Developer Kreatel

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 18, 2006 - 4:16am.

Stockholm - Motorola, a U.S.-based electronics giant, announced that it has agreed to acquire Kreatel Communications, a Sweden-based developer of IPTV-based digital set-top boxes. Financial terms were not disclosed. Motorola said Kreatel's Linux-based set-top platform was a natural complement to its end-to-end digital video platform and would address the need for IPTV-based digital set-tops. Kreatel's customer base currently includes such heavy hitters as Telefonica, TeliaSonera and KPN. Industry experts say the move will consolidate Motorola's position as the largest set-top box maker in the U.S. Motorola said it expected to close the deal in the first quarter of this year.

tags: Motorola | Swedish | Set-top | Kreatel |

Swedish Anti-Piracy Group Reports 200 Suspected File-Swappers to Police

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2005 - 10:45am.

London -- Following the recent passing of a law in Sweden banning all file-sharing, the country's anti-piracy organization, Antipiratbyran (APB), has reported 200 alleged file-swappers to the police, The Register reported, citing a report in Sweden's The Local. The new file-sharing ban was passed by Swedish parliament and goes into effect on July 1. While APB had already sent copyright warnings to 400,000 file-swappers, the organization has been criticized for potentially violating Sweden's privacy laws by collecting IP addresses. After more than 1,000 complaints were sent to Swedish authorities, the APB said it has since changed its method of identifying suspected file-swappers.

Electronic Arts Bids on Remaining Stake in Swedish Developer Digital Illusions

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 15, 2004 - 5:19am.

Redwood City, Calif. -- Video game publisher Electronic Arts on Monday announced an offer for the remaining shares of Swedish game developer Digital Illusions (DICE) it doesn't already own. In 2003, Electronic Arts purchased about 19% of DICE, which has developed titles for EA including "Battlefield 1942" and "Battlefield Vietnam," in addition to Microsoft Game Studios' "RalliSport Challenge" franchise. DICE has recommended that its shareholders accept EA's offer. EA said it plans to double DICE's employees, and sees the purchase as accelerating its readiness for the transition to the next generation of game consoles. Separately, EA on Monday shipped its "Need for Speed Underground 2" title for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and the PC to retailers. Developed in Vancouver by EA Canada, the sequel to the 8 million unit-selling original features tracks from Xzibit, Chingy, Mudvayne, and figures as the first medium for the release of Snoop Dogg's remix of The Doors' "Riders On The Storm."

tags: Electronic Arts | Swedish | Digital Illusions |

Electronic Arts Buys Stake in Swedish Developer Digital Illusions

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 12, 2003 - 3:23am.

Redwood City, Calif. -- Game developer Electronic Arts announced on Wednesday that it has made a strategic investment and acquired a minority stake in Digital Illusions (DICE), a Sweden-based game developer. The company also signed a long-term agreement to become the exclusive worldwide publisher of DICE titles. Redwood City, Calif.-based Electronic Arts recently partnered with DICE to publish "Battlefield 1942," a popular online multiplayer game that is now distributed in over 36 countries and has shipped more than 900,000 units to date. http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030212/120065_1.html

tags: Electronic Arts | Digital | Swedish | Stake |