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U.K.U.K. Mulling Tax Incentives to Attract Offshore Online CasinosAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 23, 2007 - 1:29pm.
London - The U.K.'s finance minister plans next month to propose awarding offshore Internet gambling firms a British license in return for a tax as low as 2% or 3% on their revenues, London's Daily Telegraph reported on Friday. Virgin Media Launches TV, Broadband, Phone Service in U.K.Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 8, 2007 - 1:49pm.
London - Richard Branson's Virgin Group on Thursday announced the launch of Virgin Media, which will offer bundled digital TV, broadband, home and mobile phone service across the U.K. Unsigned Band Enters U.K. Singles Chart on Downloads AloneAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 16, 2007 - 1:30pm.
Witham, England - An unsigned band from Essex, England has become the first to break into that country's top 40 singles chart, following a rule change that for the first time allows songs available only as Internet downloads. Koopa's "Blag, Steal & Borrow" reached No. 31 on the U.K. singles chart last week. "It's almost like the boot's on the other foot and we're saying to the record labels: 'Well, you've got to come to us and impress us and make us want to sign to your label', rather than us going to them," 26-year-old Koopa singer and guitarist Joe Murphy told Reuters. BBC to Develop Online Social Networks for Top BrandsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 11, 2007 - 10:06am.
Report: U.K. Text-Messagers Suffering Repetitive-Stress InjuriesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 21, 2006 - 6:11am.
London - According to a new study by Virgin Mobile, the widespread popularity of text messaging in the U.K. has led to a surge in the number of reported repetitive-strain injuries to thumbs and fingers. The study found that more than 3.8 million people reported an SMS-related repetitive-strain injury last year, a 38% increase compared to figures from five years ago. More than 93.5 million text messages are sent every day in the U.K., where more than 12% of the population admit to sending at least 20 texts a day and 10% admit to sending as many as 100 a day.
U.K. Online Casino Empire Online Settles Legal Dispute with PartyGamingAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 16, 2006 - 8:26am.
London - The legal battle between Gibraltar-based online poker giant PartyGaming and Cyprus-based Empire Online ended on Thursday after the former agreed to acquire a number of assets belonging to the latter for approximately $250 million in cash. Empire operates websites that direct punters to online gambling companies, which then pay Empire a commission. Six months ago, Empire sued PartyGaming after the online poker firm unceremoniously dropped Empire's platform in favor of its own. Under the terms of Thursday's announcement, PartyGaming will acquire the business, assets, player databases and IP relating to EmpirePoker and AceClub.com.
BT, Virgin Mobile to Launch Mobile TV, Radio Service in the U.K.Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 14, 2006 - 10:28am.
London - U.K. telecommunications firm BT Group announced that it has signed an agreement with Virgin Mobile to offer a digital TV and radio service to mobile phone users in the U.K. With the news, Virgin is set to become the first mobile operator in Europe to offer broadcast TV to mobile customers. Virgin Mobile subscribers will be able to view five digital TV channels and listen to more than 350 radio stations on a new handset, the Virgin Trilogy, which will run Microsoft's Windows Mobile software. The service will be launched sometime later this year.
U.K. Broadband Firm ntl to Test BitTorrent Video Download ServiceAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 10, 2006 - 3:02am.
London - ntl, the U.K.'s largest cable company with 3.3 million cable TV subscribers and 1.7 million broadband customers, announced on Friday that it has partnered with peer-to-peer file-sharing software distributor BitTorrenet to test an ultra high-speed video download service in the U.K. The companies will work with CacheLogic to further accelerate the delivery of legal, licensed video content such as movies, music videos and TV programs. BitTorrent has long been a popular means of sharing pirated movies and TV shows, but recently the company negotiated with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to remove copyrighted content from its search engine. "As the world's leading P2P application, we are engaging artists and ISPs to build a consumer-friendly ecosystem around our protocol that allows all involved to benefit from P2P," said Ashwin Navin, co-founder and president of BitTorrent. The trial is expected to launch with ntl broadband subscribers in April.
Live Nation, Nokia Partner on U.K. Mobile Concert Ticket ServiceAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 6, 2006 - 5:09am.
London - Live Nation, a global concert promoter and owner of 150 venues, announced on Monday that it has partnered with Nokia to launch TicketRush.co.uk, an online store that will promote and sell tickets to concerts, events and festivals. The service promises to offer early access to tickets to some events, as well as the ability to purchase last minute tickets to sold out shows. The company said it will add the ability for users to purchase tickets directly from cell phones over the next few months.
U.K. Sets First Conviction for "Mod Chip" Xbox SellerAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on July 8, 2005 - 2:38am.
London -- A 22-year-old U.K. man has been convicted of illegally modifying and selling Xbox video game consoles, in the first such conviction there under a provision of the European Union's Copyright Directive that prohibits circumventing copyright protections. The Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), a European video game trade group, said the unidentified man was modifying Xbox consoles so that they could play pirated games, adding a 200GB hard drive and 80 pre-installed games, and selling the units online for about $660 each. The ELSPA said the penalty of 140 hours of community service, forfeiture of all hardware and $1,300 fine imposed reflected the youth of the individual and his first offense standing. "This case sets a major precedent which marks a milestone in the fight against piracy and in protecting the games industry's intellectual property. It sends a clear message to anyone tempted to become involved in 'chipping' consoles that this is a criminal offence and will be dealt with accordingly," said Mike Rawlinson, deputy director general of the ELSPA.
U.K. Record Industry Settles 23 Suits Against File-Swappers, Files 31 MoreAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 7, 2005 - 6:47am.
London -- The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), a U.K. record label trade group, announced that it has settled 23 lawsuits it filed against Internet music file-swappers in October 2004, with defendants paying penalties of up to $8,600 each. "We have no desire to drag people through the courts. So we have attempted to reach fair settlements where we can," said BPI general counsel Geoff Taylor. The BPI also said it sued 31 additional individuals for alleged copyright infringement on eight peer-to-peer networks, including eDonkey, Soulseek, Limewire, Bearshare and Imesh. "If illegal file-sharers think that they can avoid getting caught by staying away from the most popular networks like KaZaA, they're wrong," Taylor added. The BPI's U.S. counterpart, the Recording Industry Association of America, has now sued over 9,000 individuals suspected of Internet music file-sharing.
BSA Warns of Generation of Unabashed Pirates in the U.K.Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 9, 2004 - 3:18am.
London -- A new survey conducted on behalf of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) finds that about 44% of 18- to 29-year-olds in the U.K. admits to owning pirated intellectual property. Nearly a third of all the 30- to 50-year-olds surveyed also admitted to owning pirated material. The BSA said the survey indicated the emergence of a new "pirate generation" in the U.K. that had few ethical qualms about buying pirate software, CDs and DVDs. Most of the 2,000 people surveyed by pollsters YouGov did say that they felt there was little or no stigma attached to pirated goods. BSA spokesman Mike Newton described the survey as "grim reading" and singled out the role of the Internet. "There is a growing generation that lacks the respect for intellectual property on which manufacturers of things like music rely," he said. "The Internet is clearly a major route for pirate traffic."
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.
Eminem Wins U.K. Cybersquatting Case Against EmimemMobile.comAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on April 22, 2004 - 3:48am.
Geneva -- Rapper Eminem has won a cybersquatting case in the U.K. against a firm selling mobile phone entertainment at the domain EminemMobile.com. The World Intellectual Property Organization's domain name arbitration and mediation center found that U.K. resident Tim Mcintosh and his Visitair Ltd. registered the domain in bad faith, and was using it to sell unauthorized ringtones of Eminem recordings. The domain will be automatically turned over to the musician in 10 days.
Napster Casts Doubt on Late Summer U.K. LaunchAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on April 21, 2004 - 4:05am.
San Jose, Calif. -- A day after rival Apple reaffirmed its intention to launch a European version of its iTunes music service in Europe by the end of this year, San Jose, Calif.-based Roxio cast some doubt on whether it will be able to launch its Napster service in the U.K. by the end of this summer, as originally planned. Reuters reports that red tape and licensing-negotiations may cause a delay in the launch. "I am ever-hopeful [the U.K. launch] will happen, but it has been very challenging to get the rights together," Christopher Gorog, the CEO of Roxio, told Reuters. Gorog said that the company has yet to secure the necessary licenses it needs from music companies to begin selling song downloads. A launch throughout the rest of Europe could be even further away, he said, with licensing talks reportedly only in the beginning stages.
U.K. Launches $1.8 Million Project to Digitize British Library's Sound ArchiveAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on April 19, 2004 - 4:26am.
London -- A $1.8 million program has been launched to digitize 12,000 sound recordings from the British Library's Sound Archive. The 4,000 hours of audio, including a live recording of Paul Robeson in Othello, Florence Nightingale speaking (one of the earliest sound recordings), and Arthur Conan Doyle talking about the genesis of Sherlock Holmes, will be digitized by the U.K.'s Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). The Archival Sound Recordings project is being funded by the U.K.'s Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) as part of an $18 million project to provide sound, moving pictures, census data and still images online for long-term use by the further and higher education communities in the U.K.
Take-Two Acquires U.K. Handheld Game Developer MobiusAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on April 8, 2004 - 6:43am.
New York -- Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive announced on Thursday its acquisition of Leeds, U.K.-based Mobius Entertainment, a developer of games for handheld platforms. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 1997, Mobius has developed titles such as the Game Boy Advance version of Take-Two subsidiary Rockstar Games' "Max Payne," and "Pop Idol" for publisher Codemasters. The Mobius team, currently at work on titles for Sony's forthcoming PSP handheld gaming device, will now be known as Rockstar Leeds.
U.K. Government Agency Recommends Deadline for Switchover to Digital TVAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on April 6, 2004 - 8:34am.
London -- In a report published earlier this week, the U.K. communications watchdog (Ofcom) said the government must stop dragging its heels and set a date for switching the nation's TVs from analog transmission to digital. The regulatory agency said an official timetable would significantly extend digital penetration in the country and help to ensure that the U.K. has made the move to digital by the end of 2010. In its Driving Digital Switchover report, which contained 23 recommendations, Ofcom warned the government that many TV viewers and broadcasters might need some sort of financial incentive to make the switch, which it said should by phased in region by region to prevent widespread TV blackouts. Since receiving the report, however, the government has said that it has no intention of subsidizing the replacement of nearly 40 million analogue TVs.
U.K. Privacy Group Condemns New Google Email Service As IllegalAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on April 6, 2004 - 7:09am.
London -- Privacy International, a global citizens group with offices in the U.S. and the U.K., this week voiced concerns about a new Google email service called "Gmail" that stores messages in a place where PC users are unable to delete them. Although the service comes with more than 100 times the free storage capacity offered by Yahoo Mail and MSN Hotmail, Gmail guarantees far less privacy; Google has admitted in its privacy and terms of use sections that it would employ "cookies" and scan users' email accounts in a bid to fine tune advertising. In a statement released earlier this week, Privacy International, which has filed an official complaint with U.K. authorities, claims the service is illegal. "Consumers should be aware that there's a vast violation of European law occurring here," said Privacy International Director Simon Davies.
U.K. Download Store OD2 Sells One Millionth SongAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on April 1, 2004 - 9:06am.
London -- OD2, the U.K.-based provider of digital music download store technology for European retail partners including MSN, Tiscali, Tower Records and Virgin, announced that it sold its one-millionth song during the first quarter of 2004. The company, which is the main digital music provider for Europe, said the number of downloads sold during the first quarter of this year are double those sold in the fourth quarter of 2003, and ten times the number sold in the same period last year. By comparison, Apple's iTunes Store has sold over 50 million songs thus far in the U.S. OD2 said revenue from downloads and licensing fees from the first quarter totaled $1.84 million.
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London - The BBC said on Thursday that it plans to launch online social networks centered on its most popular brands, like "Top Gear" and "BBC Good Food," Reuters reported.
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