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U.SU.S. May Petition WTO on Piracy in ChinaAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on April 25, 2006 - 11:38am.
Beijing - The U.S. may take legal action against China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) if the country does not further step up its anti-piracy efforts, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Although China moved recently to shut down several specific pirate disc plants, and committed to compel Chinese PC makers to pre-install legal software, the U.S. still estimates that Chinese piracy and counterfeiting costs U.S. businesses $250 billion in lost sales each year. "We remain consistent and clear in our policies that we consider all trade tools open and available," said Chris Israel, the U.S. Coordinator for International Intellectual Property Enforcement. "We view the commitment from Chinese leaders as meaningful and significant, and the execution of those commitments and meaningful results is really what we are focused on right now."
U.S. Expresses "Concern" over EU-Microsoft Antitrust CaseAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 31, 2006 - 8:14am.
Brussels - According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. government has expressed concern about the European Commission's handling of its protracted antitrust case against Microsoft. The U.S. is particularly worried about Microsoft's contention that the case has been unfair because EU regulators have withheld evidence vital to the company's defense, the Wall Street Journal said. The report quotes an email from the U.S. mission to the EU as saying that, if Microsoft's allegations are true, they will be of "substantial concern" to the U.S.
U.S. to Encourage Chinese Piracy Crackdown During April Trade MeetingAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 23, 2006 - 4:00am.
Washington - The U.S. government will pressure China to crack down on specific plants producing pirated movies and music, and also increase the number of legitimate U.S. films that may be distributed in the country each year during an official visit there next month, Reuters reported on Thursday. "Over the next month, we will know one way or another whether they're serious about reducing the piracy that disproportionately affects U.S. exports," U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman told Reuters. China allows no more than 20 foreign films to enter the legitimate movie marketplace each year, a policy the U.S. says fuels China's pirate film industry. "We'd like to see tangible markers laid down (at the meeting) on the intellectual property front, with commitments on what enforcement mechanisms are being put into place and how we can benchmark Chinese compliance," said Myron Brilliant, vice president for Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told Reuters.
U.S. Wireless Revenue Climbs 11% in '05; 25 Million Subscribers AddedAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 27, 2006 - 10:29am.
Arlington, Va. - Wireless revenue in the U.S. totaled $174.7 billion last year, up nearly 11% from the prior year, according to new statistics from the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). The organization said that carriers added 25 million new subscribers during the year -- the highest number ever. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population has now subscribed to a wireless service. The TIA said that it expects the overall wireless market to grow by an average of 11% a year through 2009, when revenues are predicted to top $265 billion.
Report: U.S. Home Internet Adoption Rate Projected to SlowAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 23, 2006 - 3:21am.
Dallas - Of the estimated 39 million U.S. homes without Internet access, only 2 million said they are planning to subscribe in 2006, contributing to overall U.S. Internet adoption growth of just one percent in 2006, from 63% to 64%, according to a report from market research firm Parks Associates. Only 8 million of the 39 million homes without Internet access even own a computer, although 14 million reported having access to the Internet at work or other locations. Some 300,000 households said they might subscribe if services were cheaper. "We are clearly facing a problem of demand, not supply," said Parks Associates research director John Barrett. "Computers and Internet service have never been cheaper, yet many households still show little enthusiasm for the technology." The firm found that among households not interested in subscribing to an Internet service at any price, 31% said their Internet access at work was sufficient, while another 18% claimed, "I am not interested in anything on the Internet."
U.K. Web Booker BETonSPORTS Calls for U.S. 'Net Gaming RegulationsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 17, 2006 - 7:22am.
London - Citing recent betting scandals and actions in the U.S. Congress, BETonSPORTS, a London-based online sports betting firm, on Friday renewed its push for government regulation of the online gaming industry in the U.S. The company also said that it remains "vehemently opposed" to any prohibition attempts in Congress. "Prohibition has never worked in the U.S. for any activity," said CEO David Carruthers. "The idea that prohibition would suddenly work now on any aspect of the Internet is a falsehood and trying to shut out a multi-billion industry with the consumer demand of online gambling through prohibition won't work." BETonSPORTS, which focuses primarily on the North America, Asia and Latin America regions, last month published a white paper on why regulation is needed in the U.S. Carruthers said that the industry needs regulation and tracking, "not to be pushed even further in the shadows where organized crime and other less reputable individuals can carve out a niche for themselves."
U.S. Internet Searches Grow 55% in December; Google Leads WayAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 9, 2006 - 3:43am.
New York - The total number of Internet searches in the U.S. in December grew 55% from the year before, according to new figures released by Internet research firm Nielsen/NetRatings. The firm said that nearly 5.1 billion searches were performed across approximately 60 search engines during the month, up from 3.3 billion searches in Dec. 2004. While the number of searches conducted online swelled, the number of people connecting to the Internet in the U.S. rose only 3% to 207 million. Google was the biggest winner among search engines, garnering nearly half of all searches during the month, with both Yahoo and MSN Search actually slipping in market share. All three, however, experienced double-digit growth in terms of total number of searches performed, compared with the year before.
Report: U.S. Bundled Services Revenue to Hit $119.5 Billion by 2010Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 2, 2006 - 7:18am.
Dallas - U.S. annual revenue from bundled services -- where providers offer a combination of TV, high-speed Internet, and landline and wireless phone services -- are projected to reach $119.5 billion by 2010, according to a report from market research firm Parks Associates. Currently, 39% of U.S. broadband households subscribe to a bundled service, with the majority combining two services; by the end of 2010, the firm forecasts that 55% of broadband households will subscribe to combinations of three or four services. "Although bundled services are at an early stage, service providers are beginning to experience increased customer retention," said Parks Associates analyst Deepa Iyer. "Simply touting 'one bill' and bundled discounts will not realize the full potential of bundled services. Service providers need to integrate different service features in a seamless way and build 'experience-oriented' packages that fit the distinctive needs and lifestyles of various consumer segments."
Sirius Launches Howard Stern in Canada, Blue Collar Comedy in U.S.Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 1, 2006 - 7:59am.
New York - Sirius Satellite Radio, a provider of subscription radio programming with 3 million subscribers, announced on Wednesday that it has added Howard Stern's radio show to its Canadian programming lineup. Stern's show began broadcasting on Sirius in the U.S. on Jan. 9, and will launch in Canada on Feb. 6. Separately, New York-based Sirius on Wednesday launched Blue Collar Comedy, a new channel featuring comedians including Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall.
Study: 35% of U.S. Parents Are Gamers; Majority Object to Govt. RestrictionsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 26, 2006 - 8:54am.
Washington - Thirty-five percent of American parents say they play computer and video games, according to a national survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates on behalf of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a video game industry trade group. Of these gamer parents, 80% said they play video games with their kids, and 66% said they feel playing games has brought their families closer together. The study found that 36% of gamer parents introduced their children to games, while 23% began playing after their children did; the typical gamer parent is 37 years old. The survey also found that 85% of voting parents (both gamers and non-gamers) said that parents -- as opposed to government, retailers or game publishers -- should take the most responsibility in monitoring the games their kids play. Sixty percent said the government should not regulate game sales to protect minors from violent or sexual content. "This research suggests that proposals to regulate video games may backfire with American voters who, unlike some elected officials, appear to fully understand that they should control the entertainment that comes into their homes," said ESA president Doug Lowenstein.
Survey: Venture Capital Investing Increases Slightly in U.S. in 2005Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 24, 2006 - 9:55am.
Arlington, Va. - Venture capital investing increased slightly last year, with companies raising a total of $21.7 billion in 2,939 deals, according to the newly released MoneyTree Survey from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Thomson Venture Economics and the National Venture Capital Association. The $21.6 billion invested in 2004 had marked the first increase in venture capital investing after three straight years of declines. Investments in the fourth quarter were down slightly from the prior quarter. Locally, however, investments surged to $225 million in the quarter, up $16 million from the prior quarter, though well below totals from a year ago. For the year, DC-area companies raised $885.2 million, down 9% from 2004.
VU Games: "50 Cent: Bulletproof" U.S./U.K. Sales Top 1 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 24, 2006 - 9:36am.
Los Angeles - Vivendi Universal Games said on Tuesday that its "50 Cent: Bulletproof" title for PlayStation 2 and Xbox has now sold more than 1 million units in the U.K. and North America combined, since going on sale in late November. The title features over four CDs worth of soundtrack music, including exclusive tracks from 50 Cent.
Google Vows to Fight U.S. Justice Department Request for Search RecordsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 20, 2006 - 2:54am.
Washington - In a move being watched by Internet privacy advocates, search engine giant Google said that it plans to "vigorously" fight the Bush administration's demand to reveal what million of its users have been looking up on the Internet, several media outlets reported on Friday. The Justice Department is asking to see a random sampling of one million searches conducted on Google over a one-week period as part of its effort to revive the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (COPA), designed to protect minors from sexually explicit material. The measure was previously struck down by the Supreme Court on First Amendment grounds. Though several of Google's competitors, including Yahoo, America Online and MSN, already have complied with the request, Google told CNN that the government's demand for information "overreaches." "We had lengthy discussions with them to try to resolve this, but were not able to and we intend to resist their motion vigorously," Nicole Wong, an associate general counsel for Google, wrote in a statement to the network. The government filed a motion on Wednesday demanding that Google turn over the records.
Report: 2005 U.S. Video Game Sales Rose 6% to Record $10.5 BillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 17, 2006 - 3:04am.
Port Washington, N.Y. - Propped up by a strong portable games market that offset declines in the console market, U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories grew 6% in 2005 to a record $10.5 billion, according to sales data published on Tuesday by market research firm NPD Group. Game titles for handheld consoles generated more than $1 billion for the second year in a row, while console game title sales saw a 12% decline from 2004. Sales of handheld console hardware were up 96% in 2005 -- fueled by the release of the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS -- while Nintendo's Game Boy Advance continued to lead the segment, with 64% of handheld game sales. "The real story for 2005 was the incredible expansion of portable gaming. The GBA continued to realize stellar sales, and the introduction of the DS and PSP to the market brought older gamers to the portable format," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. Strong handheld hardware sales were offset by a 3% decline in the sales of PlayStation, Xbox and GameCube consoles. The top five console/handheld game titles of 2005, ranked by units sold, were "Madden NFL 06" for PlayStation 2 (Electronic Arts); "Pokemon Emerald" for Game Boy Advance (Nintendo); "Gran Turismo 4" for PlayStation 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment); "Madden NFL 06" for Xbox (Electronic Arts); and "NCAA Football 06" for PlayStation 2 (Electronic Arts). Separately, NPD announced that U.S. PC game sales were down 14% in 2005, to $953 million. The top-selling PC games of 2005 included Vivendi's "World of Warcraft"; Electronic Arts' "The Sims 2"; and NCsoft's "Guild Wars."
Rolls-Royce Adds Sirius Radio as Standard Feature on All U.S. VehiclesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 11, 2006 - 4:07am.
New York - Sirius Satellite Radio, a subscription radio service with 3 million subscribers, said on Wednesday that Rolls-Royce will offer Sirius radios as standard equipment on all vehicles it sells in the U.S. The luxury automaker will also include a lifetime subscription to the $12.95 per month Sirius service.
Sony to Introduce Re-vamped E-Book Reader Device in U.S.Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 6, 2006 - 6:34am.
Las Vegas - Sony this week announced plans to release a re-vamped e-book reader device in the U.S. in March. The PRS-500 Portable Reader -- a lighter, thinner version of its Librie e-1000 device, previously offered in Japan -- features a 170dpi display from eInk, which has developed technology that allows for flexible electronic displays that more closely mimic the look of words on a printed page. The Register reported that Sony plans to sell the device for between $300 and $400, adding that the device will offer enough capacity on Sony's MemoryStick media to hold about 80 books -- which Sony will sell through its Connect download store.
LG Electronics to Ship Blu-ray DVD Player in the U.S. in Q2Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 6, 2006 - 6:25am.
Las Vegas - Korea's LG Electronics announced on Friday that it will ship its first Blu-ray Disc next-generation DVD player, the LG BD199, in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2006. LG did not provide pricing details for the device, which is based on Blu-ray DVD technology developed by Sony. Samsung also plans to introduce a $1,000 Blu-ray DVD player in the U.S. in the spring.
Report: 2005 U.S. Album Sales Down 7.2%; Download Sales Up 194%Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 5, 2006 - 7:17am.
Los Angeles - U.S. album sales fell 7.2% in 2005 to their lowest level in eight years, while sales of digital song downloads grew 194%, according to data from market research firm Nielsen SoundScan. A total of 618.9 million albums were sold during 2005, near 1996's tally of 616.6 million. However, overall music sales -- which includes albums, singles, music videos and digital downloads -- were up 22.7% and topped one billion units for the year. Nielsen SoundScan reported that 332.7 song downloads were sold online in 2005, up from 134.2 million in 2004, adding that last-minute holiday shoppers propelled digital sales to a record week of 9.7 million downloads.
Toshiba to Offer First Next-Generation HD DVD Players in U.S. in MarchAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 5, 2006 - 7:15am.
Las Vegas - Japanese consumer electronics firm Toshiba announced on Thursday that it will begin shipping its first next-generation HD DVD players in the U.S. in March. Toshiba will offer two player models, the $799 HD-XA1 and $499 HD-A1. The company will promote the launch of HD DVD with a retail demonstration campaign targeting the top 38 U.S. TV markets, and an extensive advertising campaign. The company also promised that backers will make nearly 200 titles available on HD DVD by the end of the year. Universal Pictures on Thursday announced its initial slate of 10 titles that it will offer in HD DVD format in March, which will include "Jarhead," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Cinderella Man." Separately, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said in his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that his company will offer an add-on HD DVD drive for its Xbox 360 video game console by the end of 2006. Sony plans to include the capacity to play its rival Blu-ray DVD discs in the PlayStation 3, due for release later this year.
Samsung to Sell First Blu-ray DVD Player in U.S. for $1,000Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 5, 2006 - 7:14am.
Las Vegas - Samsung, the Korean consumer electronics firm, announced on Thursday that it will ship the world's first next-generation Blu-ray DVD player, based on technology developed by Sony, in the U.S. in early spring for $1,000. The BD-P1000 will also play all legacy DVD formats and feature a memory card reader. Toshiba, developer of the rival HD DVD format, said on Thursday that it will begin shipping its first HD DVD players in the U.S. in March, which will start at $499.
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