Cupertino,
Calif. – Apple (NASD: AAPL) said on Thursday
that Jerry York, a board member since 1997, has passed away. York was the chairman, president and CEO of
Harwinton Capital, and previously served as the CFO of IBM and Chrysler. The
Wall Stteet Journal reported that York,
71, was hospitalized on Tuesday after suffering a brain aneurism.
Related Links:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/03/18york.html
Seattle
– Amazon.com (NASD: AMZN) on Thursday introduced a new free application that will allow Mac
owners to browse and purchase e-books from its Kindle Store. The Kindle for Mac
application follows a Kindle app for Apple’s (NASD: AAPL) iPhone; Amazon is also preparing
to offer a Kindle application for the company’s forthcoming iPad.
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ux4g1
New York
– The Orchard (NASD: ORCD), a digital distributor of music and video, on Thursday launched a
new analytics tool, giving artists and labels using its services daily and
weekly sales activity from top retailers by transaction type, time period and
location. At launch, the tool includes data from iTunes, eMusic, Verizon
Wireless, 24-7 Entertainment, Deezer and YouTube, with plans to add additional
retailers in coming weeks.
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ux44p
New York
– Major record label Universal Music Group plans to test a new pricing scheme
for CDs this year that will see discs priced between $6 and $10 at retailers,
Billboard reported, citing sources.
The "Velocity" program will see
"most" new releases from Universal artists sold at the discounted
prices.
Universal also plans to increase production of "deluxe" album
releases at higher price points.
According to Billboard’s sources, the discounted
CDs will carry a 25% profit margin, meaning CDs priced $10 at retail would
wholesale for $7.50.
"We think [the program] will really bring new life
into the physical format," Universal Music Group Distribution president
and CEO Jim Urie told Billboard.
Commenting on Universal’s plans, Rachelle
Friedman, chairman of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers
(NARM), said, "Universal’s bold move will draw positive reaction from both
stores and fans."
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ux2hu
(Billboard)
Los Angeles
– Google (NASD: GOOG) and Viacom (NYSE: VIA) have submitted motions for summary judgment in the $1
billion copyright infringement suit Viacom filed three years ago against YouTube.
Both companies’ filings included potentially damaging details on the other’s
actions, with YouTube employees accused of uploading copyrighted clips, and
Viacom taking pains to mask its own uploading of clips to the site.
Internal
communications from the filings revealed that Google executives said YouTube’s "business
model is completely sustained by pirated content" before the company
acquired the video site for $1.76 billion in 2006.
Another embarrassing internal communication
shows YouTube co-founders being chastised for uploading copyrighted videos.
"We’re
going to have a tough time defending the fact that we’re not liable for the
copyrighted material on the site because we didn’t put it up when one of the
co-founders is blatantly stealing content from other sites and trying to get
everyone to see it," reads an email sent by YouTube co-founder Steve Chen
to fellow co-founders Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim in July 2005.
For its part,
Google maintains that it and all service providers should not be held liable
for any copyright infringement committed by YouTube users.
It also argued in
court filings that it would be impossible for it to determine whether Viacom
clips uploaded to the site were authorized or not — as Viacom went to lengths
to conceal its own uploads.
"For years, Viacom continuously and secretly
uploaded its content to YouTube, even while publicly complaining about its
presence there," reads Google’s filing.
"It hired no fewer than 18
different marketing agencies to upload its content to the site. It deliberately
‘roughed up’ the videos to make them look stolen or leaked. It opened YouTube
accounts using phony email addresses. It even sent employees to Kinko’s to
upload clips from computers that couldn’t be traced to Viacom."
Google says it has complied with terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
(DMCA), which require that sites remove copyrighted content when asked by
producers — noting YouTube removed over 100,000 clips at Viacom’s request.
Google
also pointed out in its filing that Viacom must not have thought YouTube to be
completely without merit beyond infringing copyrights, as it attempted repeatedly
to acquire the company before Google bought the firm in 2006.
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ux188
(Financial Times)
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14701491
http://snipurl.com/ux126
(L.A. Times)
http://snipurl.com/ux1uu
(PaidContent)
http://snipurl.com/ux18i
(PDF: Google filings)
http://snipurl.com/ux18r
(Viacom filings)
Washington
– Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has filed patent infringement claims against Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) with the
U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), alleging some of Cablevision’s
set-top boxes are infringing on five of its patents, the Associated Press
reported.
Verizon is seeking an injunction against importation and sale of the Cablevision
set-tops in question.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that Verizon is
having difficulty competing on the merits in the marketplace, so they are
resorting to filing lawsuits and pursuing regulatory bailouts,"
Cablevision said in a statement.
"We obviously plan a vigorous defense."
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ux0ri
(AP)
Seattle
– Mobile phone maker HTC has responded to Apple’s (NASD: AAPL) patent infringement claims
related to the iPhone, saying it "disagrees with Apple’s actions and will
fully defend itself."
Apple filed suit against Taiwan-based HTC earlier this month,
alleging the company is infringing 20 of its patents related to the iPhone’s
user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.
HTC makes smartphones
that utilize Google’s (NASD: GOOG) Android operating system, such as Motorola’s Droid and
Google’s Nexus One.
"HTC strongly advocates intellectual property
protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies
as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our
own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience
possible," said HTC chief executive Peter Chou.
Related Links:
http://www.htc.com/us/press/htc-disagrees-with-apples-actions/10
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10469264-38.html
http://snipurl.com/ux0lk
(DMW previous coverage)
San Francisco
– A federal judge has given final approval to a $9.5 million settlement over
Facebook’s controversial Beacon advertising feature, which broadcast what users
were purchasing online to their friends. Facebook denied any wrongdoing under
the settlement, the terms of which call for the company to sink at least $6
million into a "Digital Trust Fund" that will issue grants to
researchers studying online privacy.
The board of the fund will be comprised of
Facebook public policy director Tim Sparapani; Chris Jay Hoofnagle, head of the
Berkeley Center for Law & Technology; and
privacy advocate Larry Magid.
Wired.com noted that the class action plaintiffs’
attorneys are set to receive some $3 million of the total $9.5 million
settlement, while "only a handful of the estimated 3.6 million class
members are to receive financial damages."
Related Links:
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/facebook-beacon-2
New York
– Google (NASD: GOOG), Intel (NASD: INTC) and Sony (NYSE: SNE) are collaborating on a new Google TV platform that
will combine Google’s software and Intel’s chips into devices made by Sony that
will let TV viewers access online programming and services, The New York Times
reported, citing sources. Google intends to open its Android-based TV set-top
box platform to developers, with a software kit set for release in coming
months.
A version of Google’s Chrome browser is thought to be the platform from
which TV viewers will be able to access Web video from sources such as YouTube,
and online services like Twitter and Picasa.
Peripherals maker Logitech has
been chosen to manufacture a remote control with a "tiny keyboard,"
according to The Times.
The news comes after The Wall Street Journal reported
recently that Google and DISH Network were testing a TV program listing and
search service.
Related Links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/technology/18webtv.html
http://snipurl.com/uwzda
(DMW previous coverage)
