Rovi Adds Content Partners to TotalGuide Web Program Guide

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Las Vegas – Rovi (NASD:  ROVI) (formerly Macrovision) this week announced
that it has added a number of content partners to its TotalGuide media guide,
which aims to provide a full listing of movies, TV shows and other content
available online for those with televisions with some form of Web access. The
company said that Showtime Networks, ZillionTV and Rhapsody, as well as 15
European content providers, will now provide content to TotalGuide, joining
existing partners like Blockbuster and CBS.

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/u0m8p

http://www.rovicorp.com

Swiss File-Swapper, Age 18, Gets 2-Year Suspended Sentence

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Los Angeles
– An 18-year-old Swiss woman has been found guilty of copyright infringement in
connection with operating a file-sharing site, and given a two-year suspended
jail sentence and pay a fine, TorrentFreak reported.

Record label trade group
IFPI’s branch in Switzerland
produced evidence that the unnamed woman was making available 4,200 songs and
270 movies on a file-sharing network.

If the woman fails to pay the fine — a
sum not mentioned in the article — she will instead have to spend 30 days in
jail.

TorrentFreak noted that in a previous case in Switzerland, the administrator of
an eDonkey file-sharing network site was found guilty of copyright
infringement, but the penalty in that case was a fine of just $4,200.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/u0lsg
(TorrentFreak)

BMI Lawsuit Alleges T-Mobile Ringback Tones Unlicensed

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Los Angeles
– Performing rights organization BMI has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit
against wireless network operator T-Mobile USA (NYSE: DT), alleging the carrier has not properly
licensed music used on its ringback tone service, The Register reported.

In the
lawsuit, filed on Dec. 19 in federal court in Los Angeles, BMI alleges that T-Mobile has
infringed on over 50 titles from its repertoire.

"Despite extensive BMI
efforts spanning several years, T-Mobile has not signed a license agreement,"
BMI told The Register in a statement.

 

Related Links:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/07/bmi_sues_t_mobile/

http://www.t-mobile.com

http://www.bmi.com

Venture-Backed Liquidity Stages Comeback in Fourth Quarter

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York – Following three
quarters of sagging liquidity levels, U.S. venture-backed companies
staged a comeback in the private markets during the fourth quarter, according
to new figures from Dow Jones VentureSource.

During the quarter, 86 companies
were acquired for $7.3 billion, while three others raised $220 million through
initial public offerings (IPOs).

All told, 44% of the year’s total liquidity
was generated in the quarter.

"The fourth quarter has set the stage for an
active year in M&As in 2010," said Jessica Canning, the director of
global research for Dow Jones VentureSource.

"As the economy improves,
acquirers are gaining confidence in their own financial situation and returning
to strategic acquisitions. At the same time, the steady trickle of public offerings
is teasing investors who expect the IPO window will re-open in the coming
year."

 

Related Links:
http://www.fis.dowjones.com/VS/4QUSLiquidity.html

Report: Broadband Adoption Expected to Slow in 2010

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Silver Spring, Md. – Approximately 4 million U.S. households will become new
high-speed Internet customers this year, down 10% from 2009, according to a new
forecast by Pike & Fischer.

The firm estimates that about 65% of U.S. households
will be broadband-connect by year’s end.

Telephone companies are expected to
face a particularly difficult year, as they continue to lose DSL customers,
which still account for the bulk of their subscribers.

Newer wireless services,
however, should see an uptick in adoption, with Clearwire’s WiMax leading the
way.

 

Related Links:
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Pike-and-Fischer-1098917.html

http://www.broadbandadvisoryservices.com

Private Equity Fund-Raising Suffers Worst Year Since 2003

By
Mark Hefflinger
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0

New York – Last year, U.S. private
equity fund-raising suffered its worst year since 2003, according to new
figures from Dow Jones LP Source.

In 2009, 331 funds raised $95.8 billion, down
68.1% from the amount raised the prior year.

It marked the first time since
2003 that private equity firms raised less than $100 billion, and with the lone
exception of secondary funds, every sector experienced sharp slowdowns.

Among
the few bright spots were a new $8.8 billion fund for Hellman & Friedman,
as well as oversubscribed funds for Charles River Ventures and Matrix Partners.

 

Related Links:
http://fis.dowjones.com/products/lpsource.html

YouTube, Viacom File New Motions in $1 Billion Copyright Suit

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
2

Los Angeles
– The $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit pending from Viacom (NYSE:  VIA) against
Google’s (NASD:  GOOG) YouTube is ramping up, as both sides have submitted motions for
summary judgment to the court hearing the case, All Things D reported. Viacom
alleges that YouTube is violating its copyrights by allowing users to post
unlicensed content from its stable of TV networks, which includes MTV and
Comedy Central.

The company cited 63,000 clips from 3,000 of its copyrighted
works in its complaint.

For its part, YouTube argues that it should be
protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which shields
service providers from copyright infringement committed by users of their
services.

CNET obtained and published several of the sealed documents from the case,
available from a link below.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/u0khn
(All Things D)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10429617-261.html

Judge: Chicago Transit Authority Can't Ban M-rated Game Ads

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Chicago – A federal judge has ruled that the Chicago Transit
Authority may not ban advertisements for M-rated video games, saying the ads
"promote expression that has constitutional value and implicates core
First Amendment concerns." The U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of Illinois granted a preliminary injunction against the CTA requested
by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a trade group of U.S. video game
publishers.

"This ruling is a win for Chicago’s citizens, the video game industry
and, above all, the First Amendment," said Michael D. Gallagher, president
and CEO of the ESA.

"It is our hope that the CTA sees the futility of
pursuing this case further. To do so will waste taxpayer money and government
resources. Chicago
deserves better and we look forward to bringing this matter to an end."

 

Related Links:
http://theesa.com/newsroom/release_detail.asp?releaseID=82

SeatGeek Lands Funding for Ticket Price Forecasting

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York
– SeatGeek, a provider of price forecasting software for tickets to concerts
and sporting events, has raised between $500,000 and $1 million in a first
round of financing from four investors, TechCrunch reported.

Participating in
the round were Sunil Hirani, Mark Wachen, Arie Abecassis and Allen Levinson. New
York-based SeatGeek monitors pricing on secondary ticket sales sites, and uses a
range of algorithms to help determine the prices it predicts for tickets.

The
service currently lists forecasted ticket prices on some 5,000 events.

The
company launched a redesign of its website that now features available tickets
overlayed on top of seating charts, courtesy of a partnership with SeatQuest.

 

Related Links:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/08/seatgeek-series-a-funding

http://seatgeek.com

SusQtech Acquires Social Media Consulting Firm Live Elements

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Winchester,
Va. – SusQtech, a provider of
online community tools and training services to the association and non-profit
industry, said that it has acquired Live Elements, a provider of social media
consulting and online community development services.

Financial terms of the
deal were not disclosed.

SusQtech, which specializes in Microsoft SharePoint
technology, said that the acquisition will allow it to immediately roll out a
full slate of social media strategy services to its existing client base of
over 140 customers, which include the American Gas Association, AARP and the
National Defense Industrial Association, among others.

Rob Hustick, the CEO of
Live Elements, will serve as SusQtech’s new vice president of social media and
digital strategy.

Live Elements has developed online communities and
collaborative web sites for the National Retail Federation, DC Public Schools,
GOP.gov and the American Society of Interior Designers.

 

Related Links:
http://www.susqtech.com/News/Pages/SusQtech_Acquires_LiveElements.aspx

http://www.liveelements.net

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