Cambridge,
Mass. – Brightcove, a provider of
Internet video delivery services, announced on Tuesday that it has named David
Mendels as its new president and COO. Mendels comes to Brightcove from Adobe,
where he worked on Flash, Flex, Acrobat and LiveCycle as executive vice president
and general manager of the company’s enterprise software and business productivity
division.
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tz43n
Washington
– The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) announced on Tuesday that it
has successfully settled its copyright infringement suit against Motive Force
and Sean Colombo, operators of the unlicensed LyricWiki database of song
lyrics.
Under the terms, Motive Force and Mr. Colombo are permanently enjoined
from further using unlicensed song lyrics on websites or applications, and will
"turn over funds associated with the exploitation of the unauthorized
content."
NMPA member companies Peermusic, Warner/Chappell and Bug Music
sued Motive Force and Mr. Colombo in August 2009.
They note that "the previously
unlicensed music content on the Motive Force website is now in the possession
of a licensed lyric website provider."
At the same time it sued Motive
Force, the NMPA also filed an unlicensed lyrics copyright suit against
LiveUniverse and owner Brad Greenspan, the co-founder of MySpace.
The NMPA said
that it continues to seek equitable relief and damages in those cases.
Related Links:
http://www.nmpa.org/media/showwhatsnew.asp?id=24
http://snipurl.com/tz3et
(DMW previous coverage)
Sunnyvale,
Calif. – SiBeam, a maker of high-speed
wireless communication platforms, said on Tuesday that it has landed an
unspecified equity investment from consumer electronics retailer Best Buy (NYSE: BBY).
SiBeam, which previously had received investments from consumer electronics
firms such as Panasonic and Samsung, has developed 60 GHz semiconductor
technology for the wireless transmission of high-definition (HD) video, audio
and data.
The move is a strategic one for Best Buy, which in addition to its
retail stores also manufactures its own technology products under the Insignia,
Rocketfish, Dynex, Init and Geek Squad brands.
John LeMoncheck, the president
and CEO of Sunnyvale, Calif.-based SiBeam, said that his company will use the
funding to help launch "several of our strategic initiatives for
2010."
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tz3db
Boston
– Joel Tenenbaum, the Boston-area student who was found guilty of sharing 30 songs
online and ordered to pay the major record labels $675,000 in copyright
infringement damages, has petitioned the court for a new trial.
In the filing,
attorneys for Tenenbaum argue that the damage award of $22,500 per song is
unconstitutionally excessive, and ask for them either to be reduced to $750 per
song, or to grant the defendant a new trial.
Current copyright law allows for
damages of between $750 and $150,000 per instance of infringement; Wired.com
cited copyright experts who noted that no court has yet found those sums to be
unconstitutional.
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tz3c6
(Recording Industry vs. The People)
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/01/riaa-verdict-is-unreasonable/
San Francisco
– Despite the golfer’s well-publicized recent "mistakes," video game
publisher Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS) still considers Tiger Woods "one of the greatest
athletes in history" and will continue, at least for now, to use his name
and likeness in its line of golf video games, EA Sports president Peter Moore
told the Associated Press.
EA plans to launch a public beta of its new
"Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online" game later this month, and is expected
to launch the next iteration of its "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" console
game this summer.
The company would not comment specifically for AP on whether
the golfer’s sex scandal will affect release of the console game; Woods has
been dropped by corporate sponsors including AT&T and Accenture.
AP notes
that EA’s Tiger Woods games have to date generated more than $670 million in
sales in the U.S.
alone, according to NPD Group data.
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tz39w
(AP)
New York
– News Corporation (NYSE: NWS) has sold its Digital Publishing Group (DPG) unit to venture
capital firm VantagePoint Venture Partners for an undisclosed amount,
PaidContent reported.
The company will reportedly retain a stake in DPG, which was
founded in 2005 and creates content management and publishing systems for
customers including Fox’s stable of local TV stations.
The sell-off follow News
Corp.’s recent divestment of a number of other digital properties, including photo-sharing
site Photobucket, and movie review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tz37m
(PaidContent)
San Francisco
– The Wikimedia Foundation announced on Tuesday that its annual fundraiser this
year raised just over $8 million, exceeding its goal of $7.5 million, with a
record more than 230,000 individuals giving donations, up from 125,000 a year
ago.
This year’s campaign — the foundation’s sixth — also brought in $2
million more than was raised during the 2008-09 campaign.
The average gift in
2009 was $33, although the Foundation also received a $500,000 challenge grant
from the Omidyar Network.
The Wikimedia Foundation, which counts a staff of 33
and provides technical, administrative, legal and outreach support to the
volunteer-run Wikipedia, said it will spend the funds on people and technology.
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tz361
Las Vegas – Broadcaster
Discovery Communications (NASD: DISCA) announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Sony (NYSE: SNE)
and IMAX (NASD: IMAX) on a joint venture that will develop a dedicated 3D television network
in the U.S.,
while Disney-owned (NYSE: DIS) ESPN said it will launch a 3D TV service in conjunction with the World
Cup soccer matches this summer.
Discovery, Sony and IMAX will hold equal stakes
in the 3D channel joint venture, whose goal will be to drive consumer adoption
of 3D televisions.
Discovery will provide affiliate sales and technical
support, as well as 3D rights to the content aired on its 13 U.S. networks,
while Sony will provide promotional and ad sales support, as well as license TV
rights to current and future 3D feature films, and music- and game-related 3D
content.
IMAX will license TV rights to future 3D films, and licenses to its
own proprietary image enhancement and 3D technologies.
"Discovery’s
business strategy has always focused on delivering groundbreaking content
through new platforms, including the first suite of digital channels launched
in 1996 and the first 24/7 basic cable HD channel in 2002," said Discovery
Founder and Chairman John Hendricks.
The ESPN 3D channel is slated to launch on
June 11 during the World Cup, and is expected to broadcast at least 85 live
sporting events, including the Summer X Games, NBA games, and college basketball
and football games, USA Today reported.
"We’re going to assess the
viability of this as we did with all our businesses," Sean Bratches, an executive
vice president for sales and marketing at ESPN, told USA Today, adding that the
network is committed to the venture through at least June 2011.
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tz2qe
http://snipurl.com/tz227
(USA Today)
