Chris Dodd

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Former Sen. Chris Dodd Named New Head of MPAA

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Washington – The Motion Picture Association of America
(MPAA), the movie studio trade and lobbying group, announced on Tuesday that it
has named former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd as its new chairman and CEO. "In
several important ways, taking this step represents a continuation of my work
in the Senate, from advancing the interests of children and families and
creating and safeguarding American jobs to the protection of intellectual
property and the expansion of international trade," said Dodd.

"Chris
Dodd not only has the political instincts and experience, but he’s the right
person to lead the film industry through its toughest challenges regarding
content protection and piracy on a domestic and global scale," said Barry
Meyer, head of Warner Bros.

Dodd will take over as head of the MPAA on March
17.

 

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/4ncdwt3

(PDF: MPAA statement)

Report: Warner Music Has 10 Bidders for Assets

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New York – Since putting itself up for sale in January,
major record label Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) has received 10 offers from suitors for
its various music publishing and label assets, Business Week reported, citing
sources. Sony/ATV Music Publishing and KKR’s BMG Rights Management have
reportedly bid for Warner/Chappell, the company’s music publishing unit.

Business Week’s sources say a sell-off of Warner’s music publishing unit is the
most likely outcome, as the company has long sought a merger with fellow major
label EMI — which recently defaulted on debt payments and was taken over by
Citigroup.

Warner has also reportedly received an offer from former board
member and billionaire Len Blavatnik for "most of the company," while
Universal Music may seek to acquire Warner’s Japanese and other overseas record
label operations, or a U.S. distribution deal.

Sources told Business Week
Warner has received offers for both its U.S. and non-U.S. recorded music units.

The company’s board will reportedly narrow the list of suitors to 6-8 this week.

 

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/5vwvbsa

(Business Week)

Apple Set to Unveil New iPad 2 on Wednesday

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San Francisco – Apple (NASD: AAPL) is widely expected to unveil its new
version of the iPad tablet computer during an event Wednesday in San Francisco.

Until then, analysts continue to make educated predictions about what features
will distinguish the iPad 2 from its popular predecessor.

Goldman Sachs
predicted in a note to investors that the device, expected to be widely
available in April, will be significantly thinner than the original, which was
a half-inch thick.

Other additions, including front- and rear-facing cameras —
possibly in HD — an improved display better able to cope with bright sunlight,
more memory and a faster processor also are considered likely.

A version that
can take advantage of Verizon’s faster 4G wireless service also is possible.

 

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/4n77qgy

(Forbes)

http://tinyurl.com/4zx8lcl

Facebook Adds Comments From Publisher Sites to News Feeds

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Palo Alto, Calif. – Facebook has added a new feature to its
comments system, which will insert comments made on third-party publishers’
sites into users News Feeds on Facebook, PaidContent reports.

Sites offering
the new feature at launch include The Economist, TechCrunch, GigaOM,
InsideFacebook and Examiner.com.

The new feature can be enabled by any
publisher, by adding a single line of code to their sites.

Publishers will be
able to control to a degree how comments from their sites appear on Facebook,
and block specific users and phrases from appearing.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/6xjwm4y

(PaidContent)

http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/comments/

U.S. Trade Rep. Piracy Report Includes Top BitTorrent Sites

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Washington – The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued
a report that highlights a number of file-sharing and other websites, including
The Pirate Bay, isoHunt and Demonoid, which "exemplify key challenges in
the global struggle against piracy and counterfeiting." "Piracy and
counterfeiting undermine the innovation and creativity that is vital to our
global competitiveness. These notorious markets not only hurt American workers
and businesses, but are threats to entrepreneurs and industries around the
world," said U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

The report lists both
BitTorrent index sites — such as The Pirate Bay, isoHunt, BTjunkie,
Kicasstorrents and Torrentz — and BitTorrent trackers, such as Rutracker, Demonoid,
OpenBitTorrent and Zamunda.

In addition, the report calls out China’s Baidu
search engine for "deep linking" to infringing downloads, and auction
site Taobao for allowing the sale of pirated and counterfeit goods.

The report
does not say that any action against these sites is imminent, but notes that
its findings "may merit further investigation for possible intellectual
property rights infringements."

 

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/6hsktxg

(U.S. Trade Representative statement)

http://tinyurl.com/495xde7
(TorrentFreak)

Exclaim Mobility Acquires Music Streaming Service Didiom

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Princeton, N.J. – Exclaim Mobility, a provider of mobile
photo-sharing and social media applications, has acquired certain assets and
businesses of Didiom, the developer of a music streaming and
"place-shifting" service.

Financial terms of the transaction were not
disclosed.

New Jersey-based Exclaim said Didiom’s technology will be integrated
into its Snap platform, and used to create a forthcoming Snap Music service
slated to launch in the second quarter.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/4md6p2c

http://www.exclaim.com

http://www.didiom.com

Thumbplay

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Clear Channel Radio Acquires Cloud Music Service Thumbplay

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San Antonio, Texas – Radio station owner Clear Channel
announced on Tuesday that it has acquired mobile entertainment publisher
Thumbplay’s cloud-based music service, platform and employees. Financial terms
of the deal, which does not include Thumbplay’s ringtone business, were not
disclosed.

Clear Channel said the deal will add to its own iHeartRadio digital
product development team, and enable it to deploy a variety of subscription
services.

The iHeartRadio platform is used on Clear Channel’s 750 online radio
stations, and its related apps count 24 million downloads to date.

"Because
the entire digital radio space is still in its infancy, with only 3% of total
radio listening hours, we think a new, dramatically enhanced version of
iHeartRadio will build on our position as the leaders in digital radio,
offering an unparalleled combination of features and reach — to our listeners,
advertisers, artists, music labels, and other partners — not available
anywhere else," said Clear Channel Radio president and CEO John Hogan.

 

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/46fz3zk

http://tinyurl.com/4dgzdmu (DMW previous coverage)

http://www.clearchannel.com

http://www.thumbplay.com

Local Ad Targeting Firm MaxPoint Secures $8 Million

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Cary, N.C. – MaxPoint, a provider of hyperlocally targeted
advertising services, on Tuesday announced it has closed an $8 million second
round of funding, led by Madrona Venture Group.

Previous backers Trinity Ventures
also participated.

Founded in 2007, Cary, N.C.-based MaxPoint offers real-time,
neighborhood-level targeting for online advertisers.

The company, which also
has offices in New York and Austin, will use the new funds to accelerate
growth.

 

Related Links:
http://www.maxpointinteractive.com