Main Stories
o Verizon Asks Appeals Court to Block RIAA Subpoenas for File-Swapper IDs
o Survey: 70% of Teen Boys Have Played Violent "Grand Theft Auto" Game
o Report: Number of Worldwide Broadband Subscribers Leapt 72% in 2002
o Warner Music, Sony Plan "Dual Disc" With CD On One Side, DVD On Other
o AOL Time Warner Selling Two Atlanta Sports Teams
o Report: E-Book Sales Expected to Top $10 Million in 2003
o Electronic Arts Forms New Unit to Handle Third-Party Publishing Deals
o IDT Media Computer Animation Unit to Control Mainframe Entertainment
o Online DVD Rental Firm GreenCine Launches VOD, Film Downloads

o Briefly Noted: HarperCollins - Agatha Christie e-books, MTV Networks - National Cable Television Cooperative, Pinnacle Systems - ShowCenter, The Streets - digital mini-album, Italian LAN Party, PowerJoy USA, Vivendi Universal Games - "The Simpsons Hit & Run," THQ - "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem," Electronic Arts - "NASCAR Thunder 2004," INgrooves, International Webcasting Association

Washington -- A federal appeals court on Tuesday heard arguments from Internet service provider Verizon, which is appealing a lower court's ruling forcing it to comply with subpoenas from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), seeking the identities of Verizon subscribers the RIAA believes are music copyright infringers. Verizon argued that the subpoenas, authorized by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, are too easily obtained without a judge's approval, unnecessarily endangering the privacy and free speech rights of its subscribers, and should also be confined to website servers offering copyrighted music and not end-users' PCs. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit did not make any ruling Tuesday. The Associated Press reports that Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) may soon introduce legislation called the "Digital Consumer Internet Privacy Protection Act," which would ban such subpoenas except in pending civil cases or instances where believed copyrighted files resided on website servers. http://makeashorterlink.com/?F32925BE5
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5077240.html
http://www.verizon.com
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o Survey: 70% of Teen Boys Have Played Violent "Grand Theft Auto" Game

Washington -- A new survey conducted by The Gallup Poll shows that over 70% of boys aged 13-17 have played "Grand Theft Auto," a violent video game that is rated "Mature" and intended for purchase only by those over 17. Additionally, boys who report having played the game were twice as likely to say they had been in a physical fight in the last year as those who hadn't played the game -- although Gallup stressed the survey does not indicate a causal relationship. "The data can't demonstrate causality -- boys who are more prone to fighting may simply be more attracted to violent video games," Gallup editors told Reuters. The survey also found that 34% of girls aged 13-17 have played Grand Theft Auto, and that overall, 62% of teenagers play games at least one hour a week, with 25% reporting they play over six hours per week. http://www.gallup.com/poll/tb/educaYouth/20030916.asp  http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=3454687
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o Report: Number of Worldwide Broadband Subscribers Leapt 72% in 2002

Geneva -- The number of worldwide broadband subscribers grew 72% in 2002, to 63 million, according to a report issued Tuesday by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). South Korea leads the world with 21 percent broadband penetration; 94% of Internet users there have a broadband connection. Hong Kong ranks second with nearly 15% broadband penetration, while Canada ranks third with just over 11% percent of its residents connected to broadband. The report stated that the U.S. is likely to reach the 25% broadband penetration mark more quickly than either PCs or mobile telephones have in the past. The report also found a positive relationship between broadband penetration and monthly spending on communications services, as South Korea has the second highest level of monthly telecommunications spending after Switzerland, and other high broadband penetration countries like Canada and Iceland also have above average levels of consumer telecommunications spending. http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2003/25.html
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o Warner Music, Sony Plan "Dual Disc" With CD On One Side, DVD On Other

New York -- The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that major record labels Warner Music and Sony Music plan to introduce a "dual disc" early next year, which would contain a music CD on one side and a DVD on the other. The three other majors -- Universal, EMI and BMG -- all reportedly support the new disc format, which will initially be manufactured at Warner's and Sony's plants. "Everyone wants to exploit the growth of DVD and a dual disc is seen as one way to safeguard sales," an executive at Warner Music told FT. http://makeashorterlink.com/?T69B14BE5
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o AOL Time Warner Selling Two Atlanta Sports Teams

Atlanta -- AOL Time Warner, which owns both the Atlanta Hawks basketball team and the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team, has agreed to sell both franchises to a group of private Atlanta investors. The deal includes operating rights to the teams' sports arena. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but AOL Time Warner said the sale had an "economic value" of $250 million, Reuters reported.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/030916/media_aol_sports_8.html
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o Report: E-Book Sales Expected to Top $10 Million in 2003

New York -- Sales of e-books are expected to exceed $10 million in 2003, and unit sales are up 40% in the first half of the year as compared to the same period last year, according to a report from the Open eBook Forum (OeBF), the electronic publishing industry's trade and standards organization. The report comes in spite of retailer Barnes and Noble.com's announcement last week that it would cease selling e-books, due to their slow market acceptance. According to the report, the total number of e-books on sale has also increased, to 280,590 -- a 144% increase over the same period in 2002. Data contained in the report was submitted by 34 leading publishers and retailers. "Those of us in the industry have been seeing real signs of growth from every direction," said OeBF executive director Nick Bogaty.
http://www.openebook.org _____________________________________________

o Electronic Arts Forms New Unit to Handle Third-Party Publishing Deals

Redwood City, Calif. -- Electronic Arts, a developer and publisher of video games, announced on Tuesday the formation of EA Partners, a new business unit that will manage the company's worldwide distribution and co-publishing relationships of third-party products. Redwood City, Calif.-based Electronic Arts currently has relationships with third-party developers and publishers including Digital Illusions, Buena Vista Games, Fox Interactive, Krome Studios, LEGO Interactive, IO Interactive, Warner Brothers Interactive, Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software and Lionhead Studios. It also holds regional publishing relationships with companies including LucasArts, Capcom, NovaLogic and Namco. "The mission of EA Partners is to help develop the tremendous creativity of independent studios and publishers and bring their games to the worldwide market," said EA president and COO John Riccitiello.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030916/165292_1.html
http://www.ea.com
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o IDT Media Computer Animation Unit to Control Mainframe Entertainment

Newark, N.J. -- IDT Media said on Tuesday that its animation unit, Digital Production Solutions, will acquire a controlling interest in Canada's Mainframe Entertainment, a creator of computer animation for TV and direct-to-video products. Financial terms were not disclosed. IDT Media is a subsidiary of IDT Corporation, a global carrier, telephone and technology company. "This acquisition is a vital part of IDT's long term growth strategy," said Jim Courter, IDT's CEO. "Mainframe Entertainment will provide DPS with additional programming, new distribution channels and increased revenue."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?B26F12AE5 _____________________________________________

o Online DVD Rental Firm GreenCine Launches VOD, Film Downloads

San Francisco - GreenCine, a San Francisco-based online DVD rental service specializing in independent titles, announced on Tuesday the launch of a broadband video-on-demand and downloadable movie service. The company will offer a Microsoft Windows Media-based video-on-demand service, while its downloadable movies will be sent to customers' PCs using DivXNetworks' Open Video System. GreenCine said it expects to offer additional viewing platforms in the months ahead, and that customers for its new online movie services need not also be subscribers to its mail-order DVD rental service.
http://www.greencine.com


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(New York) HarperCollins Publishers on Tuesday announced plans to publish 85 works from renowned mystery author Agatha Christie in e-book format. The deal with Agatha Christie Limited will bring titles such as "And Then There Were None" and " Murder on the Orient Express" to e-book retailers. The titles will also be sold online through HarperCollins' own e-book imprint, PerfectBound. http://www.harpercollins.com
http://www.perfectbound.com
http://www.agathachristie.com

(New York, N.Y.) MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, and the National Cable Television Cooperative announced that they have renewed the long-term agreement that ensures distribution for Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, TV Land, CMT and Spike TV across all NCTC cable systems. A programming and hardware buying cooperative, NCTC represents more than 1,000 independent cable operators, their 6,500 individual systems and more than 15 million subscribers. http://makeashorterlink.com/?J28121BE5

(San Jose, Calif.) Pinnacle Systems, a developer of digital video equipment and software, announced on Tuesday plans to release a digital home entertainment networking system. The Pinnacle ShowCenter, which will go on sale in the fall for $299, is a set-top device that connects to wireless and wired home local area networks (LAN) and enables streaming of multimedia files from any PC on the network to any television or home entertainment system in the house.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030916/sftu095_1.html
http://www.pinnaclesys.com

(London) Vice Records recording artist The Streets plans to release an 8-track mini-album exclusively as a digital download on Oct. 14. "All Got Our Runnins" will be available through online retailers and will include two new tracks and six remixes of the British garage rapper's music.
http://www.vice-recordings.com

(Varese, Italy) Smau ILP, a unit of the Leader Group that organizes LAN (local area network) gaming parties in Italy, on Tuesday announced plans to hold its next Italian LAN Party in Milan next month. The Smau ILP expects 100,000 gaming enthusiasts to attend the event, which will feature tournaments running 10 popular online games, exhibitions of upcoming games and a gaming store. http://www.smauilp.it

(Minneapolis) PowerJoy USA, a developer of portable, console-free TV video game systems, on Tuesday announced plans to release its PowerJoy III, a portable game unit with 85 embedded games that will retail for under $40. Games offered with the device will include "Dig Dug," "Elevator Action" and "Galaga." Minneapolis-based PowerJoy USA said that its original PowerJoy system has sold over 250,000 units worldwide since launching in 2001.
http://www.powerjoy.com

(Los Angeles) Vivendi Universal Games announced on Tuesday the commercial release of its "The Simpsons Hit & Run" title for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. Based on the Fox TV series and licensed by Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising, the game was developed by Canada-based Radical Entertainment in collaboration with Gracie Films and series creator Matt Groening.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030916/latu074_1.html
http://www.vugames.com
http://www.radical.ca
http://www.thesimpsons-hitandrun.com

(Calabasas Hills, Calif.) Game developer THQ announced on Tuesday that it will release "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem" for PlayStation 2, Xbox and the GameCube this winter. Based on a license of the animated series from Warner Bros. Consumer Products, the titles will follow a Game Boy Advance version of the game, already available in stores.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030916/165415_1.html
http://www.thq.com

(Redwood City, Calif.) Game developer Electronic Arts on Tuesday released its "NASCAR Thunder 2004" title for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Playstation and the PC. The PlayStation 2 version features online play through Electronic Arts' EA Sports Nation site, where online racing features include online rankings, text chat, and broadband in-game voice chat.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030916/165417_1.html
http://www.ea.com

(San Francisco) INgrooves, a provider of licensing services for independent electronic artists and labels, announced on Tuesday that it named former Napster director of new technology David Kent as its chief technology officer. San Francisco-based INgrooves also supplies music to digital downloading services and streaming radio programs.
http://www.ingrooves.com

(Washington) The International Webcasting Association (IWA), a non-profit trade group comprised of smaller webcasters, has announced the appointment of TVWorldwide.com CEO David Gardy as president, and Beethoven.com vice president Kevin Shively as executive director of the IWA. The group plans to introduce a benefits package, and will soon announce a calendar of live and on-demand webcasts and industry events that will serve as a basis for outlining new IWA initiatives.
http://www.webcasters.org/news/20030915.htm

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