MPAA & RIAA Join Internet2
“The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) announced Friday plans to collaborate with Internet2, a networking consortium, for development of future business models for digital content distribution.
“‘Together with the RIAA and MPAA, the Internet2 community is leading the way in helping to shape new business models for the future of the music and movie industries as consumers and businesses alike continue to rapidly adopt Internet technologies to receive these products and services,’ Douglas Van Houweling, president and CEO of Internet2, said in a statement.”
UK’s ORG Mirrors Creative Commons
“A UK-based organisation to preserve digital rights and freedoms has been set up thanks to pledges of money by those passionate about such rights. It says it wants to highlight European and UK legislation which could threaten the rights of digital citizens.
“Still at early stages, the Open Rights Group (ORG) will serve as a hub for other cyber-rights groups campaigning on similar digital rights issues.”
BBCNews. UK Digital Rights Group Sets Up. Sept. 9, 2005.
Fred von Lohmann Interview
“If you’re online and if you know p2p is shorthand for peer-to-peer, you’ll know the name Fred von Lohmann.
“He says he’s an ‘advocate for the fans (sometimes called ‘consumers,’ sometimes called ‘end-users’, sometimes called the public)’ and ‘a
music fan first, and everything else second.’
“And as Wikipedia sums it up, he’s been on CNN, CNBC, ABC’s Good Morning America, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor, as well as being widely quoted in a number of national publications.”
P2PNet.net. Fred von Lohmann Talks to P2pnet. Sept. 8, 2005.
Harry Potter Downloads Available
"Break out your iPods: Harry Potter is going digital.
"J.K. Rowling, once publishing’s greatest holdout against the computer
age, has made all six Potter novels available for audio downloads.
"In a message posted Wednesday on her Web site, Rowling said she was
concerned about online piracy, included bootleg editions for which the
original text was altered."
Hillel Italie. Rowling Makes Potter Books Open for Download. Houston Chronicle. Sept. 8, 2005.
Kazaa Ordered to Stop Australian File Sharing
“A federal judge in Sydney, Australia on Monday ordered distributors of the popular file-swapping program Kazaa to alter the software, which millions have downloaded, so it can no longer be used for music piracy.
“Hailed as a victory by the recording industry that brought the suit, the decision has implications well beyond Australia, where Kazaa executives are based, because Kazaa’s users span the globe.”
Mike Corder. Court Orders Kazaa to Stop Pirates. WashingtonPost.com. Sept. 5, 2005.
BBC Strategy Includes Music Downloads
"The BBC wants to be a major player in the digital media world and is
considering partnerships with private businesses to sell music
downloads, Director-General Mark Thompson said on Saturday.
"The
publicly-funded broadcaster is testing software called MyBBCPlayer to
let users download its TV and radio programing, and plans to use its
powerful presence to take its place among Internet media giants like
Google and Yahoo."
Adam Pasick. BBC Targets Music Downloads in Internet Strategy. Reuters. Aug. 29, 2005.
See also:
Jane Martinson. ‘Big Beast BBC Won’t Swamp Commercial Rivals in New Media’. Guardian Unlimited. Aug. 29, 2005.
Related:
BBC News. BBC TV Channels to be Put on Net. Aug. 27, 2005.
Labels’ Itch for Higher iTunes Prices
“Two and a half years after the music business lined up behind the chief executive of Apple, Steven P. Jobs, and hailed him and his iTunes music service for breathing life into music sales, the industry’s allegiance to Mr. Jobs has eroded sharply.
“Mr. Jobs is now girding for a showdown with at least two of the four major record companies over the price of songs on the iTunes service.”
Jeff Leeds. Apple, Digital Music’s Angel, Earns Record Industry’s Scorn. The New York Times. Aug. 27, 2005.
Update:
Reuters. Apple, Record Labels to Face Off Over Pricing. News.com. Sept. 23, 2005.
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