Napster Expands Services to Colleges
"Napster, in its latest guise as an ambassador for legal music on campus, said Monday that six universities have signed up to offer its digital song services to their students.
"By taking a lead in approaching college administrators to offer cut-rate subscriptions to its legal digital music service, it attempts to entice students away from popular file-swapping networks like Kazaa.
"Cornell University, George Washington University, Middlebury College, University of Miami, University of Southern California and Wright State University all are working to create their own on-campus version of the service, the company said. Pennsylvania State University and the University of Rochester have already started the service."
John Borland. Napster Makes Gains in Colleges. News.com. July 19, 2004.
See also Scarlet Pruitt. Napster Lands on Another Campus. PCWorld. February 5, 2004.
EBay Offers Downloadable Music
"Online auctioneer eBay Inc. is offering downloadable music through selected sellers in a six-month test to decide whether to join other major companies in the marketing digital media.
"Sellers chosen for the pilot would have to ensure copyright protection for the content and meet service-level agreements. Music buyers would not be allowed to resell the files on eBay.
"The trial follows Apple Computer Inc.’s announcement this week that it has passed the 100-million mark for downloads from its iTunes Music Store."
Antone Gonsalves. EBay Tests Audience For Online Music. TechWeb. July 15, 2004.
Microsoft Seeks to Knock Out Sony
"During an interview at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference, CEO Steve Ballmer predicted that Microsoft would soon steal the game crown from Sony: ‘We may still be losing money, but we have gone from nowhere to a significant player with a whole different approach. I bet we can take Sony next generation.’
"Indeed, Microsoft has made progress, signing up more than 1 million subscribers for Xbox Live, the online game service the company launched in late 2002."
Steve Musil. Week In Review: Ballmer Guns for Sony. News.com. July 16, 2004.
Ina Fried. Ballmer: Xbox ‘Can Take Sony’. News.com. July 14, 2004.
Judge Grants Stay for Copyright Case
"A federal judge on Monday denied AutoZone’s request to transfer its copyright case with The SCO Group from Nevada to a Memphis, Tenn., court, but he also granted a limited stay to the auto parts chain.
"The SCO Group Inc. in March filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against AutoZone Inc. in the U.S. District Court of Nevada, claiming that AutoZone violated copyrights on SCO’s proprietary Unix System V technology through the use of Linux.
"AutoZone in April filed a response to SCO’s lawsuit requesting that the Nevada court stay the case and transfer it to Memphis, where AutoZone is headquartered."
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. AutoZone Wins Brief Stay in SCO Copyright Case. eWeek. July 14, 2004.
AOL, Microsoft, and Yahoo Link Instant Messaging
"America Online Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. are teaming up to link their separate instant messaging services for use in the workplace, the first major step by the industry leaders to enable computer users to communicate with one another no matter which of the three systems they use.
"In an announcement, the triumvirate will outline a new partnership aimed at spurring greater use of instant messaging at work by tearing down the electronic walls that keep the respective networks separate.
"To use the new system, companies will have to license new Microsoft network software that will serve as the hub connecting messaging systems operated separately by AOL, Microsoft’s MSN division and Yahoo."
David A. Vise. AOL, Yahoo And MSN To Integrate Messaging. WashingtonPost.com. July 15, 2004.
See also:
Matt Hicks. Microsoft Opens IM Server to AOL, Yahoo. eWeek. July 15, 2004.
Jim Hu and David Becker. IM giants Drop Some Barriers to Peace. News.com. July 15, 2004.
(Editor�s Note: The Post allows free access to their stories on the Web for 14 days before sending the stories to the paper�s fee-based Archives.)
Japan Issues Microsoft Antitrust Warning
"Software giant Microsoft Corp. received a warning (.pdf) from Japan’s anti-trust regulators about unfair business practices on Tuesday, but the decision did not carry the heavy fines the U.S. firm was given in Europe.
"Japan’s Fair Trade Commission said Microsoft should scrap a provision in its licensing contracts with PC makers that prevents them from filing patent infringement suits if they find Microsoft’s Windows software contains features similar to their own technology."
Reuters. Japan Warns Microsoft on Anti-Trust. Reuters. July 13, 2004.
See also:
No author. Regulators In Japan Cite Microsoft. Techweb. July 13, 2004.
Charles Bickers. Microsoft Raided By Japan’s Fair Trade Commission. Bloomberg.com. February 26, 2004.
MP3 Blogs Unearth Forgotten Musical Gems
"A new genre of Web sites that offer an eclectic mix of free music downloads may not be strictly legit, but the sites’ creators say they’re doing the beleaguered record industry a favor.
"Named for the MP3 music format and the popular self-published Web sites known as blogs, they are part online mixtape, part diary, and part music magazine.
Well-known blogs include Soul Sides, which has underground hip-hop and forgotten R&B; The Tofu Hut, whose offerings range from gospel artists Blind Mamie and A.C. Forehand to rockabilly performer Carl Perkins to soul god Donnie Hathaway; and Said the Gramophone, which has indie rock, folk music and hip-hop."
Adam Pasick. Livewire: MP3 Blogs Serve Rare Songs, Dusty Grooves". Reuters. July 11, 2004.
COPYCENSE 