Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Foggy,
I am sorry if you make your investments according to message boards. That is something I learned long ago, it is your DD and your $$ and you need to be responsible for your own decisions. I call the company as often as I have time and when there is no material event to really change things, I just sit back and pout and figure I have to wait. Sting gets told what you and I are told while chatting with the IR. Difference is that Sting is more on a first name basis with more investors than I am. I respect all issues brought to this forum but to spend the amount of $$ you did, what? 200k shares say at .015. wow, I wish my investment was as healthy as yours is. But as was mentioned previously some time ago, pinks are scarey, unregulated compared to blue chips, etc. Maybe if we would hv invested in GOOG at $300 we would hv had a much healthier return. Needless to say, I liked the sound of this startup company and I took the plunge - no pun intended. I am struggling with my portfolio but at this point I believe we can turn the corner -- but then again no guarantees in life in general. I am still going to ride this puppy - hopefully much higher.
As for material facts that kenco speaks of, I wish anyone to again post those 'true material' facts and challenge their value.
Still hopin and prayin for that true turnaround.
When will we truly become friends? We all want to be on the same side - that would be a winning side.
Again, Best.
Mash
Without any concrete news, you know that it was easy enough to dip this low. Hopefully this is the end of the constant dipping. I thot the same thing - thank goodness the gap is filled.
Hopefully now we can move on and soon hear about financing and whatever else is happening.
Best
Mash
O.T.
Whoa foggyday -
Cool it. You have been here such a short time. We have been here a lifetime. Sting along with Sah, TJ, all others share info that we get when we call the company or visit the company. That, my dear, is not inside information. The company will send out news releases as things get firmed up. Why are you in the 'attack mode'? We are here patiently awaiting the financing results along with some revenue contracts that are needed to keep this company afloat.
Sahd, your note re possible 4 cents makes me chuckle. I need a ton more than that. Yes, we need some contracts for the new products to propell this stock higher. Hopefully that is part of the future plan.
Best to all of us.
Mash
P.S. Foggy, if you have an ax to grind, I am sure sting will give you his/her email address and you can go at it but I think as such a new comer and really 'a small investor' you speak louder than I thot one would. I guess if you sold at a $600 loss you could not buy the designer purse that you had in mind for Christmas. If I unload I may have to find crumbs to put on the table. we are all in different situations, all of our own decisions. Let's not attack. We all need to bring information to the table. Thanks for understanding.
O.T.
Morning.
Now that was a nice round of discussions. Thanks guys for sharing thoughts. The sad part is that others state only negative either stated or 'presumed' comments re the company. They probably are not shareholders and never have owned one share of this company, they are still here, still posting, never something that shows their interest in the success of this company. They are more like the backup cheering crowd that supports any unfavorable comment. But then who said life was fair..But.... they never use an abusive word. They are still here. Matt, I think we should 'relook' at our ban policy. Maybe do a timeout type of ban - 30 days. But permanent bans should have been put on a few more aliases other than stehvester and mrfence.
Personally, I have nothing of great interest to share most of the time but I make a great "den mutha". Probably a good time to group together as shareholders that care and that we really do this in the best interest of the company. We need a real win win situation.
Best to all of us long suffereing, patient (very difficult at times) but still waiting.
Let's roll.
Mash
O.T.
Is there a way to get into the good graces of our fearless leaders here? We maybe speak out of line in different tones here. Some use the wrong terminology, others do it more discretely. There should be a cleansing time for all including our wonderful SCMI and MMXT that we think may arise from the salvage yards.
Again, wish us the best.
Mash
O.T.
We havent seen Mr. Fence around for some time but I wanted to share one of his posts from MMXT. I thot it was good for life in general (something to ponder as we wait for $$$ and news). Again best to all of us long enduring shareholders ((and to you foggy - only owning for a short time)).
Mash
OT: Some old farmer's advice:
*Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong.
*Every path has a few puddles.
*Words that soak into your ears are whispered... not yelled.
*Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
*Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen, anyway.
*If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
*You cannot unsay a cruel word.
*The best sermons are lived, not preached.
*Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
*Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
Best of luck to all!
Mr. Fence
Morning.
Still on news watch. While waiting, I found this file sharing site. Seems more and more creep up on us. Probably harder to control than anyone ever dreamt. Legal? Who knows.
Best to all.
Mash
http://mashable.com/2006/10/31/gofish-video-sharing-site-goes-public/
Howdy,
Happy Halloween to you too. At least we didnt get any big trick today instead. Still waiting for a belated treat this week. (We are never too old to get a sweet treat.) Are you expecting same too?
Best to all believers...
Mash
Christy,
You are a very new investor. Many others like myself have invested higher and have been waiting much longer for a real turnaround. As for your comment regarding Sting having inside info on people buying a large number of shares. I want you to know, knowing Sting so many years, I feel free to share with him the number of shares I am going to purchase. It sure would not offend me if Sting told you about my shares that I bought recently. Of course he is discrete in that he wont give you my name. But he will know if and when I am buying. Is that wrong? You become friends/acquaintenances with some shareholders. We are friends going thru the same stuff. I dont call that inside info. Lets just be happy that our stock has moved up and hopefully wont keep falling back. There must be something coming around the bend really soon for someone to feel comfortable in buying some shares. I am invested to the max. I am just sitting back and waiting for the turn that Scott is taking us through. Best of luck to all of us.
Mash
Kenco.
So nice to see you watching so closely. Did you by some chance get a chance to buy those dumped MMXT shares? Hopefully you will make some money.
Mash
TDJ,
I just tried this morning and had no problem.
Mash
SunnComm Prez Picks Up Additional MediaMax Shares in Market
Recently, SunnComm’s president, Peter Jacobs, purchased two million shares of MediaMax Technology (MMXT) in the open market. We thought you ought to know.
See SEC link below for details.
http://www.secinfo.com/d12Pk6.vdR7.htm
ABOUT SUNNCOMM
In just five years, SunnComm International Inc. (OTC: SCMI) became the leader in digital content enhancement and security technology for audio compact disc media. MediaMax can be found on many Gold, Platinum, and Double-Platinum selling albums and has appeared on many other best-selling albums, totaling over 165 commercially released CD titles across more than 30 record labels. The company understands and has weathered the challenges surrounding digital content management, protection and enhancement and has recently announced more than four new non-controversial consumer-enabling products. In January 2003 SunnComm co-developed and implemented an early version of the Microsoft Windows Media Data Session Toolkit: (www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/jan03/01-20SessionToolkitPR.asp). For more information about the company please visit the Web site at (www.sunncomm.com) or contact:
Company Contact: Investor contact:
Peter H. Jacobs Investor Relations
602-267-7500 602-231-0681
peter@sunncomm.com press@sunncomm.com
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
This news release contains predictions, projections and other statements about the future that are intended to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of l995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements relate to various aspects of the Company's operations and strategies, including but not limited to the effects of having experienced significant losses in the past and the risk that the Company may incur losses in the future; the Company's limited liquidity and significant indebtedness; its sales forecasts for future periods not being attained and the risk that the Company will not conclude additional revenue-generating license agreements covering its content protection and enhancement technologies; the Company's marketing, product development, acquisition investments, licensing and other strategies not being successful; possible future issuances of debt or equity securities; the possible incurrence of significant patent litigation expenses or adverse legal determinations that find our patents not to be valid; new business development and industry trends; the possible need to raise additional capital in order to meet the Company's obligations and most other statements that are not historical in nature. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are described in cautionary statements included in this news release. In assessing forward-looking statements, readers are urged to consider carefully these cautionary statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release, and the Company disclaims any obligations to update such statements.
SunnComm Prez Picks Up Additional MediaMax Shares in Market
Recently, SunnComm’s president, Peter Jacobs, purchased two million shares of MediaMax Technology (MMXT) in the open market. We thought you ought to know.
See SEC link below for details.
http://www.secinfo.com/d12Pk6.vdR7.htm
ABOUT SUNNCOMM
In just five years, SunnComm International Inc. (OTC: SCMI) became the leader in digital content enhancement and security technology for audio compact disc media. MediaMax can be found on many Gold, Platinum, and Double-Platinum selling albums and has appeared on many other best-selling albums, totaling over 165 commercially released CD titles across more than 30 record labels. The company understands and has weathered the challenges surrounding digital content management, protection and enhancement and has recently announced more than four new non-controversial consumer-enabling products. In January 2003 SunnComm co-developed and implemented an early version of the Microsoft Windows Media Data Session Toolkit: (www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/jan03/01-20SessionToolkitPR.asp). For more information about the company please visit the Web site at (www.sunncomm.com) or contact:
Company Contact: Investor contact:
Peter H. Jacobs Investor Relations
602-267-7500 602-231-0681
peter@sunncomm.com press@sunncomm.com
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
This news release contains predictions, projections and other statements about the future that are intended to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of l995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements relate to various aspects of the Company's operations and strategies, including but not limited to the effects of having experienced significant losses in the past and the risk that the Company may incur losses in the future; the Company's limited liquidity and significant indebtedness; its sales forecasts for future periods not being attained and the risk that the Company will not conclude additional revenue-generating license agreements covering its content protection and enhancement technologies; the Company's marketing, product development, acquisition investments, licensing and other strategies not being successful; possible future issuances of debt or equity securities; the possible incurrence of significant patent litigation expenses or adverse legal determinations that find our patents not to be valid; new business development and industry trends; the possible need to raise additional capital in order to meet the Company's obligations and most other statements that are not historical in nature. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are described in cautionary statements included in this news release. In assessing forward-looking statements, readers are urged to consider carefully these cautionary statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release, and the Company disclaims any obligations to update such statements.
Posted in San Diego paper, maybe they wont need help in discovering pirated DVDs. Here is the answer.
Hunt for pirated DVDs is rated arf
By Norma Meyer
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
October 2, 2006
BURBANK – Hollywood's newest weapon in the global war against piracy was belly-up in search of a tummy rub and chewing on a yellow tennis ball. The other DVD-seeking nose was at her furry partner's side.
But then, Lucky and Flo, two frisky black Labs, seemed to have every onlooker by the tail after separately poking around luggage and cargo to find bootlegged copies of “Poseidon” and “Walk the Line.”
The Motion Picture Association of America put on the show-and-smell to demonstrate the talents of the only DVD-sniffing dogs in the world. The powerful trade group figures that if four-legged detectives can find drugs, bombs, live people, cadavers and prohibited agricultural imports, they can zero in on counterfeit DVDs smuggled into countries in everything from stereos to children's toys.
What the MPAA wants is a DVD doggy corps at airports and shipping centers around the world. Pirated DVDs, the group claims, cost filmmakers $11.1 billion in losses last year. To promote a counteroffensive, the MPAA unleashed the 2-year-old pups for reporters and industry colleagues at the Walt Disney Studios last week, where a mouse rules and walkways have names like Dopey Drive.
“It shocked me because I didn't think DVDs had an aroma,” said dog handler Neil Powell, who schooled Lucky and Flo in Northern Ireland. “I started out by training them with a crushed DVD.”
And what was the title? “It was a Disney film – '101 Dalmatians.' It was. It was!” he insisted with a straight face.
The olfactory sleuths are actually sniffer prototypes – they don't have regular jobs but did test-runs with customs and FedEx at the Stansted and Heathrow airports in the United Kingdom. John Malcolm, MPAA's director of worldwide anti-piracy operations, says Lucky and Flo found counterfeit and legit DVDs, as well as a kiddie porn DVD, in cartons and crates.
Lucky and Flo are trained to recognize the scent of polycarbonate and other chemicals in optical discs, but they wouldn't know if a DVD of “The Shaggy Dog” was black market or real. Malcolm says customs officials would be tipped off if the pooches targeted a package and the shipping manifest indicated contents other than DVDs.
Movie thieves have the MPAA biting mad. In an attempt to curb losses from pirated DVDs, the MPAA works with law officers in 60 countries, including the U.S., who conduct street and manufacturing raids. The MPAA also offers rewards to theater employees who turn in moviegoers with stealth camcorders. Oscar screeners for Academy Award members have been encoded so they can't be copied and need to be viewed with a special DVD player.
After all that, Hollywood goes to the dogs.
“They're the cheapest employees the MPAA has ever had,” said Michael Buchan, the group's customs liaison officer. “All they get is one tennis ball.”
Buchan and other MPAA execs just embarked on the Lucky & Flo K-9 Pirate Smackdown World Tour 2006, which has its own souvenir T-shirts. The cute canines will put on their dog-and-pony show for customs and other officials in Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai, among other places, in hopes of raising support for brigades that could even be trained for double-duty, sniffing out DVDs and drugs. At this point, though, don't worry about man's best friend drooling on your purse in an airport line – the dogs are largely geared for baggage and freight.
The movie capital was the second tour stop, after the dogs debuted in Washington, D.C. On the Disney lot, the rambunctious Lucky trotted along a row of suitcases and cardboard boxes for seconds before she excitedly half-sat to alert Powell a hidden cache was in front of her. Then, she went crazy for her tennis ball reward. The more reserved Flo took just a bit longer to quietly sit in front of a metal locker that contained a manila envelope with stash including “Two For the Money” and “My Super Ex-Girlfriend.” The panting pup turned in circles after getting her ball.
When the MPAA-owned retrievers aren't on the trail of DVDs, they live in a kennel in Northern Ireland near Powell, who also trains search-and-rescue and bomb-sniffing dogs.
Powell said he got the unrelated Lucky and Flo when they were more than a year old and unmanageable. Lucky had been given up by a woman in her 70s after she “ate through her living room and her dining room.” The neglected Flo had been kept in an unclean kennel with five other dogs. One of her ears is slightly mangled, the result of being attacked.
Now the tail-wagging MPAA operatives have their own passports (although they travel in cages in the plane's cargo section), their likenesses on T-shirts, and on this day a phalanx of TV cameras in their faces and dozens of strangers clamoring to pet them because they turned up a bogus “Ice Age 2.”
Hey Christy,
Best of luck. I took a huge plunge at .011 MMXT. I have way too many scam shares (SCMI) so we all need lots of luck and good things to be happening. We really need to get some financing news rolling. I guess we are taking baby steps with no fluff this time. Please let us know guys if and when you speak with Ross. I may even give him a jingle real soon when I get a free moment. He is on the team now so it should be open door policy. We can have a drink of coffee separately he in his place and me in mine and can still have a nice conversation.
Best of lucky Christy and the team.
Mash
Wow, I am sure since Ross is part of the MMXT/SCMI team he would have been happy to offer you a cup of coffee. How else can we really get to the heart of the matter? Well MMXT then bought a product that is marketable and didnt take over anyones office lease? I am sure someone will enlighten us.
Best. Was a much happier day for all I am sure. Wishing us much more success.
Mash
Yes it is very strange. But if you notice SCMI is being taken down on very lite volume. Maybe someone is selling their SCMI and jumping into MMXT thinking it will be worth more. It is hard to say without seeing any solid news coming out of either company. We still have to believe the last news release that stated that there will be a merger, one for one. When that will happen is beside me, ten months from now, ten years from now? I wish we knew more. But then as Sting states, things have to happen in a pattern. One wont happen without whatever else has to happen. Sorry, really nothing of great value that I have posted. Just wanted to state that I still hold a boatload of shares. Wishing us the best. Howdy, what time frame are you looking for to see us at at least TEN cents....
Mash
YouTube signs partnership with Warner Music
By Yinka Adegoke
REUTERS
10:00 a.m. September 18, 2006
NEW YORK, – Music videos from Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sean Paul will be legally available for the first time on YouTube, the online video sharing site, which signed its first commercial partnership with Warner Music Group Corp. on Monday.
YouTube, which has over 100 million videos viewed everyday, and Warner Music, the fourth biggest record company, said Monday the pact would help Warner distribute music videos, behind-the-scenes footage, artist interviews and original programming.
The companies said YouTube users would also be able to incorporate music from Warner's catalog into the videos they create and upload.
Music videos belonging to Warner Music and other record companies are regularly uploaded to YouTube by its users but usually without permission from the labels.
The partnership, which has been in discussions for months, was signed late on Sunday afternoon. It comes just days after Universal Music Group, which is owned by Vivendi, described YouTube and News Corp.'s social networking site MySpace of being “copyright infringers” that owe the music industry “tens of millions of dollars.”
The strong language has prompted speculation that a lawsuit is imminent from Universal or some other owner of copyrighted material.
“We've been in discussions with many of the labels, television networks and movies studios,” Chad Hurley, YouTube chief executive and co-founder, told Reuters.
YouTube and Warner Music said the deal would enable both parties to generate and share revenue created by advertising, which will be featured around the videos.
Warner Music executive Alex Zubillaga said the deal will start to generate significant revenue for Warner from next year as user volumes grow.
“We're trying to lead through innovation as opposed to litigation,” he said.
YouTube said it would use a new advanced content identification and royalty reporting system, set for release by the end of the year, to identify the music videos and help manage payment to the record labels.
Hurley said the proprietary tools YouTube is building will allow Warner Music to manage the licensing of its music and videos remotely.
YouTube said it and Warner Music would share revenue from advertising on both music videos uploaded by the artist and user uploaded videos that incorporate audio and audiovisual works from Warner's catalog.
Last month, YouTube announced an advertising deal with Warner Music as the start-up's first partner for its new Brand Channel advertising to promote the new Paris Hilton album.
YouTube, MySpace hit over copyright
Universal Music weighs suing at least one site
By Alex Veiga
ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 15, 2006
LOS ANGELES – Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris said the wildly popular Web sites YouTube and MySpace are violating copyright laws by allowing users to post music videos and other content involving Universal artists.
“We believe these new businesses are copyright infringers and owe us tens of millions of dollars,” Morris told investors Wednesday at a conference in Pasadena.
“How we deal with these companies will be revealed shortly,” he said.
Universal's talks with YouTube Inc. have deteriorated, and the recording giant is set to file a copyright-infringement lawsuit against the San Mateo-based company if no agreement is reached by the end of the month, said a person familiar with the talks.
Universal's talks with News Corp.'s MySpace have been progressing, the person said.
A call to YouTube seeking comment was not immediately returned. MySpace declined to comment.
The remarks by Morris to Merrill Lynch investors were seen by some analysts as a signal that negotiations could be stalled between the world's largest record company and the two online sites, and that legal action was in the works.
“They're getting frustrated with how the negotiations are going,” said Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Enderle Group. “To drive the negotiations in the directions they want, they're starting to make it clear there are legal alternatives for not complying with what Universal wants done.”
The prospect of Universal Music or other record labels suing MySpace or YouTube represents a departure from the way the recording industry has interacted with the sites thus far.
In less than three years, MySpace has emerged as a choice destination for young people and a hub for bands to promote music.
Record labels big and small have created Web pages on the social-networking site for their bands, typically allowing visitors to listen to the artists' music for free.
Since launching last year, YouTube has grown into one of the most popular video portals on the Web, thriving off user-generated videos that sometimes include people lip-synching to copyrighted songs or incorporating footage from movies or music videos.
The company has said it promptly complies with notices to remove copyright-infringing material uploaded by computer users.
Commercial music videos – some posted with the blessing of the record labels – also can be found on the site.
The company recently added branded channels and videos that enable companies to advertise on the site, a service Warner Bros. Records used to promote Paris Hilton's debut album.
Capitol Records, meanwhile, has released videos on YouTube by The Vines, Cherish and OK Go.
Universal, however, has made it a priority to get compensation for content that was once seen as purely promotional.
Last year, the company began charging Web portals such as Yahoo! Inc. and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL for playing its artists' music videos online or over video-on-demand services.
YouTube inks licensing deal with Warner Music
Video, song library opened to site users
By Michael Liedtke
ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 19, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO – Warner Music Group has agreed to distribute and license its copyrighted songs and other material through online video trendsetter YouTube, marking another significant step in the entertainment industry's migration to the Internet.
Under a revenue-sharing deal announced yesterday, New York-based Warner Music has agreed to transfer thousands of its music videos and interviews to YouTube, a San Mateo-based startup that has become a cultural touchstone since two 20-something friends launched the company in a Silicon Valley garage 19 months ago.
Perhaps even more important for YouTube is that Warner Music has agreed to license its songs to the millions of ordinary people who upload their homemade videos to the Web site.
“We are very excited,” YouTube co-founder and CEO Chad Hurley said in a phone interview Sunday. “This is a real landmark for our company.”
Warner Music ranks as the country's third-largest recording company, with annual revenue of $3.5 billion.
Besides it namesake label, the Warner Music family includes Atlantic, Asylum, Elektra and Rhino – a group that includes vintage recording artists such as Led Zeppelin, The Doors and Ray Charles, as well recent hit makers Linkin Park, Green Day and Faith Hill.
Privately held YouTube is hoping the Warner Music deal will serve as a springboard for similar alliances with other long-established media outlets looking to connect with the Web site's audience, which watches more than 100 million videos per day.
“Technology is changing entertainment, and Warner Music is embracing that innovation,” said Warner Music Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr. “Consumer-empowering destinations like YouTube have created a two-way dialogue that will transform entertainment and media forever.”
Many of YouTube's most widely watched videos already include copyrighted music, raising the specter of a legal showdown with record labels and artists seeking to protect their right to be paid for the material.
Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris signaled the industry's exasperation with YouTube a few days ago when he indicated the world's largest record label is prepared to sue the site unless it does a better job of preventing copyright violations.
Other labels have been experimenting recently with releasing some of their commercial videos on YouTube. Capitol Records recently posted videos by The Vines, Cherish and OK Go on YouTube.
On the television front, NBC has been using YouTube to promote its fall programming under a partnership announced in June.
Even as rampant copyright violations have popped up on the site, Hurley and his partner Steve Chen have insisted that they want to work with music, movie and television executives to help them take advantage of a new distribution channel as YouTube tries to translate its popularity into profits.
YouTube so far has been subsisting on $11.5 million in venture capital, spurring predictions that the company either will have to raise more money or sell out to a deep-pocketed buyer as it tries to fend off increasing competition from Internet powers Google and Yahoo.
In Sunday's interview, Hurley reiterated YouTube's intention to remain independent – a goal that may be even more realistic if the Warner Music deal pays off.
The financial terms of YouTube's arrangement with Warner Music weren't disclosed.
Both companies are betting they will be able to make money from the ads that will show up alongside Warner Music's own videos as well as amateur videos featuring copyrighted material.
To make the deal happen, YouTube developed a royalty-tracking system that will detect when homemade videos are using copyrighted material. YouTube says the technology will enable Warner Music to review the video and decide whether it wants to approve or reject it.
With this price action on MMXT, interesting that no one is buying SCMI at half the price. If it is going to be 1:1, we need news to get some new interest into the company and then everyone will love the bargain again of .006. IT looks awefully tempting but I think I am overloaded but if some real strong news shows up some day I may just jump in for more 'pain'. Best to all of us.
Mash
Nice to see that you are still with us Mr Fence.
Are you going to join the SCMI ihub board in the future?
You have been missed.
Yes it is really nice to see the gradual upward climb. The volume says lots for the moment and with all the recent PRs hopefully all will start falling in place. Howdy keeps us in suspense and says SOON.
Again, nice to see you.
Mash
Ok Howdy,
You always have a little "read between the lines" statement. I have spent hours trying to figure out what you are telling us. I am sure something is happening behind the scenes. The stock is not halted. No one is really selling it. So we are ready for next step to get it moving higher. Thanks for all your little hints. Love those games. Best to all of us 'old timers'. We are getting into our golden years and need a win win.
Regards,
Mash
CGI
Are you saying it feels better if you know the individual responsible for us losing our a$$e$? Yes we all believed. Yes there were so many 'projected' good things about to happen. But we still are responsible for our investing. I cant kick anyone but myself if I am upset.
I am holding. The one note from Scott recently makes me feel more confident of my investment. I missed my chance to visit the office this weekend due to an illness while I was there however, I will stilll try to visit via phone. Hopefully I will get another chance to spend more time in that area.
Again Sting and anyone else that works so hard to keep us informed and make for great discussions, not always positive, regarding SCMI but still in discussions means we are all still alive. Again thank you for all your indepth research and reporting. Life is good. We are alive and well. Another day will soon bring us closer to an answer. We can always dream cant we?
Mash and best to all.
(If not Zune, are we part of Amazon?)
AMAZON READIES LAUNCH OF AD-FREE DOWNLOAD SERVICE LIKE A DIGITAL VERSION OF THE NETFLIX RENTAL MODEL FOR TV SHOWS AND MOVIES
http://www.siliconinvestor.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=22651955
yes......
And does Zune mean anything?
Microsoft confirms "ZUNE" device software.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/105217.asp
FINALLY......
This is what we have all been waiting for. As management is holding up their end of the merger bargain, we can now have more faith in the overall outcome. Hopefully soon we will hear about direction upon completetion of the merger. Again, for all those that doubted, we finally see that little ray of sunshine. Best to all of us faithful, long suffering, patient shareholders. IT has been a long time acoming. Hope we all can meet at a future shareholders meeting. (Kenco I am looking forward to meeting you - especially)
Mash
Sounds like you will be leaving us completely Steh. I am sure soon Kenco and some others will be leaving too. Yes, it has been a long rocky road. Still holding out a little hope. Where there is breath there is hope. Good luck in your future investment ventures. Hope none are as tough as this one was.
Best.
Mash
A year after ruling, illegal file sharing still growing
By John Boudreau
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
July 10, 2006
A year after the Supreme Court's landmark Grokster decision – which set out to curb online theft of music and movies – illegal file sharing is as popular as ever, even as Silicon Valley technologists and Hollywood moguls continue their awkward embrace.
The court's unanimous decision that Internet file-sharing services can be sued if they encourage people to use their sophisticated software to steal copyrighted material was hailed as a victory by the entertainment world.
But the ruling, which also detailed protections for technology companies, hasn't stopped the lawsuits and acrimony between the two sides. The Recording Industry Association of America continues to file lawsuits against tech companies. And in just the past year, the association has filed some 6,000 suits against individuals it says are stealing material.
But changes are occurring, if for no other reason than the entertainment world needs the new distribution channels Silicon Valley can provide, while technology companies depend on content from rock stars and Hollywood to attract audiences.
Advertisement
“There are some people inside of record labels who admit that they are not doing the right thing in certain cases. There is some resistance” to the digital era, said Ali Aydar, the first employee of Napster, the pioneering peer-to-peer, music-sharing network that eventually went bankrupt after battling the record industry. (A different incarnation of the formerly Redwood City-based Napster was launched in 2003 as a music subscription service.)
Aydar now works with Napster co-founder Shawn Fanning at Snocap, a San Francisco company that has developed a technology to make file sharing legal.
“But if you are able to show them how you can make them money, increase their exposure and respect their copyrights, then it's really a no-brainer,” Aydar added.
Steve Jobs helped lead the way in showing a successful model of selling digital music through Apple Computer's popular iTunes online store, then sealing deals with entertainment companies to offer TV shows. Hollywood has started to offer video through its own online sites.
The industry has even found a common cause with file-sharing technology: In the spring, Warner Bros. agreed to offer video through BitTorrent, the San Francisco-based, peer-to-peer technology company whose software code has been used by pirates to illegally trade movies and music.
“It was never BitTorrent's intent to circumvent copyrights,” said Ashwin Navin, president of BitTorrent. “That made us a partner, rather than an enemy.”
These early deals with Internet companies don't mean the entertainment industry has abandoned using its courtroom muscle as a weapon. Other file-sharing services have shut down since the Supreme Court's MGM v. Grokster ruling. The recording industry also recently filed a lawsuit against XM Satellite Radio over its new device that allows people to store music.
Peer-to-peer file-sharing companies aren't “consuming all the digital oxygen in the marketplace,” said Mitch Bainwol, chief executive of the RIAA, whose members saw CD sales plummet 30 percent after Napster's 1999 launch. “The legal marketplace is getting some traction, and that is a basis for our hope in the future.”
Technologists, though, don't see dragging file-sharing companies into court as the answer.
“Shutting down peer-to-peer networks was like taking a half-course of antibiotics every six months,” said Tom McInerney, co-founder of Guba.com, a video site that just announced an agreement with Warner Bros. to distribute TV shows and movies. “It just led to the evolution of more decentralized networks that are more efficient and more difficult to shut down.”
Meanwhile, file sharing, most of which is illegal, continues to grow. Nearly 10 million users worldwide simultaneously clicked into peer-to-peer technology last month – 12 percent more than in May 2005, according to BigChampagne, a Los Angeles research firm that monitors file sharing.
BUSINESS BRIEFING
Online sales boost music industry
July 8, 2006
U.S. album sales were down 4.2 percent in the first half of the year, but sales of music downloaded online soared 77 percent. Despite rampant music piracy, overall sales of albums, singles, music videos and digital music totaled 564 million units, a 23 percent increase over the same six-month period last year.
Total sales of albums across different formats – CDs, digital albums, cassette and others – stood at 270.6 million between Jan. 2 and July 2, a decline of 4.2 percent compared with 282.6 million in the same period last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Nearly 281 million digital singles were purchased through July 2, compared to 158.8 million in the same time frame last year. More than 14 million full-album downloads were purchased in the first six months of this year, more than double the 6.5 million bought in the first half of 2005.
On-line music store caters to religious market
By Steve Woodward
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
July 8, 2006
Imagine rap lyrics without the F-bomb.
Or acid rock lyrics without sex.
Or reggae lyrics without drugs.
Howard Rachinski imagined it all last year, when his then-10-year-old son began to get interested in music.
Although Apple's iTunes and other commercial music-download sites offered plenty of Christian and other inoffensive songs and albums, Rachinski wanted something that catered exclusively to religious people like himself and his family.
So he and his colleagues created Portland, Ore.-based SongTouch, an online music store much like iTunes – but without a single “Parental Advisory” label among its 220,000 religious, inspirational and classical titles.
“Our core target market,” Rachinski says, “is people with Judeo-Christian values or faith not wanting to compromise that faith.”
Today, tens of thousands of SongTouch customers are legally downloading 99-cent copies of such songs as Carrie Underwood's “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” Casting Crowns' “Lifesong” and Tobymac's “Catchafire (Whoopsi-Daisy).”
SongTouch (www.songtouch.com) offers 27 musical genres, from Americana to Southern gospel, plus spoken-word performances. This week's top-selling song was Mark Harris' gospel song “Find Your Wings.” The top-selling album, at $9.99, was country singer Alan Jackson's collection of old hymns called “Precious Memories.”
The Web site also offers news and features about artists, a monthly video show on Christian entertainers, upcoming music releases and customer polls.
SongTouch already is drawing attention in the entertainment world. The Web site is the only online Christian store that Microsoft has built into its system of exclusive partner stores in Windows Media Player 10. Grammy winner Amy Grant, one of Christian music's top stars, wants to record spots advertising the site. Point of Grace, a Grammy-nominated Christian singing group, asked SongTouch to feature its music video.
Christian music is about 6 percent to 7 percent of all music downloads now, Rachinski says, but he expects the category to grow exponentially.
“I have no personal animosity against Eminem or Madonna,” the 55-year-old Rachinski says, “but some people want a safe place to go.”
EMC shares plunge on word of $2.1B deal
By MARK JEWELL
AP Business Writer
Technology Video
Advertisement
BOSTON (AP) -- Data storage provider EMC Corp. saw its stock dive Friday after announcing a $2.1 billion deal for RSA Security Inc. that represented a hefty premium for the computer authentication provider.
EMC said after markets closed Thursday that it will pay $28 for each share of RSA, a 22 percent premium above the $22.88 price at which RSA's shares closed - and a 45 percent premium over RSA's closing price Wednesday, the last day of trading before RSA confirmed it was in buyout talks.
On Friday morning on the Nasdaq, RSA was trading at $27.29, its highest level since 2001. Meanwhile, investors sent shares of EMC down 94 cents, or 8.4 percent, to $10.31 - the stock's lowest level since September 2004.
EMC's top executive, Joe Tucci, told analysts in a conference call Thursday that "a very competitive situation" emerged after RSA recently sought out prospective buyers interested in expanding their information security offerings.
In response to an analyst's question why EMC chose to buy RSA at a big premium rather than form partnerships with it, Tucci said, "RSA wasn't going to be around" and would be quickly snapped up by a rival.
Several analysts questioned whether EMC was paying too high a price for RSA - the company's biggest-ever acquisition - and whether EMC might realize better returns by stepping up an existing program to buy back shares of its long-stagnant stock.
Tucci said the deal will yield long-term gains, and address increasing demand from EMC's corporate customers to use encryption and other techniques to better secure data.
"This was a missing piece in the information infrastructure puzzle," Tucci said. "If we do this right, I absolutely, positively, believe there is upside."
Buy AP Photo Reprints
Tucci, EMC's chairman, president and CEO, and Art Coviello, RSA's president and CEO, did not identify other companies that expressed interest in buying RSA, a 20-year-old company with about 1,200 employees and $310 million in revenue last year, compared with EMC's nearly $10 billion.
RSA is known for an annual security conference that it stages, as well as millions of business card-sized "SecurID" tokens that display an ever-changing six-digit code computer users must type to gain access to networks. One of the companies that became today's RSA was founded by three Massachusetts Institute of Technology professors who helped develop a seminal method of cryptography.
----http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EMC_RSA_SECURITY?SITE=CADIU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEF...
By Laurence Frost and Nathalie Schuck
ASSOCIATED PRESS
6:24 a.m. June 30, 2006
PARIS – French lawmakers gave final approval Friday to legislation that could force Apple Computer Inc. to make its iPod and iTunes Music Store compatible with rivals' music players and online services.
Both the Senate and the National Assembly, France's lower house, voted in favor of the copyright bill, which some analysts said could cause Apple Computer Inc. and others to pull their music players and online download stores from France.
Advertisement
The vote was the final legislative step before the bill becomes law – barring the success of a last-ditch constitutional challenge filed last week by the opposition Socialists.
Currently, songs bought on iTunes can be played only on iPods, and an iPod can't play downloads from other stores that rival the extensive iTunes music catalog from major artists and labels – like Sony's Connect and Napster.
Apple described the original version of the copyright bill as “state-sponsored piracy” earlier this year, but a company spokesman was not immediately available to comment on Friday's vote.
In a statement issued after lawmakers hashed out the final compromise text last week, Apple said it hoped the market would be left to decide “which music players and online music stores are offered to consumers.”
The final compromise asserts that companies should share the required technical data with any rival that wants to offer compatible music players and online stores, but it toned down many of the tougher measures backed by lower-house lawmakers early on.
It also maintained a loophole introduced by senators, which could allow Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple and others to dodge the data-sharing demands by striking new deals with record labels and artists.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20060630-0624-france-ituneslaw.html
Digital downloads slowing
Online music sales move out of fast lane; popularity still high
By Frank Green
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 24, 2006
Sales of digital music downloads may be showing the first signs of leveling off, as two new reports indicate week-to-week sales are stagnating – and sometimes declining – this year.
SEAN M. HAFFEY / Union-Tribune
John Garcia, a criminal justice major at San Diego State University, listens to music on his iPod at the SDSU trolley station. Slowing sales of downloads would be bad news for the $12 billion music industry.
“The hyper-growth period is gone,” said Marc Freedman, digital media analyst at the Diffusion Group in Plano, Texas. “Like any new offering, there is a period of fast growth, but then you reach penetration of the market.”
Though the average number of digital downloads sold in the United States more than doubled in the first 16 weeks of 2006 compared with the same time last year, sales thus far in the second quarter are trending down from the previous quarter, according to Diffusion.
Recent reports from both Diffusion and Pali Research in New York conclude that the spring trend could portend a slower rate of growth for paid music downloads. That would be bad news for the $12 billion music industry, which has counted on accelerating digital downloads to offset a slide in compact disc sales – down 25 percent from a peak of 942 million in 2000.
Overall, U.S. sales of paid downloads have grown at least 8 percent from quarter to quarter since the last quarter of 2004.
The reports analyze sales data from Nielsen SoundScan, which does not release its data to the public. The data are for sales of single digital music downloads in the United States. Pali extrapolated from that data to convert album sales at a 10-to-1 ratio.
The sales information includes paid music services, but does not include free downloads from Web-based services or music exchanged for free among friends.
Other experts dispute the Diffusion and Pali analyses of the sales numbers.
A spokeswoman for Nielsen SoundScan said they are misreading industry sales trends.
“The biggest flaw in the report is that it doesn't take into account seasonal fluctuations,” said spokeswoman Anna Loynes.
She noted that digital music sales reached a record 19.9 million in the last week of December, when many people bought online music for iPods and other devices they'd received as holiday gifts. That compares with 6.7 million tracks downloaded in the last week of 2005, she said.
In the first four weeks of 2005, an average of 7.38 million song sales were tallied weekly, with the average rising to 8.73 million in the fourth four-week period of the year, Freedman said.
But while sales in the first four weeks in January 2006 soared dramatically to a weekly average of 17.56 million, the number of downloads cooled to a weekly average of 15.68 million in the fourth four-week period of this year.
Sales of downloadable music are “bound to slow down a little bit,” said David Card, a music industry analyst at JupiterResearch in New York. Card stressed that he has yet to detect ebbing enthusiasm among listeners for downloads.
Seeming to support that argument is the continuing popularity of iPods and MP3 players. Annual sales of portable media players are expected to jump 40 percent to 187.7 million in 2006, according to Gartner, a Stamford, Conn., research firm.
But paid downloads make up a fraction of the music on the typical portable media player. Other sources: tunes ripped from CDs, songs copied from one player to the next, free downloads and illegal peer-to-peer use.
For example, Rebecca Gruwell, a professional chef who lives in San Diego, said she's compiled about 1,300 songs on the iPod she received as a birthday present a year and a half ago.
But only 50 or so of the tunes, many by singer David Gray, were downloaded from paid services.
“I borrow friends' CDs and copy them to my computer” and onto the iPod, said Gruwell, 26.
Several analysts said that if paid downloading is fading, it could be because of restrictions by the recording industry on how listeners can use the music. In order to keep control of revenue and royalties, the industry has insisted that downloaded tracks contain protections that prevent customers from freely copying music.
“Limits can be a hassle because if you purchase songs on one computer, you have to buy new tracks if you want them on a different computer,” said Phil Leigh, founder of Inside Digital Media in Tampa, Fla.
Another concern is that restrictions by the paid services could cool enthusiasm for them. Apple's iPod – which has market share of more than 80 percent – can only play music downloaded from Apple's iTunes, which shuts out other providers and can restrict which artists are available.
“Mainstream consumers won't pay for something that is going to further complicate their lives,” said Leigh, adding that consumers are finding out that downloading is not like owning CDs “that you can freely copy anywhere.”
Some digital music companies are beginning to downplay the download format in favor of online subscription services that allow listeners to access – and sometimes transfer – unlimited music for a fixed monthly rate.
Napster spokeswoman Dana Harris said the company thinks the a la carte downloading business “is not a compelling experience for consumers.”
Besides offering individual digital tracks, Napster provides subscription programs in which customers listen to unlimited music for as little as $9.95 a month.
Some digital music experts said Americans may have already filled their players with their favorites and will become choosier, downloading fewer songs in the future.
Jim Hervey, a Navy master chief petty officer based in San Diego, said he bought 100 songs via the Internet last year for his MP3 player, but has only purchased six to 10 tracks this year as his computer catalog of Bob Seger and .38 Special tunes has become saturated.
“I've pretty much bought all the basic stuff I need,” said Hervey, 39.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frank Green: (619) 293-1233; frank.green@uniontrib.com
(How does this affect SCMI?)
Teletouch Announces Signing of Exclusive Three-Year Master Distributor Agreement for Retail and Third-Party Distribution in North America with ROK Entertainment US, Inc., a Majority-Owned Affiliate of UK-Based ROK Corporation Ltd.
Wednesday June 21, 4:08 pm ET
Patented SD-Memory Card Compression and Digital Rights Management (DRM) Technology Allows Users to Watch Movies, TV Shows, Play Games and Enjoy a Variety of Content on Their Cellular and Other Mobile Devices
FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 21, 2006--Teletouch Communications, Inc. (AMEX:TLL - News) today announced that it signed an exclusive, three-year Master Distributor Agreement for North America with Los Angeles, CA-based ROK Entertainment US, Inc., a majority-owned affiliate of United Kingdom-based ROK Corporation, Ltd., a maker of technology that allows people to watch movies and TV shows, play games and enjoy a variety of content on their cellular handsets and other portable devices. Although confidential financial terms were not disclosed, the comprehensive Master Agreement grants Teletouch the exclusive right to distribute ROK's patented ROK Player, related intellectual property, products and licensed content directly to retailers, third-party distributors and wholesalers in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The ROK software provides full Digital Rights Management, or "DRM" protection for content compressed by the patented technology, and is especially designed for portable devices, including cell phones and other devices that use commonly available SD-chip cards and similar storage media.
Source: Teletouch Communications, Inc.
· ROK Player with DRM Protected Content Inserted Into Phone - Plug & Play (Photo: Business Wire). View Multimedia Gallery
Jonathan Kendrick, CEO of ROK Corporation stated, "The patented ROK Player technology does four key things. It compresses rich content onto SD memory cards in a proprietary manner, reducing a two-hour movie to fit onto a single 64MB card for use on portable devices. Uncompressed, that same movie would take at least a 500MB card, which of course is much more expensive. Secondly, the ROK Player is built to be "plug-and-play," for ease of use in compatible devices. Third, it plays full-frame high-resolution video at 24 frames per second (full motion), creating a more satisfactory user experience."
Kendrick continued, "But perhaps most important to content owners such as studios, record labels and game developers is that their content will be delivered with full DRM protections built right in. Frankly, it's far easier for a hacker to rip a DVD than one of our ROK Player loaded chips."
John-Paul DeJoria, CEO of John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Tequila, among other holdings, said this, "As an early, significant investor in ROK Entertainment, I believe in this technology. My eight-year-old son can easily work the player, and watching movies or playing games on mobile devices is the future. With ROK's recently granted patents, I think movie studios, mobile game developers, advertisers and other content providers will want the protections afforded by these patented ROK technologies."
Kendrick added, "We chose Teletouch as our North American distributor because of its long history in the wireless market, for its help desk and call center capabilities, for its executives' extensive retail experience and for its deep relationships in the wireless and consumer electronics business, both directly and through its commonly controlled affiliate, Progressive Concepts, Inc. This relationship will increase our speed to market, and will also allow us to better concentrate our own resources on establishing large content licensing deals, continued software-to-handset utilization development and on completing our U.S. Internet-based white-label Media Store. We are very excited to work with the Teletouch team."
Teletouch CEO, T. A. "Kip" Hyde, Jr., stated, "Last month, we announced a fundamental strategic shift 'back' towards the business of mobile. By establishing this exclusive retail and wholesale distribution agreement for an entirely new portable multimedia content medium in North America, the Company is taking the first steps toward directly participating in the high-growth, multi-billion dollar cellular handset and content download markets. ROK's patented technologies, which provide the ability to watch movies, TV shows, music videos and play casual games, are at the forefront of this revolutionary change in the mobile industry."
Hyde concluded, "Specifically, ROK's ability to provide DRM content protection for rich-media downloaded directly from the Internet, Over-the-Air, or through retail kiosks for use on a cell phone -- the most widely available consumer electronic portable device today -- represents an enormous new sales opportunity for retailers of many kinds, including big-box and chain consumer electronics stores, theaters, music and book stores, as well as various cellular and emerging WiFi carriers, MVNO's and others. The opportunity for Teletouch to become an exclusive distributor of a DVD-replacement technology that fits in the palm of your hand is a once-in-a-generation business opportunity, and we are pleased that ROK has selected us for the task."
About ROK Entertainment US, Inc.
Formed in 2004 by noted UK entrepreneur Jonathan Kendrick and John-Paul DeJoria, CEO of John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Tequila, ROK Entertainment is privately-owned with a mandate to create original and innovative technologies to deliver full-length content and entertainment to mobile phones and other portable devices. ROK was awarded a primary patent in January 2006 for the storage of DRM-protected audio-visual content on memory cards for play on mobile phones and other mobile devices. ROK Entertainment is a subsidiary of ROK Corporation, which provides technologies such as content-loaded memory cards and multi-channel mobile TV over 2.5G and above GPRS networks. With more than 100 staff worldwide, ROK has offices in the UK, Los Angeles and Beijing with Joint Venture partnerships in Brazil, Russia and Taiwan. More information about these companies and leading edge technologies is available at www.rokcorp.com, www.rokent.com, www.rokplayer.com, www.rok.tv and www.rokent.com.
About Progressive Concepts, Inc.
In continuous operation for over 30-years, privately-held PCI is a leading provider of cellular voice, data, and entertainment products and branded wireless services to individuals, businesses, and government agencies through its chain of retail stores (Hawk Electronics), branded sub-agents and direct sales force throughout Texas and Arkansas. PCI provides the cellular services on the Cingular Wireless network, and maintains its own billing, data and customer service operations for its nearly 100,000 subscribers, businesses and other licensed clients. PCI also operates a significant wholesale distribution business serving smaller cellular and automotive retailers, car dealers and cellular service providers throughout the country. More information about PCI and Hawk Electronics can be found at www.hawkelectronics.com.
About Teletouch Communications
Teletouch offers a comprehensive suite of telecommunications services, including cellular, two-way radio communications, GPS-telemetry and wireless messaging services throughout the United States. TLL acquires, bills and supports a large, primarily commercial business and government base of subscribers, under its own network of FCC licensed spectrum in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Florida. Teletouch's common stock is traded on the American Stock Exchange under stock symbol: TLL. Additional information about Teletouch can be found at: www.teletouch.com.
All statements in this news release that are not based on historical fact are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (which Sections were adopted as part of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). While management has based any forward-looking statements contained herein on its current expectations, the information on which such expectations were based may change. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to materially differ from such statements. Such risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, but are not necessarily limited to, those set forth under the caption "Additional Factors That May Affect Our Business" in the Company's most recent Form 10-K and 10-Q filings, and amendments thereto. In addition, we operate in a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment, and new risks may arise. Accordingly, investors should not place any reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. We disclaim any intention to, and undertake no obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statement.
MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5174880
Contact:
Teletouch Communications, Inc.
Press & Investors Contact:
Amy Gossett, 800-232-3888
investors@teletouch.com
or
ROK Entertainment US, Inc.
Doug Dyer, 310-849-2617
doug.dyer@rokcorp.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060621/20060621005816.html?.v=1
Greetings.
But then again it is nice to see that someone is starting to show some interest. There may be life afterall. Just waiting for that long....... awaited announcement.
Best to all of us shareholders.
Mash
France's 'iPod bill' has Apple singing sad tune
Tech firms don't want to reveal trade secrets
By John Ward Anderson
THE WASHINGTON POST
May 30, 2006
PARIS – All is not well in the French world of digital music, as Nicolas Paitre, a salesman at one of Paris' largest electronics stores, hears from customers every day.
Filing into Surcouf, a glitzy French electronics chain where Paitre specializes in digital music gadgets, they have the same bewildered looks and exasperated queries:
Advertisement
I can download digital songs from one company, but I can't play them on another company's machine?
My hard drive with all my music files crashed, and I can't transfer the songs from my handheld into a new computer?
Oui and oui again. The legal and technical issues of protecting music copyrights are so complex, Paitre said, that many music lovers “feel stuck in the middle” and eventually are forced into the business of trying to foil the protections on their own.
Now comes France's National Assembly to the rescue, or so say lawmakers who have crafted legislation to force compatibility between digital songs and the different machines that play them. Under the proposed law, Apple Computer, Sony, Dell and other companies could have to reveal trade secrets of their software so their songs can play on competitors' devices.
Laypeople call it the “iPod bill,” after Apple's hugely successful digital music player. The tiny device plays songs downloaded from Apple's online music store embedded with code that prevents them from being played on anything other than an iPod. Many American music lovers complain about this incompatibility, too, but haven't been able to get Congress behind them.
French lawmakers say their bill is enlightened consumerism for cutting-edge technology, an effort to force Apple and other companies to freely compete, rather than relying on techno-secrets to crush the competition.
“We oppose the idea that the seller of a song or any kind of work can impose on the consumer the way to read it, forever, and especially in the consumer's home,” said Assembly member Christian Paul. “Can we allow a couple of vendors to establish monopolies tightly controlling their clients and excluding competition?”
After the bill first came to light, Apple denounced it as “state-sponsored piracy.” Without encryption, the company argued, people would be able to digitally transfer music to one another for free, without paying royalties to the artists, and in violation of copyright laws. Industry analysts say the company might withdraw its music products from France rather than submit to the law. After its initial remarks, Apple has refused comment on the legislation.
The Assembly's proposal is “about ripping off technology from those who developed it and putting it in the public domain,” said Francisco Mingorance, European policy director for the Business Software Alliance, which represents Apple, Dell, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and other major companies.
“It's more than just Apple. What's been adopted is a broad, sweeping exception to intellectual property rights and patents and software under the flag of interoperability between an iPod and your Sony,” Mingorance said. “Businesses in France are going to have to ask themselves a question: Is our continuing presence in the French market outweighed by the risks of disclosing our content to more piracy?”
In the midst of the debate, the French Senate passed a version of the bill with changes that consumer advocates say would gut it. According to Loic Dachary, vice president of the Free Software Foundation France, the Senate bill would leave computer companies with too much control over hardware and software.
“From a citizen's point of view, it's like having a policeman in your machine who has all the power,” Dachary said. “If Apple is allowed to keep its secrets, then no other programs can interact with their programs. This is not competition. This is software totalitarianism.”
Both versions would decriminalize piracy and make it equivalent to a traffic infraction, with fines that computer companies say are so small they would offer no deterrence. Software companies say the law could hold them accountable for piracy that occurs with use of their products, even if that is not the purpose of the software.
The debate pits French egalitarianism and its tilt toward consumers and regulation against American capitalism and its tilt toward business and markets. Also in the mix is a dose of French nationalism and concern about the U.S. dominance of cyberspace.
“The idea in France is to protect consumers, but in the U.S., it would be seen as short-term protection, because if you are forced to share the technology you developed with others, that stifles the incentives to innovate and invest,” said Andrea Renda, an economic and legal analyst at the Brussels-based Center for European Policy Studies. “In France, there is a tendency to protect competitors, not just competition. It's very short-sighted.”
Dominique Moisi, of the French Institute of International Relations, said that “in France, it is the state which is responsible for great technical innovations, and there is also an emphasis on what is called 'cultural diversity' – the idea that you must have more than one source of national expertise, and that in particular, you should not let America monopolize the technologies of the future.”
Hello fellow shareholders, (pain support group),
Can someone give me a link to that filing dated 5/22/06? I dont see it in yahoo finance. Thanks and still wishing everyone the best. We sure deserve better then we have had for sure.
Mash
Happy Mothers Day everyone.
Yes, I spoke with Jillian on several occasions. She did not sell. She is a strong believer in the product.
Best to all.
Mash
In case someone doesnt get a chance or is not allowed on the SCMI board, I am reposting some interesting posts (if that is okay).
Posted by: mystocks25
In reply to: None
Date:5/11/2006 9:00:41 PM
Post #of 41296
Sony dances to Apple's tune
The electronics giant is adopting a format Apple favors -- but its players still can't play iTunes downloads. Plus: Online satire stings Halliburton.
By Owen Thomas, Business 2.0 Magazine online editor and Oliver Ryan, Fortune reporter
May 11, 2006: 2:49 PM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0 Magazine) - The headlines all screamed of a musical detente between Apple and Sony. But the headlines got it wrong. Sony is in fact adding support for AAC, a digital-music file format also used by Apple. But Sony isn't adopting FairPlay, the digital rights management system Apple (Research) uses in its iTunes Music Store to prevent piracy. Still, Sony's move will make it easier for iTunes users to move at least part of their music libraries onto Sony (Research) music players. Any songs they have ripped from CDs onto their hard drives in the unprotected AAC format -- the default setting in iTunes software -- will now play without requiring cumbersome recoding.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/11/technology/business2_browser0511/index.htm?source=yahoo_quote
Posted by: mystocks25
In reply to: None
Date:5/9/2006 9:08:24 PM
Post #of 41255
Warner Bros seals groundbreaking deal with former film pirate
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Hollywood's Warner Bros. studios said it had sealed a deal with file sharer BitTorrent, once a key haven for online movie pirates, to distribute its films and television shows.
Taking the attitude that if you can't beat them, join them, Warner becomes the first Tinseltown studio to turn to the previously feared peer-to-peer technology to help distribute their products.
Starting in the middle of this year, more than 200 Warner movies and television shows will be offered for sale on the BitTorrent website.
Available titles will include "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," the 1973 classic "Dog Day Afternoon," "Natural Born Killers," and the 1970 television show "Dukes of Hazzard."
"BitTorrent has made the leap in creating a legal partnership that respects the value of the intellectual property," said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.
"This has provided us with a next-generation platform for the distribution of our films and TV programs," he said in a statement.
"The technology behind BitTorrent is elegantly designed for the delivery of large files like TV programs and films."
Until relatively recently BitTorrent was considered the scourge of the movie industry, which estimates it lost more than six billion dollars to piracy last year.
Under the new deal, the estimated 65 million BitTorrent users will be able to download video-on-demand or for-sale movies and shows onto their computers, but will not be able to copy the files to another computer or burn them onto a DVD.
In a bid to turn its "file-swarming" technology to legitimate business, BitTorrent last year agreed with the Hollywood studios' trade group, the Motion Picture Association of America, to clear copyrighted material from its search engine that many users use to find copies of pirated movies and music.
No pricing was announced for the content, but BitTorrent sources have reportedly said that some content would cost as little one dollar to download.
"By combining Warner Bros.' popular video content with BitTorrent's proven delivery efficiency, consumers will have an unparalleled way to experience entertainment online," said Ashwin Navin, BitTorrent president and co-founder.
He conceded to Daily Variety that some users may not want to pay for content, but added that "the potential to convert five percent or ten percent of our audience to a legitimate service outweighs any risks for us or our partners."
BitTorrent was designed in 2001 as a publication tool for large files on the web, but quickly became used to swap illegal movie and music files.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060509/tc_afp/afpentertainmentusfilm;_ylt=ApQ0bBG3UeLmINJ2BGECLa8jtBAF....