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Hot Topic: From the Folks Who Brought You digEplayer™ Comes onBoard pay™
IFExpress Exclusive! If you thought APS was a “one trick pony”, then you haven’t seen onBoard pay™, the portable, wireless cash and credit card accounting device. If a portable VOD system wasn’t enough, the bright designers and engineers at the Tacoma, WA aviation company have now changed the paradigm for in-flight accounting. Think of onBoard pay™ as a digital wireless pager that can be used to collect transaction information of any kind during a flight. It stores the data till the flight reaches the ground and sends it via a ground-based link to just about any location on a cell-based connection. The pager-sized unit has many uses and we see applications for use by almost any airline person. The intended application, credit card transactions, is probably the most visible but we see this tool as a new customer satisfaction machine that can help reunite passengers and bags, keep track of ground and airborne assets, reduce fraud and identify P.O.P sales and so much more. Cheap, small, clever, that’s what our industry needs and this product is a winner. Guess what? You can see onBoard pay™ at Booth 1700 at the WAEA Conference, and while you are there, check out the fantastic digEplayer™ portable Video On Demand player. You can’t miss it, just look for the longest line at the show. Watch out for AIRFAX.com reporting team during the conference next week and look for your picture on our website. See you there!
Ray: Here is the information regarding the DigEplayer. Your link went dead, so a search had to be redone.
Word Mark DIGEPLAYER
Goods and Services IC 042. US 100 101. G & S: Retail sales or rental services for handheld hard disk drive-based unit for playing movies, video programming, voice recordings, and music, utilizing data uploaded to unit by dealer or end user, head phones, power supplies and connection cables for use with handheld hard disk drive-based unit for playing movies, video programming, voice recordings, and music, utilizing data uploaded to unit by dealer or end user; retail digital data uploading services for handheld hard disk drive-based unit for playing movies, video programming, voice recordings, and music, utilizing data uploaded to unit by dealer or end user
Mark Drawing Code (5) WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS IN STYLIZED FORM
Serial Number 78282410
Filing Date August 4, 2003
Filed ITU FILED AS ITU
Owner (APPLICANT) Aircraft Protective Systems, Inc. CORPORATION WASHINGTON 1142 Broadway, Suite 400 Tacoma WASHINGTON 98402
Attorney of Record James K. Lee
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
Record # 2
Word Mark DIGEPLAYER
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Handheld hard disk drive-based unit for playing movies, video programming, voice recordings, and music, utilizing data uploaded to unit by dealer or end user; head phones, power supplies and connection cables for use with handheld hard disk drive-based unit for playing movies, video programming, voice recordings, and music utilizing data uploaded to unit by dealer or end user
Mark Drawing Code (5) WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS IN STYLIZED FORM
Serial Number 78282409
Filing Date August 4, 2003
Filed ITU FILED AS ITU
Owner (APPLICANT) Aircraft Protective Systems, Inc. CORPORATION WASHINGTON 1142 Broadway, Suite 400 Tacoma WASHINGTON 98402
Attorney of Record James K. Lee
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
wow now we are into Farenheit 451......lets just burn the books and the records.
You have a gameroom? Must be one helluva big doghouse
Arf
EDIT: fullhouse 4's & 1's
NO DOT CONNECTING HERE. JUST INFORMATION REGARDING THE TECH SECTOR STARTING TO HEAD BACK UP
Reuters
Global chip sales up 2.9 pct in July from June
Tuesday September 2, 3:12 pm ET
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 2 (Reuters) - [b\Global sales of semiconductors rose 2.9 percent in July from June and 10.5 percent from a year ago, pointing toward a stronger recovery from the industry's worst-ever downturn, a trade group said on Tuesday.
Worldwide semiconductor sales increased to $12.9 billion, up from $12.5 billion in June and $11.68 billion in July 2002, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association, based in San Jose, California.
It was the fifth consecutive monthly increase, the SIA said.
"July's sales reflect the continued strengthening of the semiconductor market and we believe that we will exceed our forecasted sequential growth of 5.9 percent for the third quarter," SIA President George Scalise said in a statement.
Back-to-school and holiday shopping in coming months are expected to boost the sale of chips for consumer devices and personal computers, he said.
Meanwhile, capacity utilization, a measure of how much of semiconductor fabrication plants employing advanced technologies are being used, has reached 94 percent, the SIA said.
In July, chip sales in Japan rose 4.8 percent, Asia Pacific was up 2.9 percent, Europe rose 2.3 percent, and the Americas increased 1 percent over June.
The SIA figures include a three-month moving average of sales activity based on information tabulated by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization.
The U.S. Federal Reserve Board released data two weeks ago that showed that fab utilization at semiconductor and related electronic component plants in the United States -- including both advanced and non-advanced fabrication plants -- was 66.9 percent in July.
Intel Corp. (NasdaqNM:INTC - News), the world's largest chipmaker, boosted its forecast for revenue and profit margins last month based on stronger demand from computer makers.
A recovery for the chip industry, which was hit by a slowdown in corporate spending amid a larger economic downturn the last two years, was believed to be slowed earlier this year by the war in Iraq and the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.
Well, you definitely got the market covered on this:
These announcements are already highly anticipated by the loyal longs and EDIG momo traders. So, how much impact will they really have on the share price? I expect a lot of spin and hype in the next two weeks as announcements are made.
What does that mean - 100? You have 100 members in your church, 100 wives, 100 downloaded songs on your computer, 100 pairs of socks? 100 shares of stock, Hundreds of shares of stock? shiish///
Well, this sould get the old edigster flying. Watch out for MOS now by golly. If you know what I mean.
Report: DVDs, CDs may go obsolete
By Jon Friedman, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 11:40 AM ET Sept. 2, 2003
NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- DVDs and compact discs could soon be obsolete, according to a report issued Tuesday by Forrester Research. "CDs and DVDs will go the way of the L.P.," Forrester predicts.
Report: DVDs will soon be obsolete
File sharing is responsible for almost $700 million of the $2 billion reduction in CD sales since 1999, Forrester says, noting that movie companies face a similar sales threat.
The so-called "hard" media are in jeopardy, concludes principal analyst Josh Bernoff of the Boston-based research organization. "By 2008, revenues from CDs will be off 19 percent, while DVDs and tapes will drop 8 percent," Bernoff said.
By the end of next year, 20 million U.S. consumers will be spending $14 billion annually on broadband connections, the report says. Streaming and paid downloads will drive people "to connect to entertainment, not own it," the report says.
Gloomy trend
Forrester points out that the gloomy sales trend for CDs is already under way, as CD sales in the U.S. fell 15 percent during the past three years. Discussing what it ominously calls "the slow death of the disc," the research group says broadband, widespread storage and digital rights protection will make on-demand music and movie services more popular.
While consumers always pursue bargains and higher quality, convenience remains the key attraction.
"The idea that you have to get in your car, go to a store and buy (an item) is really out of touch," Bernoff added in an interview. "The on-demand and cable access services have all the advantages. All of the content is coming to cable."
Jarring findings
Bernoff's findings could eventually jar the entertainment industry.
Compact discs arrived in the late 1980s and were promoted by labels as a superior way for consumers to own music. The companies claimed that the quality was far better -- even though rock and roll star Neil Young, among others, eventually claimed bitterly that vinyl offered a clearer and more genuine all-round sound. Even though the labels charged more than twice as much for CDs as for vinyl products, the public snapped up CDs and vinyl labels were quickly consigned to be little more than collectors' items.
Meanwhile, sales of DVDs have been billed as the eventual lifeblood of the movie business. Analysts have seen DVDs as the logical progression as a revenue source, coming after cable television distribution and such retail stores as Blockbuster.
The report's findings will affect the media and entertainment industry's largest companies, including AOL Time Warner (AOL: news, chart, profile), Walt Disney (DIS: news, chart, profile), Viacom (VIA: news, chart, profile) and Sony (SNE: news, chart, profile).
"Movie companies are reacting aggressively and moving from talk to action," Bernoff said. "They're making it as easy as possible for you to download a movie and pay for it."
Over time, Bernoff projected, his findings will be more vivid. "There are 10 million people who now have video on demand and that number will be 20 million by the end of next year," he said.
"The big winners are going to be Internet portals and cable companies who can deliver [video] on demand," he said. "The disaster is (potentially) for retail companies," such as Blockbuster, Virgin megastores and Tower, which would suffer. "While labels will survive, I'm very doubtful for the prospects of big music retailers."
The solution is for the retailers to get the most out of the marketing appeal of their well-established brand names. "Western Union is all about maximizing its brand name, not delivering telegrams, any more," he said.
"How did we get to these crossroads?" Bernoff asked in the report. "Broadband connections, cheap and widespread storage, and ubiquitous processing power have forever liberated media from physical objects like CDs, tapes and DVDs. But the same technology forces that brought entertainment companies to the crisis point contain the promise of media's salvation -- the ability to create media services that consumers will pay for."
Jon Friedman is media editor for CBS.MarketWatch.com in New York.
OT: but maybe a sign that the economy is turning around.
Dow Jones Business News
Banc Of Amer Starts Intel, AMD At Buy; Sees PC Recovery
Tuesday September 2, 11:15 am ET
By Donna Fuscaldo, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Banc Of America Securities initiated coverage of chip makers Intel Corp. (NasdaqNM:INTC - News) and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE:AMD - News) Tuesday with buy ratings, citing the early stages of a multi-year personal computer recovery cycle from which both companies will benefit.
ADVERTISEMENT
Analyst John Lau, who formerly worked at RBC Capital Markets, said the PC recovery will be driven initially by new Centrino-based notebooks worldwide and desktops in Asia. Centrino is the wireless chip Intel unveiled early this year.
In the case of Intel, Lau said it remains "one of the best-positioned semiconductor companies in the PC sector," with upside earnings potential as the PC industry accelerates into 2004.
As for competitor AMD, Lau said the upcoming launch of the company's new 64- bit microprocessors will expand the chip maker into the corporate and server markets. He noted that the new chips may not have a significant revenue impact in the second half of 2003 but that AMD's opportunities will be greater in 2004.
Lau set a $13 price target on shares of AMD and a $32 target on Intel's stock.
Recently, shares of Intel were trading at $28.35, down 24 cents, or 0.8%, while AMD's were trading at $11.09, down 20 cents or 1.8%.
Lau does not own shares of the stocks and Banc of America doesn't have an investment-banking relationship with either chip maker.
-By Donna Fuscaldo, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5253; donna.fuscaldo@dowjones.com
I don't plan on going to it. I've got to work and no roads on my planet lead to San Diego.
Have a safe and happy holiday weekend everyone. And I actually mean everyone, except for you overthere and maybe you back there.
No.........you're not getting warm.........Sheesh\\\\.
You noticed that this was a variation of the last "s" word, so I'm not in violation.
schpin that's if you have a slur from the Gin
Are you serious? You're asking why she thinks that was really him. Sheesh////// (let me see, what rhymes with Gin?)
Is that really you chwderhed? Or did someone who just fell off of the turnip truck take your place?
Do you remember Davey Jones from the Monkees? ..........well no relation to Bryan. Bryan was VP at e.digital and put together the Wedigmusic website.
Well, I would like to stay and chat, I just can't though. So therefore all of you Americans enjoy your weekend and have a safe one. For those of you who live outside the US work doublely hard for us on Monday. And for those of you living in a parallel universe......Live long and prosper.
Well, I'm sure if that is the phone number, they will be getting inundated with phone calls from everyone on the planet.
The spread must be as wide as the gap between Terry Thomas's front teeth............SHEEEESH///
Sorry, but I don't think that that was a scam. Nice try though..........NEXT
Now that is funny.........
Well, getting back on topic.....it was nice to see it close up two cents today.......good night to all and to all a good night
Wow.....thanks Matt for finally stepping in. Sorry for everyone getting out of hand.
Reuters
Tech gains leave money managers fearing new bubble
Wednesday August 27, 12:12 pm ET
By Nick Olivari
NEW YORK, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Technology stocks' big gains since last October have left many money managers fearful that the bubble of the late 1990s may be floating around the market again.
The bubble prompted retail investors to pile into anything remotely related to tech -- debt-laden telecoms, fly-by-night Internet sites and software companies investors had never heard of before. The result: all saw their stocks soar to frightening levels.
When the frenzy collapsed, it heralded the worst bear market in six decades.
Though no one is expecting a market collapse now, investors are concerned that much of the current tech buying is based on momentum rather than the outlook for the company.
"What's leading the market are companies that have no earnings and no dividends," said Jonathan Golub, vice president and U.S. equity strategist with JPMorgan Fleming Asset Management, which oversees $400 billion in assets.
Golub notes that while stocks like Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - News), up 21 percent in the last 11 months; Cisco Systems Inc. (NasdaqNM:CSCO - News), up 109 percent; Intel Corp. (NasdaqNM:INTC - News), up 108 percent; and International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - News), up 49 percent, have posted solid gains, other companies with possibly less potential are up much more.
MEANINGFUL DISPARITY
"There is a meaningful disparity between the well established companies and the rest," Golub said.
Electronics contract manufacturer Sanmina-SCI Corp. (NasdaqNM:SANM - News) is up 433 percent and telecommunications equipment makers Lucent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:LU - News) and Nortel Networks Corp. (NYSE:NT - News) have jumped 214 percent and 600 percent, respectively.
The world's largest maker of fiber-optic cable, Corning Inc. (NYSE:GLW - News), has gained 634 percent, while communications equipment maker Avaya Inc. (NYSE:AV - News) has climbed 664 percent.
Though Golub emphasized he was not commenting on the outlook for specific companies, he suggested investors should be seeking companies with strong earnings and balance sheets.
"There are a lot of stocks that are up because people are finding it attractive on a momentum basis," Golub said.
For sure, they are not buying such high-octane stocks because they are cheap. Sanmina-SCI is trading at 71.5 times its expected earnings for the 12 months ahead, Nortel at 64.4 and Corning at 49.1, according to Thomson First Call (News - Websites).
By comparison, Microsoft's 12-month forward price-earnings multiple stands at 23.9 times and IBM at just 17.9 times.
THE DEFAULT OPTION
"I would not call it a speculative bubble yet, but it is looking more and more like it," said Barry Randall, senior equity portfolio manager for US Bancorp Asset Management, which oversees $118 billion in assets.
Randall refers to the current upward trend in tech stocks as a "helium market" where "the default option is to go up."
Randall, who said he owns Nortel because of its cash stream, said stocks such as the Canadian telecom company and Lucent are being bought as momentum plays even though investors "know these are not the stocks they once were."
Prices alone should emphasize that fact to investors.
Corning recently traded at $8.23, a far cry from its high in September 2000 when it peaked at $113.10. Lucent, at $1.89, remains far below its closing high of $83.81 in December 1999.
Speaking of making money:
Don't you have one of those fancy new colored copiers? I like to use the multipurpose tree.........that way my dog can still feel like part of the family.....If you know what I mean.
Doesn't the end of the month have some sort of significance?
Like the changing of the guard or something.............just curious..........since it is such a newsless day......lets get the rumor mills running
Slow day all the way around..........no hypin, no bashin, no drinkin, no fartin.................
Associated Press
Intel Not Forecasting Recovery in IT Yet
Tuesday August 26, 8:24 am ET
By Sean Yoong, Associated Press Writer
Intel Not Forecasting Recovery in Information Technology Sector Yet, CEO Craig Barrett Says
PENANG, Malaysia (AP) -- Intel Corp.'s Craig Barrett said Tuesday it is too early to predict a recovery in the information technology sector, even though his company has just raised its forecast for third-quarter sales.
"We're seeing strong seasonal strength in all geographies across the board," the chief executive of the world's largest computer chip maker said Tuesday during a visit to an Intel manufacturing plant in Malaysia. "But we're not sure ... if that signifies some start to a recovery."
"We're going to be very conservative in our forecasting, so we're not forecasting a recovery in the IT sector yet," Barrett told reporters in northern Penang state.
As supplier of central processors to around 80 percent of the world's personal computers, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based semiconductor giant generally has a good idea about the state of the PC market.
In a sign that demand for personal computers was gaining strength, Intel on Friday raised its third-quarter sales forecast to between $7.3 billion and $7.8 billion, compared with its earlier forecast of $6.9 billion and $7.5 billion.
Analysts differed on whether the announcement represented merely a stronger-than-usual back-to-school season or if it signaled the start of a long-awaited upgrade cycle in which companies and consumers replace older machines with new ones.
Barrett said it would "take a couple of quarters of above-average growth first to forecast a resurgence in the IT sector."
"We're just saying we'll look at it one quarter at a time," Barrett told reporters. "None of you (should) write that I said the IT sector is recovering, because I didn't say that."
Barrett was speaking after opening a new center in Penang to design and develop technology for Intel's products worldwide. The center is part of a 152 million ringgit ($40 million) investment by the company to expand its operations in Malaysia.
Barrett said Intel will invest $100 million annually in research and development in Malaysia -- the equivalent of 2.5 percent of the company's global investment in research and development annually.
The annual investment, which comes on top of spending for the new center, is likely to rise, he said.
"Malaysia's readily available infrastructure, high-volume manufacturing capabilities, skilled work force and strong government support for information technology innovation make it an ideal location for our new center," Barrett said.
Intel operates another manufacturing plant in Penang's neighboring state of Kedah. It also has a software development center at Cyberjaya -- Malaysia's version of Silicon Valley in California -- near the administrative capital of Putrajaya.
Intel has been active in this Southeast Asian country for 31 years and has invested $2.3 billion here in that period. Intel employs around 8,000 people in Malaysia.
The big one? Playdata......................:-}
edit: From Pebble, Nebraska
little hard drive
big hard drive
ediggitydog........been lurking for 8 months. Great to see you found your keyboard.
Good Luck
ADVISORY/Intel Begins the Countdown to ''One Unwired Day'' on Sept. 25
Monday August 25, 11:01 am ET
(BUSINESS WIRE)--
WHAT: Mobile PC users can enjoy a free trial of public wireless
Internet access at thousands of public Wi-Fi hotspot locations
across the United States on Thursday, Sept. 25, through a
nationwide event called "One Unwired Day."
One Unwired Day is designed to show businesspeople and
consumers the immediate benefits of the unwired ifestyle,
encourage them to try Wi-Fi services free of charge and
provide opportunities to try notebook PCs based on Intel(R)
Centrino(TM) mobile technology.
WI-FI TRIALS:
A list of hotspots offering free trial Wi-Fi access on Sept. 25 is
available at www.intel.com/unwire.
FESTIVALS: Free trial Wi-Fi access will also be available at One
Unwired Day festivals in New York City, Chicago, and San
Francisco, and events in Seattle. The festivals will feature
live concerts, product demonstrations, and prize packages
including notebook PCs based on Intel Centrino mobile
technology, wireless home networking products from Linksys,
and Wayport wireless access cards. The festivals will be held
at South Street Seaport in New York City, the North Riverside
Plaza in Chicago and Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco.
SPONSORS: One Unwired Day is sponsored by Intel and leading
wireless Internet service providers, notebook PC
manufacturers, retailers, hotspot location owners, and content
and software providers. Platinum sponsors include Cometa
Networks, IBM, MUSICMATCH, Panasonic Computer Solutions
Company, PC Club, SurfHere Service by Toshiba, T-Mobile USA,
Toshiba, Verizon and Warner Bros. Records/Reprise Records.
Other sponsors are listed at www.intel.com/unwire.
Intel, Intel Centrino are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
Contact:
Intel Corporation
Linda Bonniksen, 503-264-2927
linda.f.bonniksen@intel.com
Source: Intel Corporation
OT, but maybe we're seeing the end of the bears.
Investor's Business Daily
Intel Raises Outlook, Giving Rebound Hopes To Slack Chip Industry
Monday August 25, 10:19 am ET
By James Detar
Offering a ray of hope to the embattled chip industry, Intel Corp. (NasdaqNM:INTC - News) Friday upgraded its outlook for the third quarter.
The world's largest chipmaker said it expects revenue of between $7.3 billion and $7.5 billion. The midpoint of that range would be up 16% from last year's third quarter. And the outlook is up from a July forecast of $6.9 billion to $7.5 billion.
The news pleasantly surprised investors, who drove Intel shares up 14% to 29.98 Friday morning. The stock settled down later in the day, closing up 1 at 27.39.
Some analysts wonder if the new forecast is a sign that growth has returned to the tech sector. But Intel may be a special case, they warn. It's far bigger than any of its rivals, so the wealth may not spread far.
As it has in the past, Intel declined to say much about the future. There just isn't enough visibility at this point, says Andy Bryant, chief financial officer.
"Our outlook now points to a quarter better than we anticipated in July and a pleasant surprise, given the business conditions we have seen in the last few years," Bryant said in a conference call.
The new revenue expectations stem from a jump in sales of microprocessors. Intel's also seen higher sales of related chips, like the chipsets that assist processors.
Microprocessors are the brains of personal computers and other computers. They're Intel's bread and butter, providing most of its revenue and profit.
PCs Provide Boost
The company credits rising sales of personal computers, especially notebook PCs, with driving demand for processors. But other areas, such as communication chips, are still sluggish.
Intel's revised forecast contradicts recent reports from PC makers like Dell Computer Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co.
Both say they are not seeing strong sales in PCs yet. And a recent IBD poll indicates fewer Americans plan to buy new PCs.
Friday's forecast revision was unplanned. Intel had slated a mid-quarter update for Sept. 4. Bryant says he thought news of higher PC processor sales was important enough to warrant Friday's announcement. Intel still plans to release a mid-quarter forecast on Sept. 4.
Bryant says gross profit margin will also be higher than earlier forecast. He now sees a 56% margin for the quarter vs. a previous forecast of 54%. The margin hike is strictly due directly to increased sales, he says.
Factory space for the most advanced chips is getting tighter. Tighter supplies often lead to higher prices and, therefore, higher revenue.
New Techniques
"The (microprocessor) factories are running relatively full," Bryant said.
But he notes that Intel is starting to use bigger 300-millimeter chip wafers and a new 90-nanometer manufacturing process.
That means it can get more chips from every wafer. So it's unlikely that Intel will run out of factory space, Bryant says.
"I'm not really worried that capacity is limited," he said. "I would love to have that problem."
Intel's news signals a broad recovery for the chip sector, says Morgan Stanley & Co. analyst Mark Edelstone in San Francisco.
"I think there has been a lot of evidence all along that the tech sector is in recovery mode," he said. "A lot of people have been hesitant to call this a recovery. But last year the semiconductor industry (revenue) was up 1% vs. being down more than 20% the previous year. We expect it to grow 10% to 15% this year and 15% to 20% next year."
Edelstone sees wireless gear, cell phones and networks driving demand for chips.
Questions Remain
Not everyone foresees recovery this year. Many analysts have cut 2003 estimates for chip sales.
Dan Hutcheson, president of VLSI Research in San Jose, Calif., says he doesn't expect any real growth in chip sales this year. The rebound will take place in 2004, he says.
Until business spending picks up, Hutcheson says, chip sales won't rise significantly.
Edelstone agrees that corporate information technology spending is lagging. But he's still bullish about the second half.
"IT spending is still rather sluggish," Edelstone said. "But there's no question the industry fundamentals are getting better."
Ashok Kumar, an analyst at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray, is in the conservative camp. He doesn't see signs of a broad tech recovery yet.
"If you look at Hewlett-Packard, which is a good proxy for retail (personal computer) demand, it's seen inventory build up to seven or eight weeks," he said. "That's two times the industry average."
Welcome to the board.......new in town, or just passing through?
Reuters
Lawsuit threats curb online music piracy - study
Thursday August 21, 3:39 pm ET
LOS ANGELES, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Music piracy over the Internet has declined since the record industry started threatening to sue individual users of popular but unauthorized file-sharing networks, a market research group said on Thursday.
According to Port Washington, New York-based NPD Group, the number of households acquiring music files began to fall in May 2003, immediately after the Recording Industry Association of America (News - Websites) (RIAA) launched a well-publicized campaign threatening individual file-sharers with legal action.
NPD said it based its findings on information collected continuously from the PCs of 40,000 NPD online panelists.
Based on this information, it projects that music files acquired, which includes songs either swapped illegally, obtained through paid downloading sites or ripped from CDs, dropped to 655 million files in June from a high of 852 million files in April.
NPD said it estimated the number of households acquiring music files reached a high of 14.5 million in April 2003, then fell to 12.7 million in May and to 10.4 million in June.
"Today, file-sharing is the most popular method of digital music acquisition," said Russ Crupnick, vice president of the NPD Group. "While we can't say categorically that the RIAA's legal efforts are the sole cause for the reduction in file acquisition, it appears to be more than just a natural seasonal decline," he said.
On April 24, the RIAA announced a recent legal decision that made it clear that individuals cannot rely on their Internet service providers to shield them from accountability for illegal file sharing.
On April 29, the group began sending out hundreds of thousands of instant messages to song-swappers warning they could be "easily" identified and face "legal penalties."
In late June 25, the RIAA said it would track down the heaviest users of "peer-to-peer" services like Kazaa and sue them for damages of up to $150,000 per copyright violation.
The group, which represents the world's major record labels include AOL Time Warner's (NYSE:AOL - News) Warner Music, Bertelsmann AG's BMG, EMI Group Plc (London:EMI.L - News), Sony Corp. (Tokyo:6758.T - News) Sony Music and Vivendi Universal's (NYSE:V - News; Paris:EAUG.PA - News) Universal Music Group, has subsequently sent out more than a thousand subpoenas to individual file-sharers.
NPD said it suspects the fear of legal action has led many consumers to curtail peer-to-peer file sharing.
But among those consumers who continue to download files, the group noted, the average number of music files acquired actually increased to 63 in June from 59 in April.
"Our data suggests the RIAA's legal tactics have more of an effect on the attitudes and actions of lighter downloaders," Crupnick said.
Internet audience measurement service Nielsen NetRatings similarly reported in July that the threat of lawsuits had caused a dip in people using online file-sharing applications to swap songs.
edit: fullhouse grub
edit: This article is from the Motley Fool
10 Most Shorted
Just what are the 10 most "shorted" U.S. stocks? The answer may surprise you. Investors are betting against some of the best businesses in the world. Think Microsoft and Intel, not to mention the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 as a whole. Clearly, the bulls and bears are battling it out over this rising market.
It's not e.digital........sorry Cliffy
By Jeff Fischer (TMF Jeff)
August 21, 2003
After breaking down the 20 most widely held U.S. stocks, it seems only appropriate to consider the 20 most shorted. This should be interesting; after all, we'll be comparing apples to oranges, black to white, yin to yang. Except, not really. A full 30% of the most frequently shorted stocks are also among the most widely held. We have a battle royale goin' on.
Selling stocks short
First, you should know that shorting a stock is not unlike borrowing your sister's shoes, selling them to the neighbors, and then hoping to find a pair just like them later at a lower price. If things work out, you simply return the shoes to your sister and pocket the difference. That's what short sellers do: They sell borrowed shares, put the proceeds in their account, then buy the stock back and return it. If they buy it back at a lower price, they make money.
It's when a stock rises -- and keeps rising -- that short sellers start to scream. After all, they'll need to buy the shares back eventually and can easily end up paying a much higher price than they sold them for in the first place. Imagine you sold short 1,000 shares of Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) at $13. It's now at $18. You took in $13,000 for your sale, but you now need to pay $18,000 to buy back the shares. Not good. That's what we call a "loss."
Shorting is high-risk because such a loss is essentially unlimited. As we've seen, a stock can soar to the sky, at least for a period. During that time, short sellers can be forced (by a broker) to repurchase shorted shares. This type of short squeeze can occur when the original owners want to sell, but their shares have already been borrowed and sold by short sellers; as a result, the short sellers must buy them back so that the original owners can sell. Got that? It's easy. I should be on Oprah to take this stuff to the mainstream.
A short squeeze can also occur as a stock rises and margin calls force short sellers to buy shares back, resulting in an upward cascade of buying pressure. This is prone to occur with widely shorted stocks and those that have a large portion of available shares already sold short. Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) and American Pharmaceutical Partners (Nasdaq: APPX) come to mind as two smaller issues with most available shares already sold short.
And this brings us back to our 10 most popular shorts. Because they are so big, these giants don't have a majority of their available shares sold short, but they do have enormous short volume -- the highest of any. So, here, look at the top 10 short positions on the Nasdaq and AMEX based on outstanding short volume as of July, and see what we, as a country of investors, are collectively betting against.
Highest Volume of Shares Short
Issue YTD Stock Return
Nasdaq 100 Trust (AMEX: QQQ) +33%
Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) +42%
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) +3%
S&P 500 (AMEX: SPY) +14%
Intel (Nasdaq:INTC) +70%
Sirius Satellite (Nasdaq: SIRI) +146%
Nextel Commun. (Nasdaq: NXTL) +63%
InterActive Corp (Nasdaq: IACI) +64%
Level3 Commun. (Nasdaq: LVLT) -4%
Juniper Networks (Nasdaq: JNPR) +116%
-In order from highest short volume of all to lesser short volume. -Dividends not included in returns. -Source: ViWes Investor Info (www.viwes.com)
Shorts losing on poor judgment
Wowsa. The 10 most shorted have risen in price much more this year, as a whole, than the 10 most widely owned. That's something (ouch).
You might be thinking, "Well, this is only for July, maybe these issues are new to the list, and were shorted after rising." In fact, a majority of these issues were among the top 10 all the way back in January. Translation: A lot of people are losing a lot of money betting against the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, Intel, Cisco, Nextel, Juniper, and these others.
We should remember, however, that a lot of this relates to hedging by giant money managers who are also long the stocks -- those guys and gals who are so confident that every move they make is hedged by a counter-move, all but guaranteeing market-lagging returns. Still, as a hedge, shorting has its place (just as long as individual investors aren't too involved, because who wants to lose to the S&P 500?).
That qualifier aside, there is a good bit of outright, unprotected shorting in these stocks, and that's where we'll take serious issue. Shorting an index -- the S&P or Nasdaq -- is among the lamer things you can do as an investor, especially after two-plus years of a record bear market. People argue that the market still looks expensive, but they're looking in the rearview mirror, while the market has an uncanny way of moving toward the future -- before it arrives.
This year's rising market is telling us that the economy is going to improve in the next, say, 12 months or so. I'm not making a prediction -- that's simply what the market is suggesting. Now, if the economy does improve, and earnings with it, we're going to see rapid contraction in the market's price-to-earnings multiple, such that today's 26 P/E on the S&P 500 could quickly shrink to the teens. (In any upturn, earnings might grow at a strong pace given the poor results of last year from which to grow.)
But even outside the potential for a rebound, betting against the S&P, Nasdaq -- or Intel, Microsoft, or Cisco, for that matter -- as of January 2003, after all were pummeled, well, why do it? Momentum does not work all the way down any more than it works all the way up. Meanwhile, that many short sellers are fighting this recent upward momentum is evidenced by the fact that shorting volume has risen on these leading stocks -- and the market indexes -- all year, even as prices have risen.
If you want to fight the giants, good luck. But realize that shorting a market index is little more than market timing, and nobody can do that well. Meanwhile, shorting the cash-rich technology leaders of our age after they've already tumbled -- hey, there are much better shorts out there. Sirius Satellite was one of them (falling 90% from 2001 to 2003), so it's good to see that one on the list.
As a rule, the Fool has historically suggested shorting (if you're going to short at all; you can easily succeed without ever shorting) companies that are buried in debt, have shrinking business prospects, and are destroying value every year, rather than creating it. We shorted Trump Hotels & Casinos (NYSE: DJT) to good effect on those measures, but let's see how the Big List stacks up.
Issue P/FCF Cash LT Debt
Nasdaq 100 Trust N/A $N/A $N/A
Cisco Systems 26 8.4B 0.0
Microsoft 15 49.0B 0.0
S&P 500 24 N/A N/A
Intel 24 12.5B 929M
Sirius Satellite N/A 289M 58M
Nextel Commun. 135 2.4B 11.6B
InterActive Corp 41 5.0B 3.5B
Level3 Commun. N/A 1.0B 6.1B
Juniper Networks 315 830M 1.2B
-Free Cash Flow estimated on trailing 12 months, to 3/30 or 6/30. -Cash and equivalents and long-term debt also as of 3/30 or 6/30. -Price/Free Cash Flow multiple estimated on Enterprise Value.
Only Nextel and Level3 are saddled with debt (in fact, most balance sheets here outshine those at many of the most popular owned stocks), and all are creating value via free cash flow except Sirius and Level3. (Juniper and Nextel recently began generating free cash again.) So, on these measures alone, I wouldn't short them.
Again, hedging accounts for some of this short volume, and these stocks make the top of the shorting list in part because they're among the highest-volume stocks overall. Still, it's interesting that so many of us are betting against the best (the Big Three in tech), or feeling a need to hedge our bets. It takes two to make a market, and I'd much rather be on the long side of many of these stocks, and market indexes, for most any duration.
Off topic, but is anyone else feeling the pain of the Virus: W32/Sobig.f@MM? I'm getting inundated with infected emails, I've run Norton and updated my virus protection and my machine is clean, but the emails keep coming..............yukkkkkkkk
So, where are we going to open at today?
and what will the anti-hypers have to say!!
All I have to say is good luck to those deserving and to those not deserving.......pfffffffffffffffffffffffffttttttttttt
It twas getting a little bit out of hand. But the repetitive posts have to stop as well. JMHO FWTFIW
Thanks Tenderloin..........I didn't have the time to get it, but I knew he posted it.
Where were they when you owned this stock?
I would think that there aren't a whole lot of newbies here, You might be better off at SI or RB........JMHO FWTFIW