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I was thinking...
.55-.75/share. But you might be right.
Either way, not higher than a buck in my book.
Because I don' t...
...think they will be able to recover the dilution themselves. Management has basically mortagaged their future with that huge float. Some company will need to absorb it.
With the BMG win, one more win and I'm sure a suitor will come looking (if not already).
bet that sunncomm is...
...now for sale.
Microsoft and Portal Software Announce Strategic Alliance For Telecommunications Billing
Tuesday June 24, 3:28 pm ET
Joint Offering Will Transform Legacy Billing Systems for the Future of Web Services
REDMOND, Wash., and CUPERTINO, Calif., June 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - News) and Portal Software Inc. (Nasdaq: PRSF - News), a provider of convergent billing solutions, today announced a strategic alliance to ensure that the exciting new services, devices and features offered by telecommunications and media providers worldwide are quickly delivered to customers, effectively managed and accurately billed. Microsoft and Portal will integrate Portal's award-winning billing and subscriber management software platform with Microsoft® .NET technologies to provide the communications industry with a .NET-connected solution that enables service providers to quickly and successfully roll out new voice, data and content services, as well as offer superior support for legacy and business-to-business (B2B) integrations, minimizing time and cost.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
Service providers today are working to offer customers new services and features such as multimedia messaging, Internet Protocol-based telephony, and new devices that offer greater interaction with the Internet, but they are often hindered by the functionality of the network elements that make up their existing operation and business support systems (OSS/BSS). With a shared vision of how Web services will transform applications in the industry, Microsoft and Portal have partnered to offer BillingAgility(TM), a solution that will allow service providers to bill for new services while avoiding the recurring costs of upgrading or developing new code to enhance legacy functionality.
Utilizing Web services, BillingAgility is a scalable, high-performance solution designed to meet the billing and subscriber management needs of service providers today, as well as support the new services of the future. The solution combines Portal's Infranet® software with Microsoft Windows Server(TM) 2003, SQL Server(TM) 2000 and BizTalk® Server to deliver to customers unmatched flexibility, superior performance and reduced total cost of ownership.
-- Unmatched flexibility. BillingAgility has the flexibility customers
need to easily make changes to complex billing systems and interface
with third-party business applications. The architecture of
BillingAgility, utilizing Web service standards such as XML and
SOAP, enables faster and easier integration with other applications
and legacy systems, and also facilitates easier B2B integrations
enabling service providers to rapidly build content partner
communities. For example, the seamless connection of data from a CRM
or general ledger system to BillingAgility will require less than 50
percent of the previous programming effort.
-- Superior performance. BillingAgility is a billing and subscriber
management solution built on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (64-bit)
with the SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (64-bit). Service
providers utilizing a 64-bit architecture and BillingAgility will be
able to support more than 25 million subscribers and achieve faster
rating and billing runs. This dramatically reduces the amount of
hardware necessary to run and manage mission-critical applications
and meets the processing needs of the world's largest tier-1
carriers.
-- Reduced total cost of ownership. Portal's product-based solution
model combined with Microsoft technology-based computing platforms
sets a new standard for total cost of ownership benefits.
BillingAgility provides an advantage to telecommunications service
providers in reducing implementation time, and ongoing
infrastructure costs can be significantly reduced compared with
alternative approaches using custom-developed solutions.
"We are excited to partner with Portal -- one of the most advanced billing companies innovating on Microsoft technology and an industry leader with a wealth of experience," said Goetz Kauschka, general manager of Network Service Providers at Microsoft. "We look forward to our continued relationship to deliver service providers a rock-solid infrastructure to support their future success."
"Microsoft is widely recognized as delivering some of the most advanced Web services technologies," said Bhaskar Gorti, senior vice president of marketing and alliances for Portal. "Partnering with Microsoft, Portal is driving the adoption of Web services in the billing industry and setting new standards for business agility and reduced cost of operations to service providers."
Portal and Microsoft will continue to work together at a strategic level to align longer-term product road maps and customer goals.
About Portal
Portal Software provides flexible billing and subscriber management solutions to enable organizations to monetize their voice and digital transactions. Portal's convergent billing platform enables service providers to charge, bill and manage a wide range of services via multiple networks, payment models, pricing plans, and value chains. Portal's flexible and scalable product-based solutions enable customers to introduce new value added services quickly, providing maximum business value and lower total cost of ownership. Portal's customers include thirty-five of the top fifty wireless carriers as well as organizations such as Vodafone, AOL Time Warner, Deutsche Telekom, TELUS, NTT, China Telecom, Reuters, Telstra, China Mobile, Telenor Mobil, and France Telecom. For more information, please visit http://www.portal.com/.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.
NOTE: Microsoft, Windows Server and BizTalk are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Source: Microsoft Corp.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030624/sftu048_2.html
Sequenom Unveils Development Pact With Bristol-Myers
Thursday July 10, 11:51 am ET
SAN DIEGO -- Sequenom Inc. (NasdaqNM:SQNM - News) agreed to collaborate with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE:BMY - News) to develop diagnostic and therapeutic products.
Bristol-Myers, based in New York, will fund the collaboration, in which Sequenom will use its MassArray technology and collection of DNA samples to analyze disease-related genes and genetic variations.
Sequenom said Thursday that it will receive milestone payments and royalties on any products the collaboration develops. Financial terms of the deal aren't being disclosed, a Sequenom spokesman said.
The company plans to update its guidance on July 29. In January, Sequenom said it was targeting 2003 revenue of $46 million, up from 2002 revenue of $30.9 million.
A Bristol-Myers spokesman confirmed his company is using Sequenom's technology to screen a large set of its early-stage drug targets for their role in treating several diseases.
The pharmaceutical giant is working to recover from accounting problems, flat revenue of $18.1 billion in 2002, and the expiration of U.S. patents on two of its biggest products, the cancer drug Taxol and diabetes drug Glucophage. In June, Bristol-Myers received Food and Drug Administration (News - Websites) approval of its AIDS drug, Reyataz.
-Nora Devine, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5400
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030710/1151000925_2.html
TRUST, BUT VERIFY
[I can't wait until I'm in charge of my info.]
By Wayne Rash
Posted July 03, 2003 3:00 PM Pacific Time
Jonathan Krim, writing in the July 1, 2003, issue of The
Washington Post, tells a chilling tale. In his page-one story
"Web firms choose profit over privacy," Krim reports that
many commerce sites on the Web are telling their customers
that they won't share private information. Then they're doing
it anyway by selling or renting their customer lists -- the
very activities they promised their customers they wouldn't
do.
This becomes a security issue when many of these same
companies promise you the same privacy when handling your
customer information -- and then siphon off everything they
need to sell your customers' information to third parties.
Now you can see where this intersects with your company's
security interests. After all, your list of customers is one
of your company's most valued assets. Those customers,
whether retail buyers who buy in lots of one and two or
companies that buy by the thousand, are the result of hard
work and careful cultivation. Why should someone else be able
to simply skim off those customers and sell them to anyone
they wish, including your competition?
And yet that's happening. According to Krim, CartManager -- a
provider of shopping cart services for Web retailers -- is
doing just that. The way it works is this: An on-line store
provides a catalog of its products; when a customer decides
to buy, the actual process of handing the transaction moves
to CartManager. Then it moves back to the original Web site.
If you were a customer, you might never know this, unless you
happened to read the fine print in a tiny disclaimer.
The situation is worse if you're in business with a company
that's handling your customer information, and you don't know
if that information is being skimmed for the benefit of
another. Just because your business partner assures you that
your customer information is safe, that doesn't mean the
partner is telling the truth.
While there are some proactive things you can do, such as
making sure that your lawyers put ironclad requirements on
the protection of your customer data and add large penalties
if the data is compromised in any way, you still have to
trust that the partner is performing as they say they will.
Or, in the words of Ronald Reagan, you should "Trust, but
verify." This means that you need to be able to audit the
records of you partners. Or you may have to scan the
marketing ads for offers to sell or rent customer lists that
could be yours. How do you know when this happens? Make up a
few phony customers, insert them in your list, and wait till
they get spam or junk mail. That's a sign of resold customer
lists.
This is not exactly the security stuff of firewalls and
intrusion detection, but remember, your single biggest
vulnerability is often not you, but your partner. After all,
your partner's incentives to protect your customers are
understandably less than yours. But if you're going to use
all the technology and best practices at your disposal to
secure your information, how can you sit still and let some
other company compromise those efforts?
Remember, all the technology in the world won't help security
measures if oversight is lax. Keep an eye on your own shop,
but train the other one on your partners.
UPDATE - Music industry faces 5-8 pct CD sales fall - IFPI
Thursday July 10, 1:01 pm ET
By Merissa Marr
[apologies if already posted...apple at the bottom]
(Updates with analyst quote, background, shares)
LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - The music industry, limping from the effects of epidemic piracy and an out-of-date business model, is heading for a five to eight percent decline in CD sales this year, the industry's trade body said on Thursday.
A day after music heavyweight EMI Group Plc (London:EMI.L - News) warned that the Japanese market was in sharp decline, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said the $32 billion industry was still on track for single-digit decline.
"The Japanese market has been soft for three years now ... I would still say that CD sales are set to fall between five and eight percent this year," IFPI Chairman Jay Berman told Reuters on the sidelines of a presentation about music piracy.
The IFPI chairman previously predicted in April that global CD sales would fall around five percent in a best-case scenario -- bringing the industry's decline to four years in a row.
EMI sent shivers through the industry on Wednesday, saying a "significant decline" in Japan would hit its first-half results, sending its shares four percent lower. EMI shares recovered slightly on Thursday to end 2.2 percent up at 118-1/2 pence.
"The IFPI figures provide a bit of comfort after what EMI said," said Kingsley Wilson, analyst at Investec Henderson Crothswaite.
PIRACY BLOSSOMS
Piracy is blamed for much of the music industry's woes.
In its piracy report, the IFPI said the sale of pirated CDs had risen 14 percent to 1.1 billion discs or an estimated $4.6 billion in 2002. Music executives say sales will continue to fall until the industry gets a better handle on fighting piracy.
Faced with such an outlook, the big five music companies have been slashing costs. The smaller of the five have also been exploring mergers and other ways of joining forces.
Media giants AOL Time Warner (NYSE:AOL - News) and Bertelsmann have been holding talks about a joint venture for Warner Music and BMG's recorded music businesses in recent weeks and could hammer out a deal in the next couple of months, sources close to the companies said earlier this month.
Music executives say troublesome markets such as Germany have continued to slide this year. According to Nielsen Soundscan, the all-important U.S. market has also fallen almost eight percent in the year to date.
Japan, the world's second biggest market, has shown a steady decline. EMI and rival Sony Music (Tokyo:6758.T - News) are among the most heavily exposed in that market.
However, EMI said on Wednesday it had turned a corner in the U.S. market and recorded music sales outside of Japan had been well up in the quarter to end-June.
Music executives have also been more upbeat in recent months, in the wake of the success of Apple Computer Inc's (NasdaqNM:AAPL - News) online music store.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/030710/media_music_sales_2.html
UPDATE - Music industry faces 5-8 pct CD sales fall - IFPI
Thursday July 10, 1:01 pm ET
By Merissa Marr
[apologies if already posted...apple at the bottom]
(Updates with analyst quote, background, shares)
LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - The music industry, limping from the effects of epidemic piracy and an out-of-date business model, is heading for a five to eight percent decline in CD sales this year, the industry's trade body said on Thursday.
A day after music heavyweight EMI Group Plc (London:EMI.L - News) warned that the Japanese market was in sharp decline, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said the $32 billion industry was still on track for single-digit decline.
"The Japanese market has been soft for three years now ... I would still say that CD sales are set to fall between five and eight percent this year," IFPI Chairman Jay Berman told Reuters on the sidelines of a presentation about music piracy.
The IFPI chairman previously predicted in April that global CD sales would fall around five percent in a best-case scenario -- bringing the industry's decline to four years in a row.
EMI sent shivers through the industry on Wednesday, saying a "significant decline" in Japan would hit its first-half results, sending its shares four percent lower. EMI shares recovered slightly on Thursday to end 2.2 percent up at 118-1/2 pence.
"The IFPI figures provide a bit of comfort after what EMI said," said Kingsley Wilson, analyst at Investec Henderson Crothswaite.
PIRACY BLOSSOMS
Piracy is blamed for much of the music industry's woes.
In its piracy report, the IFPI said the sale of pirated CDs had risen 14 percent to 1.1 billion discs or an estimated $4.6 billion in 2002. Music executives say sales will continue to fall until the industry gets a better handle on fighting piracy.
Faced with such an outlook, the big five music companies have been slashing costs. The smaller of the five have also been exploring mergers and other ways of joining forces.
Media giants AOL Time Warner (NYSE:AOL - News) and Bertelsmann have been holding talks about a joint venture for Warner Music and BMG's recorded music businesses in recent weeks and could hammer out a deal in the next couple of months, sources close to the companies said earlier this month.
Music executives say troublesome markets such as Germany have continued to slide this year. According to Nielsen Soundscan, the all-important U.S. market has also fallen almost eight percent in the year to date.
Japan, the world's second biggest market, has shown a steady decline. EMI and rival Sony Music (Tokyo:6758.T - News) are among the most heavily exposed in that market.
However, EMI said on Wednesday it had turned a corner in the U.S. market and recorded music sales outside of Japan had been well up in the quarter to end-June.
Music executives have also been more upbeat in recent months, in the wake of the success of Apple Computer Inc's (NasdaqNM:AAPL - News) online music store.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/030710/media_music_sales_2.html
That should be SCM Microsystems. eom
Gosh, what timing...CM Microsystems Delivers Verifiable Security for Consumer Internet Transactions, Among First to Achieve FINREAD Compliance
Thursday July 10, 2:30 am ET
[bolds are mine]
[doesn't SCM OEM something for Apple?]
FREMONT, Calif., July 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Taking a major step forward to open the Digital World, SCM Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCMM; Prime Standard: SMY) announced that the company is among the first three worldwide to achieve FINREAD compliance. Development and testing under the Trusted FINREAD Initiative has proved that SCM's STR-FINREAD smart card readers provide a verifiable foundation of trust for Internet transactions.
A FINREAD compliant card reader, like the STR-FINREAD from SCM, is a universal PC peripheral device that can reliably secure smart card initiated transactions on the Internet in a non-trusted environment, such as a home PC. The FINREAD standard also guarantees interoperability between different smart card issuing entities and across multiple reader manufacturers.
"FINREAD is the capstone on a foundation of digital trust for e-commerce," said Robert Schneider, CEO of SCM Microsystems. "A FINREAD compliant reader guarantees consumers the highest level of end-to-end security for Internet transactions, and it protects retailers and service providers against losses due to uncovered payments. The success of this program is significant because it shows that a compliant smart card reader can be certified as trusted, and then used with different payment and transaction applications from different entities. The successful completion of the FINREAD Trusted Initiative will open the door for more extensive use of the Internet to deliver new services for commerce, government administration, banking and social programs," concluded Schneider.
Carried out under the auspices of the European Commission, the multi-organization program involved these leading European and international payments players, service providers and manufacturers: Banksys (Belgian payment card scheme), Groupement des Cartes Bancaires "CB" (French payment card scheme and coordinator of the project), Europay International (now MasterCard Europe), Ingenico, Interpay Nederland (Dutch payment card scheme), SIZ (German savings bank IT system), VISA, France Telecom, Canal Plus Technologies, Sagem, Orga, OMNIKEY, GTA and SCM Microsystems.
FINREAD (FINancial Transactional IC Card READer) is an international standard published in July 2001 for using interoperable smart card readers to secure payments and remote sensitive transactions on the Internet. It is based on requirements specified by the payment system operators listed above, and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) endorses it.
The Trusted FINREAD Initiative was initiated in November 2001 with the objective of implementing and testing a trusted environment based on FINREAD-compliant smart card readers. The compliance program tested several interacting components that together deliver secure Internet transactions.
First, the program verified interoperability. This means that different public key certificates and smart card applications called "applets" coming from different issuing entities all worked on FINREAD-compliant smart card readers coming from multiple vendors. Second, the program validated the certification process for smart card readers.
The compliance testing proved that any FINREAD compliant reader from any manufacturer can provide secure Internet transactions for any FINREAD compliant smart card applications. This is true even for applications from different card issuing entities, such as a payment provider, a government ministry or a social program administration. The next step is a field test that will be deployed this summer with a large bank in Italy.
Here's how it works in practice. A FINREAD compliant reader such as SCM's STR-FINREAD is attached to a PC connected to the Internet. When making a remote transaction over the Internet a small Java-based program, called a "Finlet," is downloaded into the FINREAD smart card reader. This Finlet, which is specific to the type of card used in the application, manages the interaction of the reader with the card. Working together, the smart card and reader secure the transaction by authenticating digital certificates, verifying PIN entry and digitally signing the transaction. The same reader can work successfully for any smart card application that complies with the FINREAD standard.
SCM's secure smart card reader STR-FINREAD supports numerous applications, including payment, e-purse reloading, loyalty systems, home banking and digital signature. The STR-FINREAD accepts any Java-based program that follows the FINREAD standards, as long as it has been verified and electronically signed by a trusted party.
One of the most important aspects of the FINREAD standard is a highly secure and certified procedure for the systematic authentication and signature of Finlets downloaded to the reader. The STR-FINREAD follows this procedure, which protects against any malicious software that fraudulent attackers attempt to put in the reader. In addition, the card reader provides efficient coding mechanisms that can be used within applications for identifying and authorizing the individual smart card users.
The STR-FINREAD is available for immediate delivery from SCM Microsystems. For additional information, please visit www.scmmicro.com.
About FINREAD:
FINREAD is a set of technical specifications for a secure card reader connected to a PC to carry out, essentially but not exclusively, payment and global financial as well as e-commerce transactions on the Internet. Those specifications have been drafted by a consortium of European and international (Visa and MasterCard Europe) payment schemes and a card reader manufacturer in the framework of a European Commission's Program on standardization. Those specifications have been adopted as a CWA (CEN Workshop Agreement) by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN).
About SCM Microsystems
SCM Microsystems is a leading supplier of solutions that open the Digital World by enabling people to conveniently access digital content and services. The company markets and sells its smart card reader technology for network and physical access and conditional access modules for secure digital TV decryption to OEM customers in the government, financial, enterprise and broadcasting markets worldwide. Global headquarters are in Fremont, California, with European headquarters in Ismaning, Germany. For additional information, visit the SCM Microsystems web site at www.scmmicro.com.
NOTE: All trade names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030710/sfth001_1.html
New Web Services Security Spec on Tap
By Darryl K. Taft
Led by Microsoft Corp. and IBM, a group of companies Tuesday plans to announce a new Web services specification for handling security in Web services environments.
At the Burton Group Inc.'s Catalyst conference in San Francisco, IBM, Microsoft, BEA Systems Inc., RSA Security Inc. and VeriSign Inc. will announce the publication of the WS-Federation specification, another in a series of standards IBM and Microsoft outlined in the Web services security roadmap they co-authored last year.
Karla Norsworthy, director of e-business technology at IBM, said WS-Federation enables developers to manage trust relationships across enterprises that use different types of security solutions.
"We're announcing the crown jewel of the Web services security roadmap, the Web services federation specification," Norsworthy said. "That allows you to take companies or parts of companies with very different security solutions and different trust domains… Such as one might use Kerberos and one might use user ID and password. And you can make it really easy to allow a new user who is authenticated by one domain to be able to do business across a variety of companies and their Web services without requiring either the end user to re-authenticate or requiring a lot of bureaucracy from the participating companies. So these specifications are solutions that hold together Web services security [WS-Security], Trust [WS-Trust], the security part of Policy [WS-Policy] into allowing this kind of federation so that out clients can do successful business process integration and have the security part come easy."
Steven VanRoekel, director of Web services at Microsoft said, "From a Microsoft perspective, this is the technology that will enable TrustBridge." TrustBridge is Microsoft's upcoming technology that will allow organizations to share user identities across business boundaries, the company said.
"WS-Federation is built to be extensible to utilize any broad range of identification mechanisms, like Passport, like SAML [Security Assertion Markup Language] or like anything else in between," VanRoekel said.
Meanwhile IBM will integrate WS-Federation into its WebSphere and Tivoli product lines, Norsworthy said.
In addition to the new specification, Microsoft and IBM will be demonstrating the specification's capabilities by showing two systems exchanging federated identity information across each distinct system. The example is an automotive system that involves a car dealer, an auto manufacturer and a parts dealer, Norsworthy said.
WS-Federation "is the piece that really enables you to see how what we set up with Trust and what we set up with Web Services Security and with the security part of Policy can all work together to allow customers to configure solutions that really allow them to have unlike security systems and have them interoperate," Norsworthy said.
Added VanRoekel: "This is kind of a hallmark in that it's a real burden that affects businesses in trying to really enable Web services to work outside the corporate boundaries is that this user information, identity information, wasn't really exchangeable in any sort of good way. So getting the real vision of Web services and heterogeneous computing, where you can have different disparate systems talking to each other… You really can't enable the advanced scenarios unless you have this technology. So I think we've reached a pretty major milestone here in delivering it."
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1186464,00.asp
mac...
I disagree with much of your response.
No info passes to the commerce site, only that the end-user is authorized (or not) to make the purchase. The bank does the authorization, not the user.
Cyber-comm has got that model worked out and the EU is considering right now.
watching something of interest...NEC Develops Water Cooling Notebook Module
[nice pictures too]
Submitted by: Fabrizio Pilato on July 8, 2003 3:14 PM EDT
NEC Corporation announced the development of the world's first slim sized water-cooling module for notebook personal computers that employs a piezoelectric pump driving method. This water cooling-module enables a highly advanced, slim sized, notebook PC with minimal operating noise.
The water-cooling module uses a piezoelectric pump to drive the cooling liquid. This newly structured water-cooling module is developed by integrating the pump and the tank with the aluminum radiation plate that contains the water circulation channel.
Main features of NEC's water-cooling module
(1) Through optimized design of the radiation plate and the ingenuity of the coolant passage configuration below the CPU attached area, a cooling performance of 80W (2 times that of conventional systems) is realized. Moreover, the optimized piezoelectric pump structure suppresses the operating noise up to the whisper level of about 30dB, in turn enabling highly efficient water-cooling performance.
(2) By development of a piezoelectric pump with higher water pressure and slimmer size (thickness 5mm), the thickness of the aluminum radiation plate that contains the water circulation channel is reduced to within 3 mm. The increase in the thickness of the chassis is reduced to 4mm, half that of conventional water-cooling methods.
(3) By integrating the aluminum radiation plate, the tank and the piezoelectric pump, ease of installation in personal computers and long-term reliability is achieved.
(4) Hermetical sealing is improved through the use of materials with little liquid permeability. In turn the size of the cooling liquid tank is reduced by 9/10 compared to conventional tanks.
Features of the conventional water-cooling system
(1) Water pressure of the electromagnetic centrifugal pump is relatively weak. If the thickness of the circulation channel is decreased, cooling-liquid flow is restricted.
(2) The system is difficult to install as the tank, pump and CPU attached area are all inter-connected to a metal pipe and a rubber tube.
(3) Installation of a large tank is necessary as cooling liquid seeps through the resin parts of the tank, pump and the connection tubes resulting in liquid reduction over time.
The water-cooling module developed by NEC is the slimmest model in the world. When installed in a notebook personal computer increase in thickness is minimized. In order to drive a conventional piezoelectric pump alternating voltage of 100V is necessary. However, with NEC's water-cooling module system the pump can be driven with 5V of direct voltage. As a result it is easy to install in all IT equipment. This product is suitable not only for use in notebook PCs, but also in servers and desktop computers. It is expected that it will be positioned as a core technology for spreading the water-cooling system in IT equipment and that it will be used as an alternative to the conventional water-cooling heat sink and heat pipe.
NEC Personal Products, Ltd. plans to commercially produce the water-cooling module within two years. NEC aims to create a de-facto industry standard and will actively work towards licensing supply of its module technology to parties outside the NEC Group.
http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/334/C1811/
guess what guys...
Apple's iTunes uses a DRM scheme that allows authenticated downloads to...3 computers.
Now where have you heard that before?
Think about it for a second.
You buy an album via CD and you get 3 uploads.
You buy an album via iTunes and you get 3 uploads.
Didn't Apple say they are coming out with a Windows-based version soon?
whino...
tsk, tsk, tsk!
You know that even if I knew I couldn't say.
However, I've been hinting around out how the architecture COULD look. Whether it will or not remains to be seen.
Contrary to some mac-philes in these forums, all architectures are on the table. IBM has been wildly successful with their laptop offering (DinkPad) which has an embedded co-processor, which is not field programmable, lacks a RNG and a RTC. So we know that the business model works.
Nice change from the RB. Welcome.
Macintosh DRM...
Another addition to SunnComm's development team as Digital Rights Management (DRM) Developer for the Macintosh Platform is Mr. Lance Drake. Mr. Drake began his career in radio and broadcasting and has worked on the cutting edge of electronics and programming for over 25 years. In 1978, he became employed in the electronics industry creating microprocessor emulators for all of the popular CPU chips. His work with Macintosh computers began with Harris Video Systems in 1988. Later, Lance was hired at Apple Macintosh in their Desktop division. Mr. Drake's focus on Macintosh development remains constant. Currently, he delivers projects in Objective-C with MacOSX Cocoa frameworks and provides crucial support for SunnComm Digital Rights Management on the Mac.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030709/92073_1.html
an example...
I don't know if NSM OEMs any chips for Apple, but there are some chip OEMs out there (IBM for one) who are doing both.
The Problem
So much of our lives depend upon computers, it’s alarming how vulnerable they are to security breaches and criminal mischief. Once PCs were totally isolated or, perhaps, only connected to a single network. Today’s PCs are connected to the Internet and called upon to conduct e-commerce and tasks that were unheard of only a few years ago. The need for trust, security and privacy on the PC platform has become paramount for applications like e-business to truly flourish.
Trusted Computing focuses on building levels of trust into the computing platform, whether it’s a PC, PDA or other device. Instead of the current strategy of continually adding and updating outside barriers to viruses and intrusions, Trusted Computing starts with a first level of trust integrated into both the hardware and pre-operating system environments. Once these environments are secured, following portions of the computing platform can be addressed to provide additional levels of trust.
The Consortium
In 1999, five companies – Compaq, HP, IBM, Intel and Microsoft – formed the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance as the first step in defining a standard for advancing and implementing the concepts of Trusted Computing. Today TCPA has over 160 members, including National Semiconductor who leads the way with innovative semiconductor solutions. All these companies are joined together in an open alliance to develop the necessary technology and cooperation to make Trusted Computing a reality.
SafeKeeper is a hardware element to enable trusted computing. It easily adds cryptographic and security functions to the PC.
The Concept
TCPA target is to provide an industry standard specification establishing an ubiquitous and standardized means to address trustworthiness of computing platforms.
A TCPA system uses SafeKeeper™, Trusted Platform Module (TPM), as a hardware block to verify that the PC is secure.
This enables the use of the high performance native computing power of the PC and its common software structure to securely perform any trusted operation which, in a normal environment, would have required much more complex and expensive add-ons. In other words, by ensuring that it is trusted, TCPA technology provides base level security benefits to the PC at an appealing cost.
The Hardware Solution
National Semiconductor provides the fundamental element of the Trusted Computing solution, a piece of security silicon named PC21100 or SafeKeeper. This device is not accessible by the host CPU except through formalized methods, secured by industry standard cryptographic techniques. The SafeKeeper chip acts as a “root of trust” – a dependable device that can report the security status of the rest of the system.
Since it is hardware-based, SafeKeeper is not vulnerable to attacks like conventional software-only solutions.
The SafeKeeper device that contains TPM functionality is fully TCPA 1.1 compliant and offers system designers all the advantages of Trusted Computing as defined by the TCPA.
Trust and Security
National Semiconductor’s SafeKeeper provides a level of trustworthiness impossible to achieve before. The hardware device is much more resistant to attacks than possible with software solutions alone. The much-touted direction of leading software companies to increase the trust level of their offerings will be difficult without the support of a hardware element like SafeKeeper.
The SafeKeeper PC21100 is truly the basis for a thriving e-commerce infrastructure in the future. For even if the platform is broken or hacked, it is essential that all others who transact with that platform know its security has been compromised. In other words, the security may be damaged, but SafeKeeper maintains the trust as unbroken.
Trust National to Provide a Secure System Solution!
Full stack implementation, from host standard crypto-libraries (CAPI, PKCS#11) down to the hardware device
High performance, low power consumption
Complete solution for easy system integration
Backed by National’s complete system experience, and superior device reliability
Fast time-to-market
Overview
The SafeKeeper PC21100 is a member of National Semiconductor’s TrustedI/O family and provides TCPA-compliant security functions. The PC21100 includes embedded RISC technology, flash memory-based secured information storage, SecureRun, a performance accelerator that supports the cryptographic algorithms (SHA-1 and RSA) and a true RNG. In addition, the
PC21100 integrates a variety of system functions, enabling efficient implementation of a highly-secure trustworthy system.
The SafeKeeper PC21100 generates and stores RSA keys quickly and without any host intervention, maximizing the security of the platform. The interface architecture has been optimized to perform hashes without slowing system throughput. National’s PC expertise comes to the forefront to provide the best possible solution.
SafeKeeper PC21100 Outstanding Features
TCPA 1.1 compliant
PC01 and ACPI 2.0 compliant
LPC-based host interface based on Intel’s LPC interface specification revision 1.0 with optimized communication modes and mobile system support
Fast BIOS hash mode
BIOS mode
OS mode with low communication overhead
16-bit RISC embedded core technology
Integrated 128 Kbyte secure flash memory and 8 Kb of RAM
SHA-1 and RSA cryptographic accelerator
Storage for more than thirty 2048-bit RSA keys
Secure GPIO port with wake-up events
Low power consumption
< 20 mA
Extremely low idle current < 10 µA
Hardware true-random number generator
28-pin PLCC and 36-pin LLP packages
The Benefits of SafeKeeper
National’s SafeKeeper provides desktop and mobile PC platforms with:
System integrity checks:
Ensures that no unauthorized changes have been made to the hardware or software
Authentication:
Provides assurances that the source of the data is valid and as expected
Data integrity checks:
Provides assurances that received data is exactly as sent
Privacy:
Protects sensitive and confidential data, such as credit card numbers and passwords
Trustworthiness:
Allows the user to trust authorized third parties, while proving that the user’s PC is itself trustworthy
The Pay-Off
Boost confidence in Internet-based commerce
Increase the trustworthiness of every PC transaction
Provide ubiquitous security solutions across a wide number of PC platforms
Allow future extension to servers, mobile phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA)
http://www.national.com/appinfo/advancedio/safekeeper.html
If you are interested in the specs and diagrams, they are at the link (click next at the bottom right corner).
http://www.national.com/appinfo/advancedio/safekeeper.html
winlose...
NO p*ssing contest needed.
Authentication is PART of the architecture. The co-processors have flash and RNG and RTC. That should tell you the story.
Winlose...
Really? What are you using to substantiate this claim? Do you have a link?
I think you might ask around at the TCG. I know you are very mistaken.
IS your wallet more secure in your pocket or mine? How about if your wallet were inside a safe in your pocket so that even if I picked your pocket I couldn't get inside?
Here is an example from PayPal...
Do you have a Paypal account? If so, then you need to be aware that, once again, someone is trying to steal your password.
These scams are usually easy to spot because Paypal always logs you into your account using a secure page (https:// means secure). In this case, however, the con artist has registered a certificate for use on a secure connection. He has also disguised his web address to make it appear as if it led to Paypal's web site.
Occasionally you may have come across a page on a web site that asks you to log in using a network password (example). You type in your user name and password and click OK to gain entry. There is a way to avoid having to enter your user name and password. You add your user name and password to the beginning of the internet address. http://my_name:my_password@www.example.com/passwd_protected/ is a good example of this.
The scammer's email gives you a link to ki54ft.worldispnetwork.com/i.cgi, but it includes a user name and password for a password protected directory, and the user name happens to be www.paypal.com. This is the same cute trick used recently by a browser hijacker to fool people into thinking they were loading msn.com.
At the web page linked in the email, there is a login form. If the victim fills in their password, they give this scammer their Paypal password, and his script combines that with their email address. After submitting the form, the cgi script redirects the user to the real Paypal login page. This is done in hopes that the victim doesn't notice anything suspicious. The victim may not realize that anything is wrong until they get the email receipt of the scammer cleaning out their account.
Please, pass this warning along. Too many people fall victim to these scams, and this one is very convincing.
Credit to message board member APlusWebMaster for spotting this.
Links:
http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?date=2003-07-07 :: Internet Storm Center
http://www.spywareinfo.com/images/misc/auth.png :: Screenshot of password prompt
With authentication directly with the PayPal server (or better yet, your approving bank), this kind of thing will disappear.
lbotez....
You are correct. This would be client-side authentication, security, and authentication for everyone.
The end-user is in charge.
This is a new architecture.
You might look at some of the co-processors NSM is working on for this ubiquitious motherboard deployment.
Oh, and yes, Apple is VERY well aware of the movement.
winlose...
Really? Such as?
Client-side is vulnerable is it is currently designed. However, a new architecture is coming...and very, very soon...
With this new model, which has yet to be deployed, your machine could talk directly to your bank! Actually, the co-processor is authenticated by the bank.
SmartCards haven't taken off in this country because of the cost associated early on.
It is similar to the way our electricity works. Notice that when you buy electronics for America you get the big, black, transformer. The Europeans don't have that problem.
mac...
I think you are completely mistaken on what I'm talking about.
Apple and everybody else is addicted to server side control. They wonder why ecommerce hasn't taken off like they expected it to.
It is because people want to be in control of their identity and password, not a server administrator.
When the crypto-security co-processor that sits on the southbridge as an LPC processor, then I will be able to safely store my info in MY machine, not a server in the cloud where I have no control.
So, even if you insert a trojan horse or hack my OS, you will still not be able to capture my usernames/passwords because they are maintained at the bios level, not the OS level.
Do any of you guys think...
Avie Tevanian knows Robert Thibadeau, Ph.D.?
roni...
At the risk of going too deep, suffice to say that over the next 2 weeks we shall see a flurry of these digital identity driven announcements. MSFT has patched this together. It is an interim fix and its server-centric.
This is about individual user passwords from multiple domains being managed in a single server-centric solution. You get one password for multiple domains.
So, for example, you have a logins and userpasswords for each website like IH, RB, SI, Agroracom, etc. This solution, though server-centric and therefore I'm less than favorable, consolidates them all into a single package. The idea is one sign-on password/ID.
I still don't like this being managed from a server.
The day is very near that I will control my identity and pasword (single username and password) from my computer without risk of hacking. The server-centric solution, though a step in the right direction, still puts the control in the cloud awaiting for a hacker to compromise them.
Got to get that float down first AND start having a track record of reporting.
Go to OTC first then from there...
BTW, you got any bullets from JPM?
How timely in light of the latest discussion...
New Password Management Software from Critical Path Cuts Helpdesk Costs and Boosts Enterprise Security
Tuesday July 8, 4:31 pm ET
Centrally Administers and Synchronizes Passwords Across Applications and Systems, Provides Reusable Architecture for Multiple Identity Management Solutions
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 8, 2003-- Critical Path, Inc. (Nasdaq: CPTH - News), a global leader in identity management and messaging software and services, today announced the Critical Path(TM) Password Management solution for centrally administering passwords across systems and applications. The software brings together in one package technology and expertise developed by the company through years of delivering turnkey solutions for managing passwords and other identity information. This new integrated offering from Critical Path provides self-service resets of forgotten passwords, centralized definition and enforcement of password policies, dynamic password synchronization across systems for reduced sign-on, and auditing of all password changes activities. With this software, enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations can quickly slash helpdesk costs, improve security, and boost user productivity with a proven architecture that can be used to address a wide variety of security and identity management needs.
"Enterprise users are having to deal with an ever-growing number of passwords, placing huge drains on helpdesk staffs and budgets," said Mike Neuenschwander, Senior Analyst at the Burton Group. "Organizations that are looking to cut operational costs today should look for password management solutions that address these immediate needs while also providing an architecture that can be part of a broader identity management strategy."
Critical Path's Password Management solution enables passwords for a wide variety of user applications, databases and operating systems to be centrally administered. Users can set their own passwords via an easy-to-use web-based interface or through existing systems such as Microsoft Windows or IBM RACF. The Critical Path software even provides self-service resets of forgotten passwords, enabling users to restore access to key resources securely, 24x7, without assistance from IT staff. Passwords are checked against configurable security policies, and if acceptable, are automatically distributed to each affected system, application, database and directory. Automating such error-prone, labor-intensive tasks frees up IT personnel for more skilled activities and can significantly reduce the number of calls made to helpdesks (which can cost as much as $30 per call and $250-300 per year per user, according to industry estimates).
Reusable Architecture For Multiple Solutions
Unlike point product approaches that require separate custom infrastructure for each type of identity management solution, Critical Path's Password Management provides an easy-to-deploy, reusable architecture that integrates with many different business systems. This enables organizations -- from small businesses to large, multinational enterprises -- to put in place a foundation for addressing many additional security and communications initiatives. Critical Path's customers already use this same infrastructure for data integration, whitepages, single sign-on and personalization for portal applications, provisioning and many other solutions.
"Critical Path has a long, proven track record of successfully delivering identity management solutions in even the most complex IT environments, including two Fortune 5 companies," said Bernard Harguindeguy, executive vice president and general manager of Critical Path's identity management business unit. "Our comprehensive Password Management solution makes it even easier for organizations of all sizes to quickly begin saving money while also improving the level of service and security they provide to their users."
Improves Security via Centralized Enforcement, Reduced Sign-On and
Auditing
Password changes are checked against a customizable set of policies. Those that pass the security tests are dynamically distributed to all appropriate applications, systems, or databases. In contrast to batch-oriented approaches, such rapid synchronization improves security by reducing windows of vulnerability and enabling "reduced sign-on" -- the use of a single, more secure password. Having one password in place of many makes the password less likely to be compromised and reduces the amount of time users spend having to determine which password is needed for each application or system.
The Critical Path software gives organizations centralized control over such aspects as expiration date, length and character requirements, types of words to prohibit, and whether or not forgotten passwords may be reset. In addition, all attempts to set or reset passwords, successful as well as failed, are logged for easy auditing and reporting.
The new software is expected to be available this quarter. More information about Critical Path's Password Management as well as the company's other identity management solutions is available at the company's web site http://www.criticalpath.net/.
About Critical Path, Inc.
Critical Path, Inc. (Nasdaq: CPTH - News) is a global leader in digital communications software and services. The company provides messaging solutions -- from wireless, secure and unified messaging to basic email and personal information management -- as well as identity management solutions that simplify user profile management and strengthen information security. The standards-based Critical Path Communications Platform, built to perform reliably at the scale of public networks, delivers the industry's lowest total cost of ownership for messaging solutions and lays a solid foundation for next-generation communications services. Solutions are available on a hosted or licensed basis. Critical Path's customers include more than 700 enterprises, 200 carriers and service providers, eight national postal authorities and 35 government agencies. Critical Path is headquartered in San Francisco. More information can be found at www.criticalpath.net.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030708/85806_1.html
New Password Management Software from Critical Path Cuts Helpdesk Costs and Boosts Enterprise Security
Tuesday July 8, 4:31 pm ET
Centrally Administers and Synchronizes Passwords Across Applications and Systems, Provides Reusable Architecture for Multiple Identity Management Solutions
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 8, 2003-- Critical Path, Inc. (Nasdaq: CPTH - News), a global leader in identity management and messaging software and services, today announced the Critical Path(TM) Password Management solution for centrally administering passwords across systems and applications. The software brings together in one package technology and expertise developed by the company through years of delivering turnkey solutions for managing passwords and other identity information. This new integrated offering from Critical Path provides self-service resets of forgotten passwords, centralized definition and enforcement of password policies, dynamic password synchronization across systems for reduced sign-on, and auditing of all password changes activities. With this software, enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations can quickly slash helpdesk costs, improve security, and boost user productivity with a proven architecture that can be used to address a wide variety of security and identity management needs.
"Enterprise users are having to deal with an ever-growing number of passwords, placing huge drains on helpdesk staffs and budgets," said Mike Neuenschwander, Senior Analyst at the Burton Group. "Organizations that are looking to cut operational costs today should look for password management solutions that address these immediate needs while also providing an architecture that can be part of a broader identity management strategy."
Critical Path's Password Management solution enables passwords for a wide variety of user applications, databases and operating systems to be centrally administered. Users can set their own passwords via an easy-to-use web-based interface or through existing systems such as Microsoft Windows or IBM RACF. The Critical Path software even provides self-service resets of forgotten passwords, enabling users to restore access to key resources securely, 24x7, without assistance from IT staff. Passwords are checked against configurable security policies, and if acceptable, are automatically distributed to each affected system, application, database and directory. Automating such error-prone, labor-intensive tasks frees up IT personnel for more skilled activities and can significantly reduce the number of calls made to helpdesks (which can cost as much as $30 per call and $250-300 per year per user, according to industry estimates).
Reusable Architecture For Multiple Solutions
Unlike point product approaches that require separate custom infrastructure for each type of identity management solution, Critical Path's Password Management provides an easy-to-deploy, reusable architecture that integrates with many different business systems. This enables organizations -- from small businesses to large, multinational enterprises -- to put in place a foundation for addressing many additional security and communications initiatives. Critical Path's customers already use this same infrastructure for data integration, whitepages, single sign-on and personalization for portal applications, provisioning and many other solutions.
"Critical Path has a long, proven track record of successfully delivering identity management solutions in even the most complex IT environments, including two Fortune 5 companies," said Bernard Harguindeguy, executive vice president and general manager of Critical Path's identity management business unit. "Our comprehensive Password Management solution makes it even easier for organizations of all sizes to quickly begin saving money while also improving the level of service and security they provide to their users."
Improves Security via Centralized Enforcement, Reduced Sign-On and
Auditing
Password changes are checked against a customizable set of policies. Those that pass the security tests are dynamically distributed to all appropriate applications, systems, or databases. In contrast to batch-oriented approaches, such rapid synchronization improves security by reducing windows of vulnerability and enabling "reduced sign-on" -- the use of a single, more secure password. Having one password in place of many makes the password less likely to be compromised and reduces the amount of time users spend having to determine which password is needed for each application or system.
The Critical Path software gives organizations centralized control over such aspects as expiration date, length and character requirements, types of words to prohibit, and whether or not forgotten passwords may be reset. In addition, all attempts to set or reset passwords, successful as well as failed, are logged for easy auditing and reporting.
The new software is expected to be available this quarter. More information about Critical Path's Password Management as well as the company's other identity management solutions is available at the company's web site http://www.criticalpath.net/.
About Critical Path, Inc.
Critical Path, Inc. (Nasdaq: CPTH - News) is a global leader in digital communications software and services. The company provides messaging solutions -- from wireless, secure and unified messaging to basic email and personal information management -- as well as identity management solutions that simplify user profile management and strengthen information security. The standards-based Critical Path Communications Platform, built to perform reliably at the scale of public networks, delivers the industry's lowest total cost of ownership for messaging solutions and lays a solid foundation for next-generation communications services. Solutions are available on a hosted or licensed basis. Critical Path's customers include more than 700 enterprises, 200 carriers and service providers, eight national postal authorities and 35 government agencies. Critical Path is headquartered in San Francisco. More information can be found at www.criticalpath.net.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030708/85806_1.html
Businesswire, Tuesday, July 08, 2003 at 14:31
NEW YORK, Jul 8, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Thor Technologies(R), Inc., the secure enterprise provisioning expert(TM), today announced that J. Alberto Yepez, chairman and CEO, has been chosen to participate with other industry leaders in a roundtable talk titled"Identity Management: Business Drivers, Implementation Issues and Best Practices"at the Burton Group's annual Catalyst Conference 2003, taking place July 9-11 in San Francisco. Yepez, a security, access management and user rights provisioning industry veteran and former director of Entrust, will join other executives from Critical Path, M-Tech Information Technology and Oblix in an informative discussion on identity management and its importance to enterprise security.
A recognized leader in enterprise provisioning, Thor is also hosting a hospitality suite with RSA Security and Oracle Corporation. The three companies will demonstrate their combined identity and user access rights management solution and its ability to connect to third-party applications and managed systems enterprise-wide. Also participating in the shared hospitality suite and focusing on identity and access management best practices will be Accenture, the top management consulting and technology services company with highly successful practices in the areas of security and identity and access management. Additionally, the chief information security officer from one of Thor's customers, a leading global investment bank, will give a case study presentation titled"Provisioning: Deployment Experience,"providing an overview of his company's global enterprise provisioning deployment, which entails 15,000 users in three worldwide geographies.
The identity management roundtable in which Yepez is participating as well as the investment bank customer presentation are part of the conference's Directory&Security track, and will take place in the afternoon on Wednesday, July 9. Thor's hospitality suite with RSA Security, Oracle and Accenture will take place from6:00-10:00 pm that evening in Yosemite rooms A and B.
lbotez...
Let me be simple since you didn't investigate the TCG (TCPA).
There is a crypto-security co-processor that resides on the motherboard. This co-processor has flash built into it. It is not removeable and it tamper-resistant.
Currently you turn on the computer and you authenticate to the OS. That does not make for a very secure computer.
With the co-processor, you authenticate to the machine (the BIOS).
You can store anti-virus applets in the flash (read as revenue stream).
You can store many other applets, some that we can't even think of yet.
That is a tremendous revenue stream opportunity. One sells the applets.
The applets are moved around by a server/authentication system.
There was not much info on this a year or two ago, but I think you will find some now if you choose to look.
lbotez,
First, the solution is HW-based with programmable flash that works outside the OS at the bios level. This allows it to have applets programmed into the flash. These applets can do all kinds of things like manage your passwords, ID, and cash. Applets can also be uploaded that can do commerce transactions like metering the flow of digital content (i.e., flow of electrons).
The revenue stream comes from the applets.
Before you howl in disgust, think of you being in charge, for the first time in the digital world, of your own passwords and usernames.
When you walk into Kmart you don't had the clerk your wallet then go shopping, only to return and asking the clerk to pull out a credit card and run the transaction. Then at the end of the transaction you leave a copy of the charge card with the clerk. You don't do that in the real world and yet we do this in the digital world.
Lots of people don't trust servers (including me). Therefore I'm not up for doing transactions via the web.
Crypto-security co-processors on the motherboards eliminate that. It puts the end user in control.
MSFT has resisted this model for a few years because, well, I think, because they wanted control (i.e., Passport). However, the world has come to pass and the TCG (evolved from the TCPA) has decided it for MSFT.
It will happen.
It will make money.
It will be more secure.
I will be in charge of my identity and cash for the first time!
What do you think would happen to the revenue stream for iTunes the first time the server is hacked and YOUR username/password/credit card are compromised?
lbotez,
Don't get me started on that. Yes, all software schemes can be broken, including the one that Apple uses with iTunes.
However, hardware solutions are not as easily broken, and a couple will not ever been commercially broken. What started as the TCPA evolved into the TCG. You might investigate what is going on there if you doubt me.
But that is not the point.
My point is...
If one can tie an Apple-like copy protection scheme to CDs that enable the CDs to be uploaded to 3 different computers through a server authenication system, then if Apple were to be involved in such a scheme it could make money from both the iTunes download (from server) as well as an iTunes upload (from CD).
Does this clarify my position?
Valley´s Macrovision poised to cash in with software
By Mike Langberg
Mercury News
(bolds are mine)
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/business/6201972.htm
As the record industry loses its shirt from rampant piracy of music on the Internet, one Silicon Valley company is poised to cash in: Macrovision, best known as the sole provider of copy protection for Hollywood movies on videotape and DVD.
But Macrovision is facing a tough audition, somewhat like an aging crooner going up against a fresh young face from "American Idol."
Headquartered on De La Cruz Boulevard in Santa Clara, a few hundred yards from the northern edge of Mineta San Jose International Airport, Macrovision has been in business 20 years and has built an effective monopoly in its core business of providing software to prevent home copying of movies.
Stopping music piracy is an even bigger opportunity, worth $100 million a year according to some analysts -- hugely significant for a company with revenue of $102 million in 2002.
Copy protection for music CDs is technically daunting, however, and Macrovision could be a step behind its upstart competitor, SunnComm of Phoenix.
The good news is that copy protection for music is almost certain to become a real business within the next few months.
After endless dithering about how to confront massive online music sharing, the industry´s Big Five -- BMG, EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. -- are finally getting serious about buying products that will make it impossible to post newly released songs on swapping services such as Kazaa, Grokster and Morpheus.
"Over the past year, there´s been increasing interest at each of the labels," said William A. Krepick, Macrovision´s president and chief executive officer.
The Big Five are already using Macrovision copy protection on some music CDs sold in Europe and Asia, but the conditions are considered too restrictive for copy-loving U.S. consumers.
Macrovision is now putting the final touches on a new product called CDS-300 that could -- if the record industry doesn´t go overboard -- prevent piracy while still giving consumers the freedom they want.
Extending its domination to music could be crucial for Macrovision, because the Hollywood studios are pressuring the company to lower its licensing fees for movies, now 5 cents a DVD. Krepick doesn´t dispute predictions by outside analysts that Macrovision might have to accept only 3 to 4 cents a DVD, but said the company will benefit from increasing production of DVD movies and the need for Hollywood to buy additional protection against newly emerging forms of home movie copying.
Macrovision also has a thriving business protecting computer software and managing license deals for corporate software vendors, but music stands apart as the company´s only potential big score.
There are concerns, however, with CDS-300´s "playability" -- making sure the copy-protection software on the CD doesn´t block playback in some CD players or computers -- and compatibility. Macrovision´s CDS-300, for example, isn´t yet compatible with Apple Computer´s Macintosh.
SunnComm´s rival product, MediaMax CD-3, offers superior playability, according to some outside analysts, and is already Mac compatible.
Peter H. Jacobs, president and chief executive officer, added that he´s been working with the Big Five longer than Macrovision.
"If you´re in early with respect to what they´re thinking . . . you have a better chance of being the company with the right technology," Jacobs said.
The possibility that SunnComm could grab the top spot in music copy protection has certainly excited investors.
SunnComm trades in the pink sheets, the notoriously volatile minor league of stock markets, and the company doesn´t file financial reports.
But that hasn´t stopped SunnComm from surging more than 13-fold this year, to 40 cents a share from 3 cents. Macrovision has gained only 27 percent in the same period, to $20.30 from $16.04.
There are no independent researchers providing public comparisons of CDS-300 and MediaMax CD-3, so it´s too soon to proclaim a winner.
But the wait might not be much longer, with the Big Five apparently poised to start placing orders with either or both Macrovision and SunnComm this summer. The first copy-protected music CDs could arrive in U.S. stores later this year or early next year.
It would be foolish to discount Macrovision´s chances, given its strong position in protecting movies, but it would also be unfair to dismiss SunnComm just because it´s a start-up with no track record. Silicon Valley, after all, was built by start-ups.
Valley´s Macrovision poised to cash in with software
By Mike Langberg
Mercury News
As the record industry loses its shirt from rampant piracy of music on the Internet, one Silicon Valley company is poised to cash in: Macrovision, best known as the sole provider of copy protection for Hollywood movies on videotape and DVD.
But Macrovision is facing a tough audition, somewhat like an aging crooner going up against a fresh young face from "American Idol."
Headquartered on De La Cruz Boulevard in Santa Clara, a few hundred yards from the northern edge of Mineta San Jose International Airport, Macrovision has been in business 20 years and has built an effective monopoly in its core business of providing software to prevent home copying of movies.
Stopping music piracy is an even bigger opportunity, worth $100 million a year according to some analysts -- hugely significant for a company with revenue of $102 million in 2002.
Copy protection for music CDs is technically daunting, however, and Macrovision could be a step behind its upstart competitor, SunnComm of Phoenix.
The good news is that copy protection for music is almost certain to become a real business within the next few months.
After endless dithering about how to confront massive online music sharing, the industry´s Big Five -- BMG, EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. -- are finally getting serious about buying products that will make it impossible to post newly released songs on swapping services such as Kazaa, Grokster and Morpheus.
"Over the past year, there´s been increasing interest at each of the labels," said William A. Krepick, Macrovision´s president and chief executive officer.
The Big Five are already using Macrovision copy protection on some music CDs sold in Europe and Asia, but the conditions are considered too restrictive for copy-loving U.S. consumers.
Macrovision is now putting the final touches on a new product called CDS-300 that could -- if the record industry doesn´t go overboard -- prevent piracy while still giving consumers the freedom they want.
Extending its domination to music could be crucial for Macrovision, because the Hollywood studios are pressuring the company to lower its licensing fees for movies, now 5 cents a DVD. Krepick doesn´t dispute predictions by outside analysts that Macrovision might have to accept only 3 to 4 cents a DVD, but said the company will benefit from increasing production of DVD movies and the need for Hollywood to buy additional protection against newly emerging forms of home movie copying.
Macrovision also has a thriving business protecting computer software and managing license deals for corporate software vendors, but music stands apart as the company´s only potential big score.
There are concerns, however, with CDS-300´s "playability" -- making sure the copy-protection software on the CD doesn´t block playback in some CD players or computers -- and compatibility. Macrovision´s CDS-300, for example, isn´t yet compatible with Apple Computer´s Macintosh.
SunnComm´s rival product, MediaMax CD-3, offers superior playability, according to some outside analysts, and is already Mac compatible.
Peter H. Jacobs, president and chief executive officer, added that he´s been working with the Big Five longer than Macrovision.
"If you´re in early with respect to what they´re thinking . . . you have a better chance of being the company with the right technology," Jacobs said.
The possibility that SunnComm could grab the top spot in music copy protection has certainly excited investors.
SunnComm trades in the pink sheets, the notoriously volatile minor league of stock markets, and the company doesn´t file financial reports.
But that hasn´t stopped SunnComm from surging more than 13-fold this year, to 40 cents a share from 3 cents. Macrovision has gained only 27 percent in the same period, to $20.30 from $16.04.
There are no independent researchers providing public comparisons of CDS-300 and MediaMax CD-3, so it´s too soon to proclaim a winner.
But the wait might not be much longer, with the Big Five apparently poised to start placing orders with either or both Macrovision and SunnComm this summer. The first copy-protected music CDs could arrive in U.S. stores later this year or early next year.
It would be foolish to discount Macrovision´s chances, given its strong position in protecting movies, but it would also be unfair to dismiss SunnComm just because it´s a start-up with no track record. Silicon Valley, after all, was built by start-ups.
Interview of Linus Torvalds...
Posted on Fri, Jul. 04, 2003
Linux creator an open source
Torvalds on SCO suit, Microsoft and his exit from Transmeta
Linus Torvalds is the creator of the Linux operating system, the open source version of Unix that is sweeping through the software world in a direct challenge to Microsoft. He is a technical leader and an outspoken advocate of open source development, which allows software users to develop and modify their own versions of software for free. He spoke candidly with Mercury News staff writer Dean Takahashi about the lawsuit from SCO Group versus IBM (where Big Blue is accused of illegally putting Unix code into Linux), on Microsoft and open source development. He also shed light on his decision to leave chip maker Transmeta for a Linux corporate software consortium, the Open Source Development Lab. Here is an edited transcript:
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/6238207.htm
An Evaluation of PowerMac G5 Systems for Computational Fluid Dynamics Applications
Part I: Preliminary Testing with Jet3D
http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/g5/
BMG tinkers with CD copy controls
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
June 30, 2003, 4:24 PM PT
Music label BMG has licensed from SunnComm Technologies new technology designed to prevent music buyers from making unlimited digital copies of songs from its CDs.
The Bertelesmann AG division, which produces contemporary artists, including Avril Lavigne, said Monday it has begun testing CDs in the United States protected with SunnComm's MediaMax CD-3 product. However, it hasn't said when the protected CDs will go on sale.
The software lets listeners transfer music from a CD to a computer, but prevents them from then distributing that music to file-sharing services. It also allows music companies to include on the disc extras such as artist information, song lyrics, bonus tracks, video clips and special offers.
Songs on a MediaMax CD-3 can be uploaded only three times, and software built into the disc prevents listeners from copying or sharing the music.
BMG has been one of the more aggressive music labels in trying to block the copying of its CDs. The Monday announcement suggests that the company, like other labels, is looking for ways to give listeners freedom in how they listen to music while keeping them from distributing it illegally.
"We're seeing music labels and technology providers search for a middle ground in appeasing consumers while protecting their content," IDC analyst Susan Kevorkian said.
Other labels have worked to prevent the distribution of digital music with limited success. Hackers have found ways to get around high-tech blocking systems, sometimes through such low-tech means as black markers and sticky note paper.
The agreement is a multiyear deal, but the companies did not give further details.
http://news.com.com/2100-1027-1022369.html
This says it all:
BMG and SunnComm Technologies Ink Worldwide Licensing Deal to Protect and Enhance Audio CDs for Global Music Giant
Monday June 30, 9:21 am ET
(bolds are mine)
PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 30, 2003--SunnComm Technologies, Inc.
The Multi-Year Agreement Licenses BMG to Utilize
SunnComm's MediaMax(TM) Enhancement and Copy Management
Technologies Throughout the World
SunnComm Technologies, Inc. (OTC: STEH - News) announced today it has entered into a strategic worldwide licensing agreement and revenue deal with BMG, the worldwide music division of Bertelsmann AG, to provide copy management technology to reduce piracy and the unauthorized duplication of music. The agreement between the two companies will enable the use of SunnComm's newest proprietary compact disc enhancement and copy-management system known as MediaMax(TM) CD-3 Technology.
BMG has already successfully deployed SunnComm's MediaMax(TM) CD-3 Technology on a number of promotional/advance releases in the U.S. SunnComm's solution is a new approach to reducing casual piracy. MediaMax gives consumers a legal path to transfer music from their CDs to their computers while not allowing the unauthorized re-distribution of content via CDRs or P2P services. SunnComm's MediaMax can introduce music buyers to special enhancements on the discs, including artist information, song lyrics, bonus tracks, music video clips, special offers, prizes and other valuable content. All of these value-adds are accessible via a computer from a data session mastered on the disc.
The MediaMax suite of products will be immediately available for BMG production in the U.S. market through the Sonopress manufacturing plant located in Weaverville, NC. Sonopress is a division of Bertelsmann AG. The technology will also be made available to Sonopress manufacturing plants servicing other markets around the world.
Peter Jacobs, SunnComm's president and chief executive officer said, "Extending our existing relationship with BMG is a very important milestone for SunnComm. This is our first step in delivering a product suite that enables the music industry to protect their intellectual property while giving the consumers the flexibility they have come to expect."
MediaMax CD-3 is a collection of technologies that provides copy management for CDs and DVDs while simultaneously enhancing and expanding the consumer's experience. MediaMax CD-3 is tightly integrated with Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT - News) Windows Media Platform and the Digital Rights Management capabilities associated with the latest Windows Media Platforms. The company licenses and uses Windows Media Audio DRM capabilities from Microsoft as the security feature for these files. See http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/ jan03/01-20SessionToolkitPR.asp (Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field.)
When a consumer puts a SunnComm MediaMax CD in a computer's CD-ROM drive, the computer can read and play the protected digital audio files through SunnComm's proprietary, multimedia user interface. These digital audio files can be legally copied from the CD and enjoyed on the user's personal computer or shared with friends for a limited period of time using SunnComm's PromoPlay(TM) technology. However, those same music tracks cannot be sent through standard email or made available to file-sharing services such as KaZaA or Morpheus.
SunnComm's chief operating officer, William H. Whitmore, Jr. said, "Feedback from the music industry on our MediaMax product suite has been overwhelmingly supportive. We are excited that our multi-year collaborative effort with BMG has enabled us to develop a product solution that the industry can embrace."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030630/305407_1.html
As the RB melts down...
...I might grow roots here.
The code-monkey that created this board created the SI board too.