| EU court supports privacy of music downloaders
The protection of authors' rights "cannot ... affect the requirements of the protection of personal data," the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice (ECJ) said in its ruling. European copyright laws "do not require the (EU) member states to lay down, in order to ensure effective protection of copyright, an obligation to communicate personal data in the context of civil proceedings," the court said. The case was originally brought to the Spanish courts by Promusicae, a Spanish non-profit organisation of music producers and publishers concerned, as much of the industry is, that their profits are being eaten up by pirated downloads and file-sharing. Promusicae had been seeking a court order to force Telefonica SA to disclose the identities and addresses of several people to whom the Spanish telecommunications group had provided Internet access services.
Asia prospects, free downloads stir MIDEM music mart
Levy's upbeat statement was music to the ears of the 9,000 movers and shakers of the music and digital technology worlds crowded into this chic Riviera seaside resort for the five-day trade show. The mood at this year's MIDEM had been expected to be gloomy, with most recording labels struggling to survive and find new ways to make money. Widespread illegal downloading continues to hit their traditional CD market. But the tone was distinctly more upbeat than expected as participants heard how many record majors were starting to embrace the fledgling advertising-funded music systems and other new commercial music channels. The promise of new markets opening up, and China, which is this year's MIDEM's Country of Honour, is causing quite a stir. China's vice culture minister Meng Xiaosi, who heads up the largest ever official Chinese delegation, is joining French Culture Minister Christine Albanel, to officially open the music festival.
Cable TV: King Of Misleading Come-Ons
The attorney general also accused Comcast of "hiding material terms and conditions from consumers in difficult to read fine print, in violation of the Attorney General's advertising regulations." The hits don't stop there. Here's a few other Comcast ARPU-enhancing tactics, pulled from the attorney general's memo. Promoting Comcast's higher-priced digital packages, like its "Digital Gold" video programming, without disclosing to consumers that they could purchase less expensive digital cable packagesOverstating the number of channels available on digital cable packages by failing to distinguish among video, music and pay-per-view channels, and overstating the capabilities or benefits of Comcast's "On-Demand" and "Digital Video Recorder" servicesCharging a $5 monthly rental fee for a converter box and remote control, even for consumers who did not need the converter box and remote to get their programmingAdvertising "free" installation, but then charging consumers for installation and requiring them to redeem coupons or vouchers to receive an installation credit.
Explosion of Indie Games Kills 'Best of' Column
I think it's because the videogame industry has hit precisely the same maturation point that movies and music once hit. Back around 1900, movies began as tiny, indie affairs -- hallucinogenic experiments maybe five minutes long. In a few decades, though, moviemaking became industrialized, turning films into two-hour narratives that cost millions (in today's dollars) to make. The sheer expense of making a movie meant that producers had to stick to genres that were proven to work at the box office: westerns, romance, mysteries. Experimental film died out. But eventually, genuine auteurs got so sick of seeing the same, dull genres over and over again that they decided to buck the big-money system. The first generation of inexpensive cameras let them make movies on the cheap; with no stakes, they could do weirder, genre-busting films.
CellPoint to Launch CES Innovation Honorees, Flamingo Music and ...
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- CellPoint Connect AB, developer of high- end Bluetooth headsets today announced the launch of the Flamingo Wired Headset line featuring the Flamingo Music and the Flamingo Mobile versions at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wired Headsets have been recognized by the CES Innovation Awards and feature the comfortable and secure fit of the EarClick wearing technology. The headsets will be available in a variety of colors and will be on display at CES, the world's largest annual trade show for consumer technology, January 7-10, 2008 at Booth #72467 at the Sands Convention Center. The EarClick wearing technology has earned a multitude of accolades for its unobtrusive design that fits the outer ear, creating a secure but weightless fit that minimizes the "wearer's fatigue" of traditional headsets.
OurSound in the Newspaper
Our Sound music columnist Bill Henry turns his eyes and ears on the area's vibrant, multi-genre music scene every week in The Sun Times. From blues to bluegrass, folk to funk, pop to punk and classical to celtic, Henry writes about the area's performers and music trends. The veteran Sun Times news reporter, photographer and local musician's Our Sound column mixes profiles, feature stories, advance concert coverage, occasional reviews and scene-setting observations to chronicle the rich and diverse Grey-Bruce music community. Read Bill Henry's Our Sound column every Thursday on The Sun Times entertainment section front... .
Djokovic Beats Tsonga for Aussie Title
He's a Grand Slam champion for real.Serving notice that his rapid rise in the rankings last year was no fluke, third-ranked Djokovic ended the Cinderella story of the Australian Open by beating unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (2) in Sunday night's final."I think every player dreams about winning a Grand Slam," Djokovic said. "It's something special."Top-ranked Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal had combined to win the last 11 Grand Slams. Djokovic personally held up Federer's drive for Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles on hold by ousting him in the semifinals. Federer now will go for No. 13 at the French Open.Despite reaching at least the semifinals at the last three Grand Slams, Djokovic has been better known as "Djoker" for his wry sense of humor and impressions of other tennis players that have become hits on YouTube.It was easy to see that requests for the impersonations were wearing on him at Melbourne Park - he tried to beg off when he was asked to mimic Maria Sharapova after a match early in the two-week tournament - so Djokovic let his tennis do the talking.It spoke volumes.The 20-year-old Serbian, who said he listened to music, watched funny videos and told jokes in the locker room to relax before going on court, hadn't dropped a set in six matches until Tsonga stunned him with a pair of great shots to break and take the first set.Djokovic didn't crumble.
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