June 19, 2006
Volume 13, Issue 10
P2P MEDIA SUMMIT Starts Thursday
Please click here to register online for the P2P MEDIA SUMMIT,
the DCIA’s first annual Conference & Exposition, taking place
Thursday and Friday in McLean, VA; or call 888-864-3242 to register by phone.
The P2P MEDIA SUMMIT is a must-attend event for everyone
interested in commercial development of the peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing
marketplace, including software developers and distributors, content
providers, service-and-support companies, and all other concerned parties.
Registrants for the full Conference & Exposition are also entitled to admission to the Digital Media
Conference at no additional charge.
Kontiki CEO to Address Summit
Kontiki CEO Todd Johnson has been added as a featured speaker at the P2P MEDIA SUMMIT.
Todd is a 22-year Silicon Valley veteran. He has extensive experience leading
companies ranging from start-ups to multi-million dollar technology
companies, overseeing the direction of business development, strategic
alliances, sales, and infrastructure operations. Todd most recently served as
President of Jamcracker, which provides software and services that enable
companies to manage their on-demand delivery and software-as-a-service
solutions.
Kontiki provides competitive advantage to its customers by
increasing the value of their existing network and computing infrastructure
for corporate video communications. Kontiki’s patent-pending Grid
Delivery Technology taps the unused resources of networked PCs and servers,
allowing enterprises to deliver high quality corporate video and all digital
media content faster and at a fraction of the cost of alternative solutions.
Additionally, the grid allows every user, regardless of
location or connection speed, to receive content in the background without
any degradation of system performance. Kontiki fundamentally changes the
economics of large file delivery, while dramatically improving video
communications effectiveness and reach.
Welcome New Member Perenety
Please warmly welcome Perenety to the Operations Group. We look forward
to providing valuable services to this newest DCIA Member and supporting its
contributions to commercial development of the distributed computing
industry.
Perenety is a new P2P startup based in Silicon Valley and
founded by three Stanford graduates: Xavier Casanova, Guillaume Thonier, and
Arnaud Tellier. Perenety’s product is “shooter,” a free and
simple software application that friends may use to privately exchange photos
and videos.
Shooter’s underlying technology is the powerful Perenety
File System (PFS), a new P2P file system specifically designed for securely
storing and delivering private files.
The PFS is different from previous P2P architectures, such as
BitTorrent, because it delivers files with a consistent and high level of
performance under all scenarios:
one-to-one, one-to-some, one-to-the world. In addition, all files stay
encrypted and are un-searchable, which guarantees an unmatched level of
privacy.
Shooter is currently in the final stages of field testing and
will be open to the public in the summer of 2006. For more information,
please visit: www.shooter7.com. Plan now to meet
Perenety and other industry-leading DCIA Members this week at our first-ever
Conference & Exposition.
Report from CEO Marty Lafferty
 We look forward to seeing you later this week at the P2P MEDIA SUMMIT.
This historic event, our first annual DCIA Conference & Exposition, is
taking place in McLean, VA, a year after the US Supreme Court’s
landmark MGM v. Grokster ruling.
The Conference is being held on Thursday June 22nd and the Exposition
on Friday June 23rd in conjunction with the Digital Media Conference (DMC).
Your registration for the full Conference & Exposition
includes admission to the DMC and represents a $250 savings over registering for
the events individually. To register now, please click here.
The
6/22 Conference at the Intercontinental
Holiday Inn at Tysons Corner, VA presents leaders of our emerging high-growth
industry from around the world.
In addition to Kontiki’s Todd Johnson, we were pleased
last week to add KlikVU CEO Lowell Feuer to the Technology Track; the
Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) EVP & General
Counsel, Steve Marks, to the Policy Track; and SafeNet’s VP John
Desmond to the Marketing Track.
Keynote speakers are eDonkey’s Sam Yagan, GNAB’s
Jan Marc Külper, Qtrax’s Allan Klepfisz, and MyPeer’s Les
Ottolenghi.
Conference Luncheon Speakers are TAG Strategic’s Ted
Cohen, who will address P2P and the entertainment industry, and Digimarc
Corporation’s Nate Alvord, who will discuss digital watermarking for P2P.
All attendees will receive a copy of the Committee for
Economic Development’s (CED) new report, “Open Standards, Open
Source, and Open Innovation: Harnessing the Benefits of Openness.”
Please click here for general directions. From the Washington, DC (WDC) area, simply take the Metro
Orange Line (towards Vienna) to the Dunn Lorring stop and take a taxi (3.5
miles). From New York City, take Amtrak to WDC Union Station and transfer to
the Metro.
The Policy Track features Butera & Andrews’ Phil
Corwin, Dreier LLP’s Josh Wattles, the Motion Picture Association of
America’s (MPAA) Fritz Attaway, and StreamCast Networks’ Michael
Weiss (Morpheus), and will address MGM v. Grokster – one year later.
The Technology Track features CacheLogic’s David
Ferguson, Digital Containers’ Mike Farley, and Telcordia’s Corey
Clinger, and will address P2P file sharing – the evolving distribution
chain.
The Marketing Track features Global Media
Intertainment’s (GMI) Jakob Schwerdt, P2P.com’s Albe Angel,
Serling, Rooks & Ferrara’s Ted Weis (the Jun Group), and
Ultramercial’s Dana Jones, and will address P2P business models –
what’s working and what’s not.
Alston & Bird’s Aydin Caginalp & Renee Brissette
will conduct a special session on corporate value optimization for firms in
this emerging high-growth industry.
The Content Distribution panel features Fun Little
Movies’ Glen Gulyas, MediaPass Network’s Daniel Harris, MusicDish
Network’s Eric DeFontenay, and the “Internet’s First Rock
Star,” Scooter Scudieri, and will address the perspective of artists
and rights holders – P2P for content creators.
The Solutions Development panel features CacheLogic’s
Andrew Parker, Mediaguide’s Paul Wright, RawFlow’s Ian Franklyn,
and RazorPop’s Marc Freedman, and will address advancement –
creating the commercial P2P ecosystem.
The Support Services panel features BitPass’ Denis
Concordel, Clickshare’s Rick Lerner, Javien’s Leslie Poole, and
P2P Cash’s Tom Meredith, and will address accountability –
tracking transactions and paying the players.
Live showcase entertainers for the post-conference networking
cocktail reception include Kirsten DeHaan, Drew Gonzalves, and the
Internet’s “First Rock Star,” Scooter Scudieri.
Exhibits and demonstrations for the June 23rd DCIA Exposition,
held in conjunction with the DMC, feature industry-leading products and
services.
P2P MEDIA SUMMIT sponsors include BitPass, Javien, MusicDish
Network, Mi2n, Alston & Bird, Digital Media Wire, and Potomac Tech
Wire.
Please
click here for the full agenda and to register. Don’t miss the first-ever P2P MEDIA SUMMIT.
Share wisely, and take care.
Early P2P Music Site Back Online
Excerpted from Daily News & Analysis Report
Like
Napster and BitTorrent before it, LTDnetwork’s Qtrax is a brand from
the early days of P2P that is relaunching. The reborn version formalized the
evolution by announcing a deal with EMI Music to make the music
company’s catalog available to its users.
Qtrax
still allows consumers to get free music, but there will be no free lunch.
The service is ad-supported, and the free songs are in a proprietary
‘.mpq’ format that can only be played a limited number of times
and only on the computer to which they were downloaded. Additionally, each
time a track is played, the Qtrax player offers click-to-buy purchasing.
It
also suggests that the user upgrade to a premium subscription service for a
flat monthly fee, in which case they get unlimited downloads in Windows Media
format that can be moved or transferred to almost any digital music player
except Apple’s iPod.
The
songs become unplayable should the subscription lapse. “Qtrax is going
to offer the consumer a pretty cool way to sample and discover music in a way
that P2P users are used to,” said Ken Parks, EMI’s Senior Vice
President for Strategy and Business Development. “The difference is
you’ll be presented with stuff that is cleared in a way that respects
copyright yet preserving that ‘free’ experience.”
RawFlow Provides P2P Delivery
Excerpted from Streaming Media Report
The
Swiss streaming expert Multimedia Architects has completed a trial with
RawFlow for two major events that were broadcast by Television Suisse Romande
(TSR). The Tour de Suisse (TDS) started on June 10th and continued through
June 18th. The TDS is generally considered to be the warm-up for Tour de
France, and is a hugely popular event.
As
a secondary trial with Multimedia Architects, RawFlow also provided its
technologies for a political program on June 14th. Both of these live
streaming events were made available from the TSR website (www.tsr.ch).
“We’re really happy to be working with an industry leader such as
Multimedia Architects. Switzerland is a very well developed country when it
comes to streaming media, and has a much higher average upload capacity than
most other European countries, including the UK. With an average upload of
350 Kbps, it is an exciting place to trial our video product for web
TV,” said RawFlow CEO Mikkel Dissing.
RawFlow’s Intelligent Content Distribution (ICD) is software-based P2P
bandwidth-sharing technology that allows content to be streamed live at a
fraction of the cost of traditional streaming. It is an infinitely scaleable
solution that saves cost and prevents network congestion while maintaining
peak media quality.
Telcordia Establishes India Division
Excerpted from Xchange Magazine Report
DCIA Member Telcordia Technologies has established an India
business unit, Telcordia Technologies India Private Ltd. The new division
will provide dedicated resources for mobile, fixed line, and cable operators
throughout India.
“India already has more than 150 million telecom
subscribers, and at its current growth rate, this country will be the
world’s second-largest telecom market by 2010,” said Dan Carroll,
CEO of Telcordia. “We see immense potential in this region, and our new
India entity is the latest example of our commitment to help this
country’s service providers capitalize on that potential.”
Telcordia Technologies India Private Ltd. is headquartered in
Gurgaon, with program-delivery offices in Hyderabad. It also includes
Telcordia India Labs, a facility in Chennai. The office in Tidel Park will
provide dedicated software resources including development for mobile, fixed
line, and cable operators throughout India.
Indie911’s Cool Summer Project
DCIA Member Indie911 is producing a cool project this summer
that is detailed at www.indie911.com/china. Philly based artist/writer Brian Seymour will lead a
music workshop and performance series in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing.
The program is being produced in part by Tianjin Music
University, and is designed to foster cultural exchange and songwriting
collaborations in China, which will be featured online in both Chinese and
English.
Indie911 is seeking sponsors interested in developing
their brands and business in China. Company branding will be carried
permanently on a dedicated webpage, as well as in onsite brochures and
distributed materials.
This will be an inexpensive way to reach the music
industry and artist community in China. All sponsors will have their own
promotional webpage translated into Chinese, which will be permanently
linked-to from the website. Indie911 will be publicizing this effort through
a series of press releases, music industry trade advertisements, and blog
marketing. Indie911’s newsletter reaches over 75,000 people weekly and
home page promotions receive over 750,000 monthly page views.
Please contact Brian Seymour at 267-997-3580 or brian@indie911.com for sponsorship information.
PlayFirst Games for the
Macintosh
DCIA Member PlayFirst,
a leading full-service publisher of casual games, is releasing
Macintosh-compatible versions of three popular titles from its casual games
portfolio: “Plantasia,” “Subway Scramble,” and
“TriJinx: A Kristine Kross Mystery.” Each game is now available
for both Mac and PC downloading.
“These
titles represent the new generation of casual games that players have come to
expect from PlayFirst,” said Kenny Dinkin, Vice President &
Executive Producer, PlayFirst. “As part of our commitment to bring
PlayFirst games to casual gamers wherever they play, we’re proud to
share our innovative titles with the fun-seeking and inventive Mac
community.”
Each
game is free to try for 60 minutes or purchase for $19.95. To download, or to
obtain more information about Mac games from PlayFirst, please visit www.playfirst.com/category/mac.
Video-Sharing Site Raises $5 Million
Excerpted from
Digital Media Wire Report
One True Media, the developer of an online
video-sharing community, announced on Monday that it has raised $5 million in
its first round of venture capital financing from Kleiner Perkins Caufield
& Byers.
Since
launching in December 2005, the company has registered 335,000 members, who
can upload, edit, add music, and share their personal videos.
The
company has partnered with BabyCenter, an online resource for new parents, as
well as blogging software developer SixApart, on the family-targeted site.
“Everyday
consumers are shooting millions of photos and videos but they have no way to
combine all that media into a compelling story that will make their friends
or family laugh or cry,” said One True Media CEO Mark Moore.
“We want to make it easy for people to communicate the
emotion that is often hard to see in still photos. We eliminate the
complexity of editing and mixing digital media, so that everybody can be the
director or star of their own video.”
P2P Population Continues
Climb
Excerpted from
Slyck.com Report by Tom Mennecke
USA Today published an article Monday quoting RIAA CEO Mitch Bainwol that online piracy
has been “contained.”
“The problem has not been eliminated,” said Bainwol. “But
we believe digital downloads have emerged into a growing, thriving business,
and file-trading is flat.”
Perhaps several years back, such an assertion would simply have been
accepted. However, the substantial logistical infrastructure that
accommodates P2P and file-sharing, such as various forums, blogs, news sites,
etc., is of such magnitude now that alternative viewpoints are no longer
ignored.
Reflecting this change in mass media, virtually every
publication that published an article on Mr. Bainwol’s decree was met
with varying degrees of skepticism.
It’s possible the RIAA had little choice but to make a public statement
in support of its lawsuit and anti-piracy campaign. Its efforts recently
received black eyes from two unexpected sources – Sony America VP of
Digital Media Technology Strategy, Albhy Galuten, and ex-RIAA chairperson
Hilary Rosen.
Galuten’s take on the online copyright conflict is the polar opposite of Mr. Bainwol’s, stating
the music industry is not “winning the battle against pirating.”
The statement was made last Wednesday at the Digital Media Summit in Los
Angeles.
Rosen criticized the idea of suing alleged P2P pirates, and the entire
concept of digital rights management (DRM). In an article published on the
liberal blog site, The Huffington Post, Rosen shared her skepticism of the
RIAA’s current legal strategy.
“I do share a concern that the lawsuits have outlived most of their
usefulness and that the record companies need to work harder to implement a
strategy that legitimizes more P2P sites and expands the download and
subscription pool by working harder with the tech community to get devices
and music services to work better together.”
“That is how their business will expand most quickly.
The iPod is still too small a part of the overall potential of the market and
its proprietary DRM just bugs me. Speaking of DRM, it is time to rethink that
strategy as well.”
The latest statistics from DCIA industry data resource Big Champagne indicate that the P2P population has continued its overall climb. At
9,735,661 in May 2006, the P2P population is at its second highest, down
slightly from its peak of 9,992,298 in March. There was an increase of
138,253 from the month of April, however.
The May 2006 statistic represents a population increase of 12.4% over May
2005, or an increase of 1,070,342 individuals.
The most significant aspect of these calculations is they do not represent
the entire file-sharing picture – they exclude the BitTorrent
community. Because of BitTorrent’s decentralized protocol, it is
difficult to obtain an exact number of participants. What is known however is
the massive amount of bandwidth this protocol consumes, which outweighs other
P2P networks combined.
If we were to only judge BitTorrent on the amount of unique
individuals traveling The Pirate Bay, there would be an addition of at least
1 million individuals. Some estimates are much greater, and easily double the
number published by Big Champagne.
The Pirate Bay Back Up Following Crackdown
Excerpted from
Digital Media Wire Report
The
Pirate Bay, a Sweden-based site that provides links to free movie and music
files on the BitTorrent file-sharing network, has returned its servers to its
home country following a police crackdown that temporarily forced relocation
to the Netherlands, The Register reported.
Working
with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Swedish authorities in
May conducted raids and seized Pirate Bay servers. The shutdown prompted
hackers to attack the websites of Sweden’s police and government, in
addition to street protests against the actions.
Pirate
Bay site operators said in a blog posting that they are now looking to spread
the site’s servers across several locations in order to make it more
difficult to shut down the service again.
Coming Events of Interest
-
P2P MEDIA SUMMIT – June 22nd-23rd at the Intercontinental Holiday Inn, Tysons Corner, McLean, VA. This first annual DCIA
Conference & Exposition will cover policy, marketing, and technology
issues affecting commercial development of this emerging high-growth
industry. Exhibits and demonstrations will feature industry-leading products
and services. For sponsor packages and speaker information, please contact
Karen Kaplowitz at 888-890-4240 or karen@dcia.info. DCIA Members Music Dish
Network and Javien are our media and
e-commerce partners respectively. Plan now to attend.
-
Washington Digital
Media Conference – June 23rd at the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner,
McLean, VA. DCIA Conference & Expo attendees can attend this executive
briefing on emerging business, policy, and technology issues &
opportunities at half-price. This is a must-attend event for media,
entertainment and technology businesses, educational institutions, and
government agencies involved in the digital distribution of media. The
Washington Post calls the event: “a confab of powerful communicators
and content providers in the region.”
|
