Big turns for copyright, digital music
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Many in digital media will be glad to say goodbye to 2009, a year marked by the meltdowns of once promising--or at least much hyped--video and music start-ups.
Some hard-fought copyright battles were also waged, as ad-supported music lost credibility, The Pirate Bay went on sale, and Craigslist was forced to fight accusations that the site was a giant digital bordello.
revealed that the iTunes Store would sell
DRM-free tracks.
When it came to the year's newsmakers, Apple got off to an early start in January by announcing it would strip copy-protection software from all iTunes songs and change its long-held pricing policy.
The 99-cent standard song price at Apple was altered to allow the top four recording companies to charge $1.29 for newer music. Older songs would remain 99 cents and a few would drop to 79 cents.
Apple's grip on digital music appeared to only get stronger as a host of challengers flamed out or were gobbled up by bigger competitors. First Ruckus shut down and then ad-supported pioneer SpiralFrog collapsed in a heap of debt amid questionable management decisions and internal squabbling. MySpace acquired iLike and cash-strapped streaming-music site Imeem.
To cap the year off, Apple earlier this month acknowledged acquiring Lala, another streaming service.
Online video saw some consolidation as the once headline-grabbing Joost, created by the founders of Skype and Kazaa, saw the messy departure of its CEO and a sale of the company's assets to Adconian Media. The sector saw more tussling between Hulu and YouTube for control of professional content. Netflix also made inroads in digital video by expanding its ability to stream video to subscribers' TV sets.
The copyright and piracy wars saw several big court decisions. Nothing was bigger than a Swedish court's conviction of The Pirate Bay founders on copyright violations. The four men were sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to pay $3.6 million. They are appealing their case. In this country, a federal judge halted sales of RealNetworks' RealDVD, the DVD-copying software, and a disc-copying machine, codenamed Facet, until a jury decides whether the products violate copyright law. Real has filed an appeal. The case might have answered the question of whether DVD owners possess the legal right to make backup copies of their movies but the judge declined to tackle the issue.
Jammie Thomas, the woman accused of illegally sharing music and who had already seen one jury vote against her, lost another case. This time, she was found guilty of willful copyright infringement and ordered to pay $1.92 million in damages. That case is on appeal.
Hans Pandeya, the Swedish businessman who claimed he would acquire the The Pirate Bay, provided a comedy of errors. Almost every one of Pandeya's claims about possessing enough money to complete the deal and having content agreements with the music labels proved unreliable.
Speaking of piracy, streaming-video sites started generating buzz. These are sites that offer lots of unauthorized content, typically new TV shows and movies, and they crop up often and from all over. Hollywood is concerned, to say the least.
So as we close the book on the year, here's hoping 2010 brings happier news to digital entertainment.
--by Greg Sandoval
Featured coverage
Sources: Apple to expand DRM-free music, pricing
Moving further away from its one-price-fits-all model, the company will allow top four music labels more price flexibility.
Cook County: Craigslist's 'erotic' section must go
The sheriff of Chicago's Cook County has plans to file suit against Craigslist. The Web's largest classifieds section has already said it plans to crack down on prostitution ads.
Requiem for a frog: SpiralFrog shuts down
The pioneering ad-supported music service--once considered a possible threat to iTunes--quietly ceases operations Thursday.
Pirate Bay defendants found guilty
District court in Sweden rules that all four defendants in the high-profile file-swapping case are guilty of having made copyright-protected files accessible for illegal file sharing.
Next battle for control of digital content: RealDVD
The DVD ripping software goes to court Friday, with film studios arguing RealNetworks can't legally enable people to copy DVDs. Real says public has fair-use right.
Hulu-Disney deal hurts YouTube, helps cable
Hulu now boasts long-form content from three major movie studios. One analyst says Hulu could solve the cable industry's Web problem.
Court orders Jammie Thomas to pay RIAA $1.92 million
Jury says defendant must pay $80,000 for each of the 24 songs she was ultimately found guilty of illegally sharing.
Joost bows to YouTube, gives up consumer video
It's the first bust for Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, the duo that gave us Skype and Kazaa. Joost is dropping consumer service to focus on video platforms.
Plenty of proof that ads don't support Web music
A profitable company has yet to rise out of the sector, and SpiralFrog's collapse is a powerful illustration that online advertising can't yet support music. There might be hope.
RealNetworks loses critical ruling in RealDVD case
Federal judge sides with Hollywood and issues a preliminary injunction that will prevent RealNetworks from selling RealDVD software.
File sharers hold vigil for Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay may be breathing its last breath, but the site revered by file-sharers and reviled by copyright owners has likely given birth to numerous progeny.
Veoh wins copyright case; YouTube wins, too?
Accused by the largest music label of violating its copyright, Veoh wins court decision that says such sites are protected under Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
More signs Hulu subscription service is coming
Chase Carey, News Corp.'s deputy chairman, suggests at the OnScreen Media Summit that a Hulu pay wall will go up next year but says no timeline has been set.
Verizon tests sending RIAA copyright notices
The No. 2 phone company, known for its reluctance to intervene in antipiracy cases, strikes an agreement to forward copyright notices on behalf of the music industry.
Can Comcast-NBC play nice with Hulu?
With the advent of the media joint venture, Hulu's development may have just hit a wall. Plus, Netflix and iTunes could be competing with a major supplier.
Apple in 'advanced' acquisition talks with Lala
Sources with knowledge of the talks say a deal for Lala, a streaming-music service, is close to being finalized. Does Apple plan to stream music?
- Reduction in piracy.. seems unlikely.. because a lot of money is involved.
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