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DOT COMEDY

Tech News For Dot Commandos
GETTING THE ROYAL TREATMENT
The RIAA and a group of webcasters will file webcast royalty rate proposals today to the U.S. Copyright Office. Webcasters, including RealNetworks, MTVi, Launch Media and others are opposed to paying royalties for "incidental" copies of songs created in the process of delivering music—temporary copies made when tracks are "buffering." A Copyright Office panel will hold hearings this summer on the issue of Internet radio stations paying record labels for songs, it should be the blockbuster Copyright Office panel of the summer.

$4 MILLION FOR FREE
FreeNet
software author, young Ian Clarke, has obtained startup capital for his company, Uprizer. Intel, Kline Hawkes & Co. and the Shugart Venture Fund are investing $4 million in the company, which will sell the P2P (peer-to-peer) software that allows people, within a company, trade files. Uprizer will use the money to work on its premiere application, build up its staff and cover the cost of TiVos for everyone!

DOWN PATENT
Liquid Audio has been awarded a patent for its watermarking technique for digital music files. The technique, which the company created three years ago, is designed to help content owners protect their music in digital delivery without compromising the audio quality by embedding watermark data in the music files. Media players can be programmed to detect the watermark and obey the permissions set by the content owner. Incidentally, hitsdailydouble ed-in-chief Marc Pollack is seeking counseling to stop his technique of watermarking his bed sheets.

OR ELSE WHAT?
In perhaps an attempt to strong arm Napster, recording industry lawyers are threatening to sue individual Napster executives, since the file-swapper has seemingly disregarded the temporary injunction and has still failed to block copyrighted songs from its website. Counsel for Sony, EMI and UMG said that at least one of his clients was considering taking the case to the next level with personal lawsuits against unnamed Napster execs. Label lawyers say their next tactic will be to tell the Teacher.

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?
In the meantime, Bertelsmann, which has partnered with the embattled Napster, says its talks with other music industry giants to persuade the labels to work with Napster are going well and that they should be concluding soon. Bertelsmann e-commerce spokesman Frank Sarfeld said, "The talks should be finished up soon, the labels are realizing the potential of Napster's 72 million users."

NEAR TRUTHS: SPRING BLOOMS
Here come the big guns. (3/28a)
THE COUNT: COLDPLAY IS HOT, COUNTRY'S COOKIN' IN THE U.K.
The latest tidbits from the bustling live sector (3/28a)
CITY OF HOPE TAPS MARCIANO FOR TOP HONOR
This year's philanthropic model (3/28a)
TRUST IN THE TOP 20
Hip-hop is no longer hibernating. (3/28a)
UMG BROADENS SPOTIFY OFFERINGS
Sir Lucian and Daniel are in harmony. (3/28a)
THE NEW UMG
Gosh, we hope there are more press releases.
TIKTOK BANNED!
Unless the Senate manages to make this whole thing go away, that is.
THE NEW HUGE COUNTRY ACT
No, not that one.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PLAYLIST
Now 100% unlicensed!
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