January 9 -- RealNetworks' copyright lawsuit against Streambox
Inc. took another step forward when a judge refused to lift a
temporary restraining order preventing Streambox from offering
several products for 10 more days. When the two sides meet in
court again on January 17th, the judge will rule on whether to
issue a preliminary injunction against Streambox until a trial
begins...
January 9 -- RealNetworks and the Universal Music Group
(UMG) have struck a strategic alliance that will see UMG music
available for sale via download by mid-year.
January 21 -- A US District Court in Seattle issued a split
decision in the Streambox and RealNetworks fight over digital
audio copyrights. Streambox can continue to sell its Ripper software
for converting music files, but is barred from distributing other
products that could circumvent the copyright protection in RealNetworks
products..
February 3 -- Royalties have been a scarce commodity for
artists whose work streams across the Internet every day, but
RealNetworks will soon implement a system for compensating music
copyright holders. RealNetworks will integrate AudioSoft's copyright
management technology that tracks the webcasters' Internet streams
into its RealSystem G2 platform.
February 12 -- The Associated Press and RealNetworks, Inc.
announced the launch of a real-time audio and video news service
for media Web sites called AP Streaming News. AP Streaming News
provides anchored audio news summaries, regularly scheduled video
newscasts, sound and video clips for major news stories and live
links to selected events on a daily basis for AP's newspaper
and broadcast members. All the video and audio packages are produced
by APTN and AP Network News.
February 3 -- Linux Today's Arne Flones takes Real and
MPAA to the mat for abusing the DMCA and consumers' rights. In
the case of Real, Flones argues that their case against StreamBox
flies directly in the face of consumers' fair use rights...
February 3 -- AudioSoft signed a development agreement
with RealNetworks integrate its digital copyright management
technology onto the RealSystem G2 platform for ready deployment
to Webcasters.
February 7 -- Online music store Mjuice.com announced that
RealNetworks will support its secure MP3 music format, opening
up a huge new listener base for its tracks. And to draw listeners
to its site, Mjuice is offering two free and exclusive tracks
from Beck and the Foo Fighters
November 24 -- It seems that the US patent office granted
RealNetworks a broad patent which covers "audio-on-demand
communication system" that "provides real-time playback
of audio data transferred via telephone lines or other communication
links," Pretty much covering the spectrum of streaming audio
over the Internet.
According to a report by Inside.com,
RealNetworks is now the proud owner of this massively broad patent,
which they had applied for initially back in 1994 and supports
additional claims in patents granted to the company in 1998.
