European Tech Wire

European Tech Wire - March 31, 2005

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EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - March 31, 2005
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To Subscribe: http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

o European Commission Calls for Limits on Cost of Leased Lines
o SMSC Buys Germany's Oasis Silicon for 72.5 Million Euro
o Anti-Software Patents Campaigner Florian Mueller Resigns
o FARO Buys iQvolution for 9.3 Million Euro in Cash and Stock
o Intel, Bertelsmann to Collaborate on Media Download Service
o Report: Business Process Outsourcing to Increase 8% in 2005
o Briefly Noted: Telefonica SA-Cesky Telecom, Wireless World
Forum (WWF)-Mobile Youth 2005 Report, London Underground
Mobile Service, London Internet Exchange Point Forum, Sony
Computer Entertainment Europe-Twentieth Century Fox
_____________________________________________

o European Commission Calls for Limits on Cost of Leased Lines

Brussels -- The European Commission has recommended limits on
leased line prices, arguing that prices for wholesale leased lines should
better reflect the true cost of supplying them. The Commission issued a
set of recommendations to EU member states in a bid to help them
devise regulatory remedies for leased line markets that are not
competitive. "The EU single market for electronic communication
services is distorted by substantial variations in leased line prices,
which are hard to explain in terms of possible underlying costs," the
Commission said. For instance, the price in the most expensive EU
member state for a 5-kilometre-long, 2 Mbit/s line is seven times higher
than in the cheapest. "Competitive pricing of leased lines will expand
the range and cut the costs of electronic communications services that
are made available to business users and end-users across the EU, and
in particular to small and medium-sized enterprises, which have much
to gain from lower prices for business services offered by operators
making use of these inputs," said EU Information Society and Media
Commissioner Vivian Reding.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?D5E2437CA
_____________________________________________

o SMSC Buys Germany's Oasis Silicon for 72.5 Million Euro

Frankfurt -- SMSC, a U.S.-based semiconductor maker, announced on
Thursday that it has acquired Oasis Silicon Systems Holding, a
Germany-based fabless semiconductor firm, for about 72.5 million euro
in cash stock. Additional payments of cash and SMSC common stock
adding up to 15.4 million euro may occur in 2007, based on
achievement of certain performance goals, SMSC said. "This
acquisition enables (SMSC) to strengthen its business with broader
product lines, accelerates overall revenue growth and provides for
greater leverage to SG&A," said SMSC CEO Steven Bilodeau.
"Furthermore, it provides geographic diversity and increases brand
visibility by establishing SMSC as an important semiconductor
provider in Europe." Oasis, which develops integrated circuits for
networking multimedia devices in automobiles, is one of the largest
privately held fabless semiconductor manufacturers in Europe.
http://www.smsc.com/whatsnew/prcorp/smscoasispr.html
_____________________________________________

o Anti-Software Patents Campaigner Florian Mueller Resigns

Brussels -- Florian Mueller, the manager of a European anti-software
patent campaign called NoSoftwarePatents.com, announced that he is
resigning from his position and returning to his computer games
business. What's more, Mueller said his organisation would be carried
on by the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII),
another anti-software patent group headed by Hartmut Pilch.
NoSoftwarePatents.com was formed in October 2004 with the support
of Red Hat, MySQL and web hosting firm 1&1 Internet. "(Mueller) has
contributed an important missing link between various communities,"
Pilch said. "Together with 1&1, Red Hat and MySQL, our media team
will now leverage the NoSoftwarePatents.com platform to further boost
the morale of the large majority of companies and individuals whose
freedom and productivity is currently under threat."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?K2C8239CA
_____________________________________________

o FARO Buys iQvolution for 9.3 Million Euro in Cash and Stock

Lake Mary, Florida -- FARO, a U.S.-based developer of three-
dimensional measurement systems, announced that it has acquired
iQvolution, a Germany-based manufacturer of three-dimensional laser
scanning products and services. Terms of the deal include 9.3 million
euro, of which 67% is in FARO stock and the rest in cash. iQvolution's
technology is currently used for factory planning, facility life-cycle
management, quality control, performing forensic analysis and in
general, processing large volumes of three-dimensional data. The
company's revenue in 2005 is expected to be around 5.8 million euro.
"Similar to our acquisition of SMX in 2002, we expect that the
combination of iQvolution's technology and FARO's financial backing
and worldwide sales and marketing organisation will create a much
bigger player in this market than iQvolution could on its own," said
Faro President Jay Freeland.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050329/nytu175.html?.v=3
_____________________________________________

o Intel, Bertelsmann to Collaborate on Media Download Service

Berlin -- Chipmaker Intel and German media conglomerate
Bertelsmann announced that they have agreed to collaborate on the
design of devices that are compatible with a planned Bertelsmann
downloading and media-sharing service for music, movies and games,
Reuters reported. Intel said it would design chips for computers and
mobile phones that will support the Bertelsmann service. "One of the
major environmental changes in the electronics industry is this
convergence -- a combination of computing, communications and
content," Intel CEO Craig Barrett told Reuters. "This thing we call the
digital home really is the combination of all three of those things."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?J126219CA
_____________________________________________

o Report: Business Process Outsourcing to Increase 8% in 2005

Stamford, Connecticut - Worldwide business process outsourcing
(BPO) is projected to reach 103 billion euro (£71 billion) in 2005, an
increase of 8% from 2004 revenue of 95.5 billion euro (£65.7 billion),
according to a new report by technology market research firm Gartner.
Gartner defines BPO as the delegation of one or more IT-intensive
business processes to an external provider that, in turn, owns,
administers and manages the processes based on defined and
measurable performance metrics. BPO markets typically include staff
functions such as human resources, finance and accounting, and contact
centres or vertical specialisation such as insurance claims processing or
banking payments. "A year ago, BPO providers and prospective buyers
held many discussions, but few deals were signed," said Gartner
Research Vice President Lisa Stone. "The level of activity that we are
seeing now reflects the fact that the value proposition behind BPO has
been accepted by buyers."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050329/295527.html?.v=1
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Prague) The Czech government's privatisation agency announced on
Thursday that Telefonica SA, a Spain-based telecommunications
company, has placed the highest bid for a majority stake in Cesky
Telecom, the country's dominant telecommunications company.
Telefonica offered 2.7 billion euro for the government's 51.1% stake,
according to Petra Krainova, spokeswoman for National Property Fund.
Moreover, Krainova said the fund would recommend that the
government consider Telefonica the winner. The Czech government is
expected to vote on the matter within the next two weeks. If Telefonica
does win the bid, it will beat out rivals SwissCom AG of Switzerland,
Belgacom SA of Belgium and a group of investors formed by U.S.
private equity firm Blackstone Group, CVC Capital Partners Ltd.,
Providence and France Telecom.
http://www.fnm.cz/fnm/web.nsf/IndexAN

(London) According to a new report by the Wireless World Forum
(WWF), U.K. kids on average receive their first mobile phone by the
time they are eight years old. The Mobile Youth 2005 report found that
more than 13 million young people in the U.K. own a mobile phone,
with approximately 9 million of those being under the age of 15. About
95% of British kids under the age of 14 received their mobile phones
from their parents. Ironically, the report also found that about 63% of
parents were worried about the possible health risks to their children of
using mobile phones, while 72% expressed concern that mobile phones
were leading their children into serious debt.
http://www.w2forum.com/view/mobileyouth_2004_report 

(London) London Mayor Ken Livingstone announced that he is seeking
proposals from suppliers to provide mobile phone services on Tube
stations. "We know that many Londoners would like the convenience
of being able to use their mobile phones at Tube stations throughout the
Underground network," Livingstone said. "We also want to see how the
technology could be taken even further, for instance wireless Internet
so passengers could receive up-to-the-minute travel information via
their laptop or mobile phone." If a suitable technology provider can be
found, passengers could be using mobile phones at London
Underground stations as soon as 2008, Livingstone said.
http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/pressreleases/0503/22.asp

(London) A group of specialist organisations that facilitate global
transmission of Internet data will convene in London on April 11-12 to
identify ways of improving services for Internet users. The forum,
hosted by the London Internet Exchange (LINX) and University
College London, will see representatives from 34 Internet exchange
points (IXPs) from Europe, the U.S. and Japan discuss ways of
coordinating procedures and technical standards for the benefit of
Internet users. "This forum will provide an opportunity for IXPs, which
provide facilities for switching Internet data between service providers,
to discuss ways of harmonising their technical processes for the benefit
of all users," said LINX Chief Executive John Souter.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N489269CA 

(London) Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced that it
signed a license agreement with Twentieth Century Fox for the video
game rights to Fox's TV series, "24". Developed by Sony's Cambridge
Studio, the game will feature the voices and likenesses of actors
including Kiefer Sutherland, Elisha Cuthbert and Carlos Bernard. In
addition, a script for the game was penned by show writer Duppy
Demetrius, and music for the game was produced by TV series
composer Sean Callery. Sony plans to release its PlayStation 2-
exclusive "24: The Game" in the fall of 2005.
http://www.scee.com/index.jhtml 
http://www.fox.com/24 

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> VoIP and Enhanced Phone Services Can Save Businesses 40 Percent

Hosted communications is the wave of the future with incredible
features and radical cost savings. Aptela transforms any existing phone
equipment - even cell phones - into a state of the art communications
center, or lets you completely throw away your phone system (and
carrier!) for terrific savings. There's no capital expense, and service can
be up and running in hours. Virtually any type and size business - even
SOHO's - will benefit from better productivity, improved customer
service, and often increased sales - while they save serious money.
There's a reason businesses are adopting aptela in droves - go to
http://www.aptela.com?ptw  to find out more, or call 866-4APTELA
(866-427-8352)
_____________________________________________

> Reach Beyond Your Local Metro Area for Event Attendees

Hosting a webinar or seminar with a broad geographic appeal? Post
your event announcement on all of the Tech Wire publications for one
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============================================

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

Questions, comments, news tips, press releases. Send email to:
jim@europeantechwire.com

Copyright: CapWire Inc. 2005

European Tech Wire - March 30, 2005

============================================
EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - March 30, 2005
============================================
Sponsored By: Aptela - VoIP and Enhanced Phone Services
http://www.aptela.com?ptw

o Siemens to Acquire Flender Holding for 1.2 Billion Euro
o French Media Services Group Thomson Acquires Inventel
o EU Project Helps Microfirms Take Advantage of Broadband
o Welsh Community First in U.K. to Switch Off Analogue Signal
o Sweden-Based Transmode AB to Merge with Lumentis AB
o Visual Defence Expects to Raise £20 Million with AIM IPO
o Airspan Networks to Acquire ArelNet for 6.7 Million Euro
> VoIP and Enhanced Phone Services Can Save Businesses 40 Percent
o Briefly Noted: Research Training in Nanosciences Workshop, The
Nerve Centre-Invest Northern Ireland, Third Wave Systems-U.K.
Office, Logicalis Group-Ian Cook-Mike Cox
_____________________________________________

o Siemens to Acquire Flender Holding for 1.2 Billion Euro

Berlin -- Siemens AG, a Germany-based engineering and technology
giant, announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire Flender
Holding GmbH, a German gear system supplier, from Citigroup
Venture Capital Equity Partners for 1.2 billion euro. Flender is a
supplier of mechanical and electrical drive equipment for conveying
systems and power generation. Siemens said Flender would be
integrated into it automation and drives group (A&G), pending
approval by antitrust authorities. "This acquisition is an important step
which ideally rounds off our drive systems portfolio," said Siemens
A&G Director Helmut Gierse. "This will enable us to expand our
position as the world's leading supplier in the field of industrial
automation."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?W572137CA
_____________________________________________

o French Media Services Group Thomson Acquires Inventel

Paris -- Thomson, a France-based electronics and media services group,
announced that it has acquired Inventel, a Paris-based, privately held
specialist in broadband and wireless communications. Under the terms
of the acquisition, Inventel will be incorporated into Thomson's access
platforms and gateways business unit, which provides services for
satellite, cable and terrestrial operators. "Increasing our already
substantial business with telecom operators is one of our important
areas of development, as highlighted in our Two-Year Plan," said
Thomson CEO Frank Dangeard. "This acquisition, which is likely to be
followed by others, will further Thomson's objective of strengthening
its role as a strategic supplier and partner to this important customer
base." While Thomson did not disclose financial details, it did say the
cost was in line with its acquisition criteria.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?R230527CA
_____________________________________________

o EU Project Helps Microfirms Take Advantage of Broadband

Brussels -- The European Commission announced that it is providing
1.4 million euro for a Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) project
called NEWTIME that will allow microfirms (companies with fewer
than 10 employees) to take advantage of opportunities presented by
broadband and business networking. Microfirms currently account for
about 93% of Europe's approximately 20 million companies.
NEWTIME brings together seven partners from six European countries
to tackle broadband problems through interactive mentoring and taking
into account differences in business sectors, local economies, cultures
and provision of broadband services. The project also provides advice,
support and training on business development and IT applications, e-
business support strategies, effective networks, market information and
joint projects and guidelines for boosting business use of computer
technologies.
http://www.newtime.org/
_____________________________________________

o Sweden-Based Transmode AB to Merge with Lumentis AB

Stockholm -- Transmode Systems AB, a private optical company based
in Sweden, announced that it has agreed to merge with Swedish rival
Lumentis AB to create a new optical networking firm. Transmode CEO
Isaac Olasoko will head the company, which will be called Transmode.
"Customers of both companies will benefit from a greater choice of
solution and dealing with an organisation with global operational
strength," Olasoko said. "Because the products of both companies are
highly complementary, we will be able to serve both a broader base of
customers, particularly opportunities with larger carriers, and a broader
set of applications within those customers' networks." Last December,
Transmode closed an 11.6-million-euro financing round, while
Lumentis raised 7 million euro last June, bringing the new company's
overall investment to date to more than 62 million euro.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?O2A5126CA
_____________________________________________

o Welsh Community First in U.K. to Switch Off Analogue Signal

Cardiff -- Television viewers in Wales became the first in the U.K. to
lose their analogue TV signal after about 450 households in Ferryside
and Llanstephan were switched to digital on Wednesday. About 98% of
area residents voted to switch to digital-only after taking part in a three-
month pilot scheme. Wales as a whole is scheduled to make the same
switch by 2008, four years ahead of the 2012 deadline for the U.K.
Separately, U.K. telecommunications watchdog Ofcom announced on
Wednesday that, as of Dec. 31, 2004, more than 59% of U.K.
households were receiving digital TV, a 3% increase compared to the
period ended Sept. 30, 2004. Ofcom's quarterly Digital Television
Update also found that about 5 million U.K. homes were using the
Freeview set-top boxes in the fourth quarter of 2004. That said,
households that already had access to digital TV bought a quarter of the
boxes sold over the same period.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?R2E4127CA
_____________________________________________

o Visual Defence Expects to Raise £20 Million with AIM IPO

Toronto -- Visual Defence, a Canada-based provider of digital security
systems, announced that it is planning an initial public offering (IPO)
next month on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment
Market (AIM). Visual Defence makes audio-visual security systems
that can be connected to existing phone lines, wireless networks or
broadband connections. The company is a spin-off of Emblaze Ltd., an
Israel-based, London-listed technology firm that has produced
Adamind, a media technology firm, and Orca Interactive, an Internet
TV group. Visual Defence was created from the merger of Emblaze
Defence and Girit Projects, a Canadian security and surveillance group.
The IPO is scheduled for the end of April and should raise
approximately £20 million. Visual Defence said it would use the funds
to increase sales and marketing and strengthen its balance sheet.
http://www.visualdefence.com/htm/news.htm
_____________________________________________

o Airspan Networks to Acquire ArelNet for 6.7 Million Euro

Boca Raton, Florida -- Airspan Networks, a U.S.-based provider of
broadband access wireless communications technology, announced that
it has agreed to pay 6.7 million euro in cash and stock for ArelNet, an
Israel-based developer of Internet-based voice communications (VoIP)
equipment and software. Terms of the deal include 3.1 million euro in
cash and 3.6 million euro in stock. ArelNet's products include soft
switches and gateways that support all major VoIP standards. "We
strongly believe that voice services will be a significant part of the
overall WiMAX business case for operators, and by making this
acquisition we will be able to offer the strongest voice-enabled product
portfolio in the industry," said Airspan CEO Eric Stonestrom. "Our due
diligence to date indicates that ArelNet's current product offerings,
development roadmap and track record in innovation will strengthen
our market position in this important area when we introduce AS.MAX
in the second half of 2005."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050329/295533.html?.v=1
_____________________________________________

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> VoIP and Enhanced Phone Services Can Save Businesses 40 Percent

Hosted communications is the wave of the future with incredible
features and radical cost savings. Aptela transforms any existing phone
equipment - even cell phones - into a state of the art communications
center, or lets you completely throw away your phone system (and
carrier!) for terrific savings. There's no capital expense, and service can
be up and running in hours. Virtually any type and size business - even
SOHO's - will benefit from better productivity, improved customer
service, and often increased sales - while they save serious money.
There's a reason businesses are adopting aptela in droves - go to
http://www.aptela.com?ptw  to find out more, or call 866-4APTELA
(866-427-8352)
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
_____________________________________________


o Briefly Noted:

(Brussels) The European Commission announced that it is organising a
workshop called "Research Training in Nanosciences and
Nanotechnologies: Current Status and Future Needs". The Commission
said the workshop would review current nanotechnology research
training, facilitate an effective exchange of information and best
practice, assess the current and future needs for research organisations
and industry, and develop proposals for possible follow-up initiatives in
Europe. The workshop will take place in Brussels on April 14-15.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?O2B3127CA

(Belfast, Northern Ireland) The Nerve Centre, a multimedia arts and
technology operation based in Londonderry, announced that it is
investing £180,700 with support from Invest Northern Ireland (Invest
NI), the EU and the Arts Council for Northern Ireland to develop an
electronic ticketing system for arts venues. Invest NI is providing
£105,000 under the Leapfrog scheme from the EU Technology Support
for the Knowledge-Based Economy programme. "This is a very
significant investment by one of our most innovative organisations with
an impressive track record in helping arts and the wider community to
harness the benefits of digital technology," said Invest NI's Kevin
Helferty, who added that there would be opportunities to export the
technology to other markets in the near future.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?F693237CA

(Sheffield, England) Third Wave Systems, a U.S.-based machine
modelling software supplier, announced on Wednesday that it has
opened an office at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre
(AMRC) in Sheffield that will share space with U.S.-based aerospace
giant Boeing. "Engineers in the U.K. and continental Europe have been
open to the new world view in machining process optimisation
provided by our modelling technology," said Third Wave President
Kerry Marusich. "We are excited to extend the cooperation with our
colleagues at the AMRC and with Boeing in both the marketplace and
in research." Aerospace and automotive companies use Third Wave's
software to reduce product design and manufacturing costs.
http://www.thirdwavesys.com/news.php

(London) Logicalis Group, a U.K.-based IT company, announced on
Wednesday that Ian Cook, CEO of Logicalis European Operations, and
Mike Cox, CEO of Logicalis U.S. Operations, have been appointed to
the board of directors, effective immediately. Logicalis said the move
reflected the need to increase senior management representation and
coordination to enhance the quality of tactical and strategic decision
making. "(Cook and Cox) each have outstanding expertise in sales,
operations and management, and we recognise that their appointments
will greatly enhance our ability to execute our ambitious growth
strategy," said Logicalis CEO Jens Montanana.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?M243157CA

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

> VoIP and Enhanced Phone Services Can Save Businesses 40 Percent

Hosted communications is the wave of the future with incredible
features and radical cost savings. Aptela transforms any existing phone
equipment - even cell phones - into a state of the art communications
center, or lets you completely throw away your phone system (and
carrier!) for terrific savings. There's no capital expense, and service can
be up and running in hours. Virtually any type and size business - even
SOHO's - will benefit from better productivity, improved customer
service, and often increased sales - while they save serious money.
There's a reason businesses are adopting aptela in droves - go to
http://www.aptela.com?ptw  to find out more, or call 866-4APTELA
(866-427-8352)
_____________________________________________

> Reach Beyond Your Local Metro Area for Event Attendees

Hosting a webinar or seminar with a broad geographic appeal? Post
your event announcement on all of the Tech Wire publications for one
price. Reach 80,000 subscribers from technology and emerging growth
companies, many of whom attend seminars and networking events on a
regular basis. A 5-day ad across all 7 Tech Wires is $750. For more
info, go to http://www.potomactechwire.com/Event_Form.html

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============================================

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

Questions, comments, news tips, press releases. Send email to:
jim@europeantechwire.com

Copyright: CapWire Inc. 2005

European Tech Wire - March 29, 2005

============================================
EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - March 29, 2005
============================================
To Subscribe: http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

o EU Approves Name for Stripped-Down Version of Windows
o TeliaSonera Buys Majority Turkcell Stake for 2.4 Billion Euro
o Telecommunications Giants Join Forces to Tackle Hackers
o Internet Entrepreneur Takes Apple to High Court over iTunes
o Report: European Companies Embracing Internet Telephony
o SafeNet to Buy Dutch Firm DMDsecure for 7.5 Million Euro
o Briefly Noted: palmOne-European Centre, Sofinnova Partners-Jean
Schmitt, LogicaCMG-Wales Expansion, Warner Music-U.K.
Ringtones, Synergenix Interactive-3 UK, Kuju Entertainment-In-Fusio
_____________________________________________

o EU Approves Name for Stripped-Down Version of Windows

Brussels -- Microsoft announced this week that it has reached an
agreement with the European Commission that will allow the U.S.-
based software giant to sell a stripped-down version of its Windows
operating system in the EU under the name "Windows XP Home
Edition N". The Commission recommended the name after rejecting 10
suggestions by Microsoft. The "Windows XP Home Edition N" or
"Windows XP Professional Edition N" editions will be sold in a matter
of weeks, Microsoft said. In a landmark ruling last year, the
Commission ordered Microsoft to offer customers a version of
Windows without its multimedia player. The two have been butting
heads ever since over a name for the operating system that would not
put off consumers.
http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/
http://europa.eu.int/comm/press_room/index_en.htm
_____________________________________________

o TeliaSonera Buys Majority Turkcell Stake for 2.4 Billion Euro

Istanbul -- TeliaSonera, a Swedish-Finnish telecommunications service
provider, announced this week that it has purchased a further 27% of
Turkcell from the Cukurova Group for 2.4 billion euro in cash, thereby
increasing its shareholding in the company to 64.3%. Teliasonera said
the deal would considerably strengthen it market position in Turkey, as
Turkcell is the country's largest mobile phone company, with more than
23 million customers. "Turkcell has an impressive track record and
interesting development opportunities," said TeliaSonera CEO Anders
Igel. "A transaction would strengthen both Turkcell and TeliaSonera
possibilities for the future." Teliasonera said it expected to close the
deal by the end of the second quarter, although the transaction is still
subject to agreement on definitive documentation including share
purchase agreement, further due diligence on Turkcell and the receipt
of all necessary regulatory approvals and third party consents.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?B53614FD7
http://www.turkcell.com.tr/index/0,1028,65900,00.html
_____________________________________________

o Internet Entrepreneur Takes Apple to High Court over iTunes

London -- Benjamin Cohen, a 22-year-old Internet entrepreneur,
announced on Tuesday that he has applied to the U.K. High Court for a
judicial review of a case concerning the iTunes domain name. Earlier
this month, Nominet, the U.K. domain name registry service, awarded
the itunes.co.uk domain name to computer giant Apple, despite the fact
Cohen registered it three years before Apple launched its online music
shop. The registry said that, by offering to sell the domain name and
continuing to re-direct people from itunes.co.uk, Cohen had abused his
registration. "The domain name, in the hands of the respondent
(Cohen), is an abusive registration on the grounds of its use in a manner
taking unfair advantage of, and being unfairly detrimental to, the rights
of the complainant (Apple)," Nominet said. Cohen, however, accused
Nominet of being biased against small businesses. "The procedure that
Nominet utilises to settle disputes is unfair and biased towards big
business at the expense of legitimate small British companies," he said.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/
http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/judgments/judg_home.htm
_____________________________________________

o Telecommunications Giants Join Forces to Tackle Hackers

London -- Some of the world's largest telecommunications equipment
providers and network operators, including BT Group Plc, Cisco
Systems, EarthLink, MCI and NTT Communications, announced that
they have teamed up to crack down on hackers. The so-called
Fingerprint Sharing Alliance said it hoped to help its members to better
share information on individuals responsible for launching online
attacks. Members of the alliance will automatically send one another
information on computer attacks as they occur, thus alerting other
communications companies immediately when they're being
threatened. "Providers like BT spend a lot of time and resources
protecting the integrity and availability of their networks to deliver the
services our customers expect of us," said Dave Harcourt, head of
Network Security at BT Wholesale. "The (Alliance) is a great
complement to this because it enables providers to quickly share
information on attacks across global networks."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?C6A8225CA
_____________________________________________

o Report: European Companies Embracing Internet Telephony

Paris -- According to the Western European IP Telephone Tracker by
market analysis firm IDC, Internet telephony is starting to take off in
Western Europe, especially among businesses. "(The fourth quarter of
2004) was another high-growth quarter for the European IP telephone
market," said IDC analyst Rogier Mol. "We can see now that IP
telephony is mainstream, and this is clearly showing in the number of
companies that are converging their voice and data networks." In the
fourth quarter of last year, Internet protocol (IP) telephony revenues
increased by 13% over the third quarter to 60 million euro, while the
number of IP handsets shipped increased by 14% over the same period.
IDC predicted that IP telephone shipments for 2005 would increase by
53% and that revenue would reach more than 271 million euro. Cisco
Systems made the biggest market-share gain for the quarter, seeing its
unit market share increase by 1.5% and revenue market share increase
by 3.4%. Avaya gained the second biggest market share, making
significant inroads into the European IP market, IDC said.
http://www.idc.com/
_____________________________________________

o SafeNet to Buy Dutch Firm DMDsecure for 7.5 Million Euro

Baltimore -- SafeNet, a U.S.-based information security firm, recently
announced that it has agreed to acquire DMDsecure.com, a maker of
digital rights management software used by broadcasters and service
providers, for about 7.5 million euro in cash. The value of the deal
could rise, based on future revenue generated by DMDsecure.com,
which is based in the Netherlands. With the deal, SafeNet will gain a
client list that includes Arcor, British Telecom and Deutsche Telecom.
Anthony Caputo, chairman and CEO of SafeNet, said his company
began investing heavily in the rights management business when it
merged with Rainbow Technologies. "The acquisition of DMDsecure
will enable us to extend our growth into the electronic download
content protection market segment," he said.
http://www2.safenet-inc.com/news/viewstory.asp?ID=367 
http://www.dmdsecure.com 
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Dublin) palmOne, a U.S.-based handheld computing and
communications firm, recently announced that it plans to open its first
European engineering centre at Swords, Ireland, just outside Dublin.
palmOne said the facility, due to open in the summer, would focus on
emerging mobile technology that will help the company to step up the
supply of smart-phones to European carriers. "The European carriers
are known for cutting-edge technology, including the introduction of
3G networks and advanced messaging applications," said Francois
Bornibus, palmOne vice president for the EMEA region (Europe,
Middle East and Africa). "This centre will help the company align its
products to take best advantage of high-speed networks being deployed
in Europe."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?X625265CA

(Paris) Sofinnova Partners, a France-based venture capital firm that
focuses on start-ups and early-stage companies in the IT and life
sciences sectors, announced this week that it has promoted Jean
Schmitt to managing partner. Schmitt, who has founded several
companies including SLP InfoWare, joined Sofinnova's IT team as a
partner in December 2001. While at Sofinnova, Schmitt has focused on
mobile telephony, investing in embedded software, mobile game
technologies, fingerprint sensors and acoustic-based tactile user
interfaces. He is also a board member of Esmertec, UPEK,
InfraWorlds, Sensitive Object and CTS.
http://www.sofinnova.fr/scripts/

(Cardiff, Wales) LogicaCMG, Anglo-Dutch IT service provider, has
opened an office facility in Bridgend, Wales, to accommodate the
expansion of its outsourcing operations. "Outsourcing comprised 39
percent of U.K. revenues in 2004, and this will continue to grow in
2005 to meet customer demand, with our Welsh operation playing a
key role," said LogicaCMG Chief Operating Officer Jim McKenna.
The company said the new office was part of a major expansion
programme announced last year that is expected to create more than
750 new jobs by 2007.
http://www.logicacmg.com/

(London) Major record label Warner Music recently announced that it
would allow U.K. mobile-phone users to edit and create their own
ringtones based on Atlantic Records hip-hop artist Fabolous's new
single "Baby." The ringtone, priced at £4, comes with software that will
let users choose any segment of the song to designate as their ringtone,
instead of the industry standard practice of distributing pre-selected
ringtone snippets.
http://tinyurl.com/5mwzq 
http://www.fabolous.com 

(Stockholm, Sweden) Swedish mobile game developer Synergenix
Interactive recently announced that it has signed an agreement with
U.K. wireless carrier 3 to provide a number of its 3D mobile games to
3's 2.5 million subscribers. Titles will include "Lock n' Load", "Rally
Pro Contest", "Conflict: Vietnam" and "Carmageddon". Synergenix
said it would also work with 3 to release real-time multiplayer mobile
games in the U.K.
http://www.three.co.uk 

(Surrey, England) Kuju Entertainment, a U.K.-based mobile game
publisher, recently announced that it has signed a distribution
agreement with French mobile entertainment publisher In-Fusio. Under
the terms, In-Fusio will publish Kuju's "Bill & Ted" and "Judge Dredd"
mobile games in North and South America through 2006.
http://www.kuju.com 
http://www.in-fusio.com 

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

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> Reach Beyond Your Local Metro Area for Event Attendees

Hosting a webinar or seminar with a broad geographic appeal? Post
your event announcement on all of the Tech Wire publications for one
price. Reach 80,000 subscribers from technology and emerging growth
companies, many of whom attend seminars and networking events on a
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============================================

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

Questions, comments, news tips, press releases. Send email to:
jim@europeantechwire.com

Copyright: CapWire Inc. 2005

European Tech Wire - March 24, 2005

============================================
EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - March 24, 2005
============================================
To Subscribe: http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

o ICANN Gives Europe Green Light for .eu Internet Extension
o Sendo Holdings Files Counterclaim against Sweden's Ericsson
o U.S.-Based Euronet Acquires Trio of Prepaid Top-Up Firms
o iSuppli Cancels "Yellow Alert" for Excess Chip Inventories
o SAP Founder Dietmar Hopp to Resign from Board in May
o Briefly Noted: The Welsh Development Agency-Hynix
Semiconductor Wales Ltd., Nielsen//NetRatings-European Travel
Website Traffic, BroadVision Inc.-Ceri Hyett, Loudeye-Gizmondo
_____________________________________________

o ICANN Gives Europe Green Light for .eu Internet Extension

Brussels -- The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN), the non-profit organisation that oversees technical matters
related to the Internet, has approved EURid's application to take a
European top-level domain into ICANN's root files, meaning that the
.eu domain -- after a seven-and-a-half-year wait -- could be a reality as
early as 2006. What's more, Belgium-based EURid (the European
Registry of Internet Domain Names) has been chosen to manage the .eu
domain. EURid, which claims that the creation of the .eu domain is
integral for promoting e-commerce in Europe and creating higher
visibility of the internal market, announced that companies could begin
registering trademarked names with the .eu suffix later this year.
"Having .eu in the root sets the green light for the launch of .eu," said
EURid General Manager Marc Van Wesemael. "Over the next few
months, we will be working very hard on the final preparations with the
aim of launching the .eu Sunrise period later this year." General
registrations will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis, EURid
said.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?T2EB12DBA
http://www.eurid.org/en/home.php
_____________________________________________

o Sendo Holdings Files Counterclaim against Sweden's Ericsson

Stockholm -- Sendo Holdings, a U.K.-based mobile phone maker,
announced on Thursday that it has filed a counterclaim with the
European Commission against Ericsson AB, a Sweden-based
telecommunications equipment maker. Ericsson announced on
Wednesday that it has filed lawsuits against Sendo in Germany, the
Netherlands and the U.K. for patent infringement. Ericsson, which
claims that Sendo's products infringe on a number of Ericsson patents
covering GSM and GPRS technologies, said it was seeking monetary
damages and an injunction against the continued sale and marketing of
Sendo's mobile phone products. For its part, Sendo claims Ericsson is
seeking to license its patents to third parties on an unfair, anti-
competitive, abusive and discriminatory basis. Sendo said Ericsson's
practices had led to the charging of excessive royalty rates, thus
restricting competition and excluding new market entrants from
operating effectively in the GSM market.
http://www.ericsson.com/press/20050323-101347.html
http://www.sendo.com/Sendo/Company/About.htm
_____________________________________________

o U.S.-Based Euronet Acquires Trio of Prepaid Top-Up Firms

Madrid -- Euronet Worldwide, a U.S.-based electronic payments
provider, announced on Thursday that it has completed its assets
purchase of Telerecarga, a Spain-based provider of pre-paid top-up
services, and Dynamic Telecom, a U.S.-based pre-paid service
provider. Euronet also increased its stake in U.K.-based ATX Software
from 10% to 51%. Euronet will acquire Telerecarga -- which
specialises in the electronic distribution of prepaid wireless airtime and
other prepaid products through point-of-sale terminals -- for
approximately 38 million euro, and Dynamic Telecom -- which
specialises in wireless top-up, long-distance calling cards and financial
services products -- for as much as 7.7 million euro. Euronet also
announced that it has exercised its option to purchase an additional
41% of the shares of ATX for about 8 million euro.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?C15F25DBA
_____________________________________________

o iSuppli Cancels "Yellow Alert" for Excess Chip Inventories

London -- According to the new Semiconductor Industry Tracker report
from iSuppli, the inventory correction phenomenon that has plagued
the global semiconductor industry since last year will soon come to an
end. The report said the electronics supply chain will be well on its way
to ridding itself of surplus computer chips by the end of the second
quarter this year. iSuppli said inventories worldwide will have dropped
from 769 million euro at the end of last year to about 600 million euro
by the end of this month. Moreover, semiconductor suppliers had about
four days' worth of inventory as of the end of the first quarter this year,
down from more than a week's worth at the end of last year. "Given
these trends, the surplus inventory will be completely cleared out of the
supply chain by early in the second quarter," iSuppli said. Due to these
developments, the company is cancelling its "yellow alert" for excess
chip inventories.
http://www.isuppli.com/
_____________________________________________

o SAP Founder Dietmar Hopp to Resign from Board in May

Frankfurt -- SAP AG, a Germany-based enterprise software maker,
announced on Thursday that Dietmar Hopp, the company's founder,
former chief executive officer and largest shareholder, would resign
from SAP's supervisory board in May. SAP said it would propose to
elect E.ON board member Erhard Schipporeit to replace Hopp, who
will remain a major shareholder in the company. Hopp and his family
currently own about 13.2% of SAP, one of the largest business-
software makers in the world.
http://www.sap.com/index.epx
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Cardiff, Wales) The Welsh Development Agency (WDA) and Hynix
Semiconductor Wales Ltd., the local subsidiary of Korea-based Hynix
Semiconductor Inc., announced this week that the two parties have
reached a settlement for the recovery of assistance provided by the
WDA for the construction of a plant in Newport, Wales. Under the
terms of the "honourable withdrawal" agreement, the WDA will
recover all of the £36.6 million it contributed to assist the LG
semiconductor project. Hynix had invested a total of £131 million in
the construction of the plant, but radical changes in the semiconductor
market and the Korean economy meant that the plant was never
brought into production, the WDA said.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?O1CD21DBA

(Paris) According to a new report by market analysis firm
Nielsen//NetRatings, Expedia is currently the most visited multi-
category travel website in Europe, with Lastminute.com coming in a
close second. Voyages-sncf.com, Opodo, Yahoo! Travel, TUI,
Ebookers, eDreams, Virgin Travel and Hapag-Lloyd rounded out the
Top 10. The report also found that the number of European women
visiting multi-category travel websites increased significantly in
February 2005, with 2.2 million more women visiting the sites
compared to a year ago. Nielsen//NetRatings said women now account
for 44% of overall travel site traffic, compared to just 36% last
February.
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/

(Stockholm) BroadVision Inc., a U.S.-based provider of self-service
web applications, announced this week that Ceri Hyett has joined the
company as vice president and general manager of their Northern
Europe operation. Hyett will spearhead U.K. and European sales and
marketing while managing the company's European customer portfolio.
Prior to joining BroadVision, Hyett served as the U.K. general manager
at StreamServe, a provider of business communication software. Hyett
also worked for several leading IT companies, including U.K. content
management vendor Mediasurface and Oracle.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?V2F965DBA

(Seattle) Loudeye, a U.S.-based provider of branded digital music
stores and other digital media services, announced this week that it has
launched a custom digital music store in the U.K. for the Gizmondo
multi-functional handheld video game system. The device, recently
launched in the U.K., supports playback of MP3s stored on removable
flash memory cards. The Gizmondo music store will offer 450,000
tracks for purchase and download, starting at 69 pence (1 euro) each.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050323/sfw033_2.html 
http://www.gizmondomusic.com 

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

> Naval IT Day Conference, AFCEA NOVA - Mar 30 - CNO Keynote

Hear keynotes from the CNO, Commandant of the Marine Corps,
Deputy Commandant for I&L and CIO. Plus speakers from
NETWARCOM, NAVSEA, NAVAIR, and many others. These leaders
will share how our Naval team (Navy plus Marines plus Industry) plans
to use IT to continue winning the war on terrorism while transforming
to meet all future threats. Plus, a very special program for small
businesses. Full info and registration at:
http://www.afceanova.org/navalitday  Send inquiries to
events@afceanova.org
_____________________________________________

> Reach Beyond Your Local Metro Area for Event Attendees

Hosting a webinar or seminar with a broad geographic appeal? Post
your event announcement on all of the Tech Wire publications for one
price. Reach 80,000 subscribers from technology and emerging growth
companies, many of whom attend seminars and networking events on a
regular basis. A 5-day ad across all 7 Tech Wires is $750. For more
info, go to http://www.potomactechwire.com/Event_Form.html

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

============================================

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

Questions, comments, news tips, press releases. Send email to:
jim@europeantechwire.com

Copyright: CapWire Inc. 2005

European Tech Wire - March 23, 2005

============================================
EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - March 23, 2005
============================================
Sponsored By: Naval IT Day Conference, AFCEA NOVA - Mar 30
http://www.afceanova.org/navalitday

o EU Takes Issue with Microsoft over Independent Trustee
o Ericsson Sues U.K.-Based Sendo for Patent Infringement
o Solid Capital Launches 75-Million-Euro Benelux Tech Fund
o Israel's Genesis Partners Complete First Close of VC Fund
o Finland's SysOpen to Acquire Yomi for 12.1 Million Euro
o U.S.-Based PlayTV Buys Israel-Based Pixel Technologies
o Microsoft Expands Shared Source Initiative for Entire EU
> Naval IT Day Conference, AFCEA NOVA - Mar 30 - CNO Keynote
o Briefly Noted: SwitchCore, Arvato-Bertelsmann-GNAB Service,
Datanomic-Tony Morris, Icera Semiconductor Ltd.-Rick Dingle,
Channel Five-7 Digital, Scottish Equity Partners-Gary Le Sueur
_____________________________________________

o EU Takes Issue with Microsoft over Independent Trustee

Brussels -- The European Commission announced on Wednesday that
Microsoft's proposal for a trustee, who will be in charge of determining
whether the U.S.-based software giant has complied with anti-trust
measures, is unacceptable. In a landmark decision last year, the
Commission concluded that Microsoft had abused its monopoly on
computer software and ordered the company to offer a version of
Windows without audio-visual software, as well as share protocol
information with rivals. As part of that ruling, Microsoft was supposed
to nominate an independent trustee to monitor its compliance. The
Commission claims Microsoft wants a right of veto on which questions
the mediator can study. "Such a veto is unacceptable because it would
compromise the ability of the person mandated to provide the
Commission with effective help in monitoring application of the
penalties in March 2004," an EU spokesman said. Microsoft, which
rejected the assessment, now has until April 11 to respond to the
Commission's latest complaint.
http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/
http://europa.eu.int/comm/press_room/index_en.htm
_____________________________________________

o Ericsson Sues U.K.-Based Sendo for Patent Infringement

Stockholm -- Ericsson AB, a Sweden-based telecommunications
equipment maker, announced on Wednesday that it has sued Sendo, a
U.K.-based mobile phone company, for patent infringement in several
countries. Ericsson, which claims that Sendo's products infringe on a
number of Ericsson patents covering GSM and GPRS technologies, is
seeking monetary damages and an injunction against the continued sale
and marketing of Sendo's mobile phone products. "Basically, all we ask
is that companies who use technology invented by Ericsson compensate
us for this, the same way we are prepared to compensate others for our
use of their technology," said Ericsson Vice President of Patent
Licensing Kasim Alfalahi. "We believe that Sendo is using Ericsson
patented technology, but they have so far not signed a license
agreement with Ericsson." The Swedish company has filed the lawsuits
Germany, the Netherlands and the U.K.
http://www.ericsson.com/
http://www.sendo.com/Sendo/Company/About.htm
_____________________________________________

o Solid Capital Launches 75-Million-Euro Benelux Tech Fund

Belgium -- Solid Capital Partners announced this week that it has
launched a later-stage/expansion investment fund -- dubbed the Solid
Capital ICT Fund III -- that will focus on established, fast-growing
private technology companies in the Benelux region. Solid Capital said
the new fund would put an increased emphasis on established
companies in the communications, software technologies, technology-
based services and digital media sectors. The company said it was
raising 75 million euro in limited partnership commitments from
institutional and large private investors. "This is the right timing for a
new and promising fund at the start of a technology investment cycle,
with good investment opportunities in established, fast-growing
technology companies in a Benelux market with hardly any technology
funds left to compete with," said Solid Capital Managing Partner
Robert Wilhelm.
http://www.solidcapital.com/
_____________________________________________

o Israel's Genesis Partners Complete First Close of VC Fund

Jerusalem -- Genesis Partners, an Israel-based seed and early-stage
venture capital firm, has announced the first closing of Genesis Partners
III at more than 76 million euro. Genesis said the fund would focus on
early-stage investment in IT, enterprise software, communications and
semiconductors. The company also said it planned to announce its first
investment from the new fund within the next few weeks. "Genesis is
already in the process of due diligence in a few companies, and we
expect to close our first investments in a matter of weeks," said Genesis
co-founder and managing partner Eyal Kishon. "We will remain
focused on helping our portfolio companies grow and continue to
emphasise issues such as capital efficiency, building profitable
companies and being instrumental at the board level."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?A3FA12BBA
_____________________________________________

o Finland's SysOpen to Acquire Yomi for 12.1 Million Euro

Helsinki -- SysOpen Digia Plc, a Finland-based IT services vendor,
announced this week that it has agreed to acquire Yomi Software Ltd.,
a Finland-based communications systems firm, from Finnish
telecommunications group Elisa Corp for more than 12 million euro in
cash. Under the terms of the agreement, Elisa will also be released of
1.5 million euro of debt liabilities. SysOpen said the deal would make it
one of the world's largest Symbian integrators, giving the company
more than 450 Symbian experts worldwide. "This acquisition …
communicates to the market that we are proceeding actively in order to
strengthen our position as a supplier of comprehensive mobile and
business solutions," said SysOpen Chairman Pekka Sivonen. "The
expertise that Yomi Software adds to the company, particularly in the
Symbian business, in the operator segment and enterprise applications,
is a major step forward in this development."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z1EB21BBA
http://makeashorterlink.com/?D2CB12BBA
_____________________________________________

o U.S.-Based PlayTV Buys Israel-Based Pixel Technologies

New York -- PlayTV, a U.S.-based publisher of interactive TV games,
announced this week that it has agreed to acquire Pixel Technologies,
an Israel-based developer of cross-platform entertainment technology.
While PlayTV said it raised an undisclosed amount of new funding for
the new company, financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2002, PlayTV provides subscription-based interactive TV
games for cable and satellite TV systems, based on properties including
"Monopoly", "Scrabble", "Asteroids" and "Reader Rabbit". Pixel
Technologies has provided cross-platform, multiplayer interactive TV
game software to customers including EchoStar, Liberate, OpenTV and
Microsoft. The new company will be headquartered in New York and
will be renamed PixelPlay.
http://www.pixelplay.com 
_____________________________________________

o Microsoft Expands Shared Source Initiative for Entire EU

London -- Microsoft announced that it has expanded its Shared Source
Initiative (SSI) Windows source code licensing programmes to seven
additional countries in the EU. The programme, launched in 2001, is
designed to encourage software development and support teaching and
research, as well as create new partnership opportunities. The U.S.-
based software giant said Windows 2000, XP, CE and Server 2003
shared-source programmes will now be made available to eligible
companies, OEMs, systems integrators, Microsoft Most Valuable
Professionals and academic institutions in Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia. "Over the past four years, we
have constantly looked for ways to expand the SSI across technologies,
licence types and geographies to better listen to what our customers and
partners are asking of us," said Microsoft's SSI Director Jason
Matusow. "Expanding the Windows source code access programmes to
the whole of the EU is another important step in this process."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?T1DF23BBA
_____________________________________________

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

> Naval IT Day Conference, AFCEA NOVA - Mar 30 - CNO Keynote

Hear keynotes from the CNO, Commandant of the Marine Corps,
Deputy Commandant for I&L and CIO. Plus speakers from
NETWARCOM, NAVSEA, NAVAIR, and many others. These leaders
will share how our Naval team (Navy plus Marines plus Industry) plans
to use IT to continue winning the war on terrorism while transforming
to meet all future threats. Plus, a very special program for small
businesses. Full info and registration at:
http://www.afceanova.org/navalitday  Send inquiries to
events@afceanova.org

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Stockholm) SwitchCore, a Sweden-based company that develops
integrated switching devices for high-speed data transmission within
and between networks, announced this week that has received a capital
injection of 3.7 million euro. The funds were raised through a new
stock issue with preferential rights for SwitchCore stockholders. The
company also raised 8.2 million euro through applications for
subscribing without preferential rights. "Our owners have shown
significant belief in our business, and it is satisfying that interest has
been so great," said SwitchCore CEO Henric Isacsson. "SwitchCore
now has the financial strength required to continue developing its sales
activities and reach a positive results."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Y29B12BBA

(Gutersloh, Germany) Arvato, a unit of German media conglomerate
Bertelsmann, announced this week that it has launched of a white-label
service that Internet service providers, TV stations and wireless carriers
can use to distribute movies, music and games to their subscribers
using peer-to-peer technology. In addition to distributing legally
licensed content directly to consumers, the GNAB service will allow
users to purchase and download content directly from one another's
computers or mobile phones, shifting the costs of storage and data
transmission to customers.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Q1EA12BBA

(London) Datanomic, a U.K.-based specialist in end-to-end data quality
management, announced this week that it has appointed Tony Morris as
a non-executive board director. Morris -- the founder of Morris
Decision Systems, a PC reselling and systems integration business for
the corporate marketplace -- has been involved in strategic consultancy
and technology investment on both sides of the Atlantic for more than
20 years. Morris has also served on boards and advisory councils for
3COM, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft. At Datanomic,
Morris will provide support to the chairman, advise on the strategic
direction of the company and assist with its expansion in the U.K. and
abroad.
http://www.datanomic.com/

(Bristol, England) Icera Semiconductor Ltd., a Bristol-based fabless
chip company developing a processor for wireless terminal devices,
announced this week that it has appointed Rick Dingle, former chief
technology officer at Siemens Mobile Phones, as its vice president of
platforms. "At Siemens, Dingle brought over 50 mobile phones to
market and managed the entire mobile R&D team globally," said Icera
CEO Stan Boland. "He has great insight into the issues facing mobile
device manufacturers, strong relationships within the OEM industry
and is the ideal person to establish Icera as a major cellular
communications platform provider."
http://www.icerasemi.com/

(London) U.K. TV channel Five announced on Wednesday that it has
become the first broadcaster in the country to offer parts of its shows
for sale as legal downloads. As of this week, viewers of motoring show
Fifth Gear can pay £1.50 for "DVD quality" downloads of car reviews,
the broadcaster said. Local download firm 7 Digital has been contracted
to provide the technology for the online shop. "Broadcasters have seen
the revenues attainable from music downloads and are eager to do the
same with their own content," said 7 Digital Managing Director Ben
Drury. "TV footage can work so much harder for broadcasters, with the
Internet now a commercially sound distribution channel."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?F25F51BBA
http://www.7digitalmedia.com/

(Glasgow) Scottish Equity Partners (SEP), a Scotland-based technology
venture capital firm focusing on high-growth businesses in the IT, life
sciences and energy technology sectors, announced this week that it has
appointed Gary Le Sueur to the newly established role of director of
investment operations. Le Sueur had been a director in SEP's IT group
in London, where he was responsible for a number of investments. SEP
said he would now assume responsibility for investor reporting and
investor relations and play an important part in fund management and
future fundraisings.
http://www.sep.co.uk/

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

> Naval IT Day Conference, AFCEA NOVA - Mar 30 - CNO Keynote

Hear keynotes from the CNO, Commandant of the Marine Corps,
Deputy Commandant for I&L and CIO. Plus speakers from
NETWARCOM, NAVSEA, NAVAIR, and many others. These leaders
will share how our Naval team (Navy plus Marines plus Industry) plans
to use IT to continue winning the war on terrorism while transforming
to meet all future threats. Plus, a very special program for small
businesses. Full info and registration at:
http://www.afceanova.org/navalitday  Send inquiries to
events@afceanova.org
_____________________________________________

> TechSouth IT Summit & Expo - April 19 & 20 - Lafayette, LA

Register today for the gulf coast's premier technology event featuring
30 seminar tracks and 5 dynamic keynote addresses. TechSouth will
feature keynote addresses being delivered by Eng Lim Goh (CTO,
SGI); William Vass (CIO, Sun), Mark Marcin (Industrial Light plus
Magic), Amy Wohl, and Anthony Townsend (NYwireless). This year's
event will also feature the attendance of 100 FTTH Council members.
Register today for $90. http://www.TechSouth.org  Send inquiries to
info@TechSouth.org
_____________________________________________

> Reach Beyond Your Local Metro Area for Event Attendees

Hosting a webinar or seminar with a broad geographic appeal? Post
your event announcement on all of the Tech Wire publications for one
price. Reach 80,000 subscribers from technology and emerging growth
companies, many of whom attend seminars and networking events on a
regular basis. A 5-day ad across all 7 Tech Wires is $750. For more
info, go to http://www.potomactechwire.com/Event_Form.html

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

============================================

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

Questions, comments, news tips, press releases. Send email to:
jim@europeantechwire.com

Copyright: CapWire Inc. 2005

European Tech Wire - March 22, 2005

============================================
EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - March 22, 2005
============================================
To Subscribe: http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

o Oracle Beats SAP in Battle for Retail Software Maker Retek
o German Chipmaker Infineon Settles Dispute with Rambus
o SCi Entertainment and Elevation Table Rival Bids for Eidos
o Report: U.K. Accounts for Quarter of World's Zombie PCs
o New Venture Partners Closes Venturing Deal with Philips
o Report: Wireless Revenues in Nordic Region Grow by 4%
o Briefly Noted: MonsterMob Plc-Upper Mobile Ltd.-Information
Gateway, DVD Jon-Apple's iTunes Store-PyMusique, The
London Agile Seminar, ICTV-U.K. Office
_____________________________________________

o Oracle Beats SAP in Battle for Retail Software Maker Retek

Frankfurt -- Oracle Corp., a U.S.-based business software maker,
announced on Tuesday that it has beat out German rival SAP AG to
acquire Retek Inc., a U.S.-based retail software maker. Oracle said it
agreed to pay about 507 million euro ($670 million) on Retek after
SAP confirmed on Tuesday that it had abandoned its attempt to buy the
firm. "SAP states that it will not increase its offer for Retek's
outstanding shares any further," SAP said, adding it had ended all talks
with Retek. The two software giants had been involved in a month-long
bidding war over the Minneapolis-based firm in a bid to increase sales
to the retail industry, which is stepping up software purchases to help
manage shops and track goods. "Oracle has the largest applications
business in North America, and we intend to expand that leadership
position," said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. "Combining Oracle with
Retek is an important step in that direction, and it strengthens our
position in the retail applications market globally."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?U12B219BA
_____________________________________________

o German Chipmaker Infineon Settles Dispute with Rambus

Munich -- Ending a protracted patent dispute over computer memory,
Rambus Inc., a California-based developer of high-speed chip
interfaces, and Germany's Infineon Technologies AG, the second-
largest semiconductor maker in Europe, announced that they have
settled all of their legal claims against each other. Under the terms of
the agreement, Rambus will license its patent portfolio for use in
current and future Infineon products, while Infineon will pay a
quarterly license fee of 4.4 million euro ($5.8 million) for a two-year
period starting November. Infineon will make additional quarterly
payments that may come to a maximum of 76 million euro depending
on whether Rambus reaches licensing agreements with a number of
other computer chipmakers. Earlier this month, a U.S. district court
judge dismissed a patent infringement claim filed by Rambus against
Infineon concerning SDRAM and DDR DRAM computer chip patents
dating back to August 2000.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?W2B5429BA
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N264119BA
_____________________________________________

o SCi Entertainment and Elevation Table Rival Bids for Eidos

London -- SCi Entertainment Group Plc, a U.K.-based video game
maker, on Tuesday offered 53.6 pence per share for Eidos Plc, its
troubled U.K. rival. Earlier on Tuesday, Eidos agreed to a £71-million
takeover bid by Elevation Partners (EP), a U.S.-based venture capital
firm that focuses on media, entertainment and consumer-oriented
companies. EP's partners include John Riccitello, a former president of
EA; Fred Anderson, the former CFO of Apple; and Bono, the lead
singer of Irish rock band U2. With the news of SCi's rival bid, Eidos
shares jumped by as much as 28% to 55 pence in afternoon trading on
the London Stock Exchange, its largest gain in nearly five years. Eidos,
which produces the popular Lara Croft Tomb Raider titles and
Championship Manager, has been shopping around for a buyer since
last August, only two months after revealing that full-year figures
would not meet expectations.
http://www.elevation.com/
http://corporate.eidos.co.uk/eidos/
_____________________________________________

o Report: U.K. Accounts for Quarter of World's Zombie PCs

London -- According to the latest Symantec Internet Security Threat
report, the U.K. currently has the largest population of zombie PCs in
the world. Hackers use viruses, worms and Trojans to secretly turn
computers into so-called zombies, which are used for identity theft and
online fraud. Hijacked computers can also be used to send spam and
launch attacks on websites. Symantec said the U.K. now accounts for
more than 25% of all zombie PCs worldwide. "We saw 93 percent
growth in broadband connections last year, and this has had a huge
impact on the number of people accessing the Internet," said
Symantec's Nigel Beighton. "Unfortunately, new broadband users may
not be fully aware of the additional safety precautions that need to be
taken when using an always-on high-speed Internet connection." The
U.S. came in second place with 24.6% of the world's zombies, while
China came in a distant with third with 7.8%. Spain (3.8%), France
(3.6%) and Germany (3.5%) came in fifth, sixth and seventh place,
respectively.
http://www.symantec.com/press/2005/n050321.html
_____________________________________________

o New Venture Partners Closes Venturing Deal with Philips

Amsterdam -- New Venture Partners (NVP), a New Jersey-based seed
and early-stage venture capital firm focusing on communications and
IT start ups, announced that it has closed a partnership deal with Philips
Research, the research business of Dutch electronics giant Philips
Electronics. Under the partnership, the companies will identify and
create spin-off businesses based on technology from Philips Research's
network of laboratories. Philips will provide NVP with access to
researchers, inventions and the ability to grow and spin-off ventures
based on Philips research, while NVP will provide the funds needed to
develop the ventures while growing them inside Philips prior to wider
venture financing. NVP has a similar partnership with BT Group Plc
that gives it exclusive rights to technology-based BT venture spin-outs.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?F254529BA
_____________________________________________

o Report: Wireless Revenues in Nordic Region Grow by 4%

Gothenburg, Sweden -- According to a report by Berg Insight, a
Sweden-based telecommunications analysis group, revenues in the
Nordic mobile communications market grew by 4% in 2004 to 8.2
billion euro. Despite the fact that voice revenues appear to be under
increasing pressure from low-cost service providers challenging
established players with flat rate pricing models, Berg Insight analyst
Tobias Ryberg said he believed that market conditions in the Nordic
region were fundamentally favourable. "We expect little or no growth
in the coming three years," he said. "However, the composition of
revenues will gradually change as voice revenues decline, while
revenues from data services grow." Ryberg predicted that the Nordic
region would remain at the forefront of the adoption of new mobile
services, adding that Norway is one of the first countries where MMS
messaging has taken off in earnest.
http://www.berginsight.com/
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(London) MonsterMob Plc, a U.K.-based mobile entertainment service
provider, announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement to
acquire 100% of the share capital of Upper Mobile Ltd. (UML). UML
is the owner of Information Gateway (IG) -- a mobile content and
entertainment company based in the Philippines -- and Creative Minds,
a content development and production company based in Singapore.
"Monstermob will work in partnership with UML and IG to increase
the breadth and depth of its network services activities in Southeast
Asia," said Monstermob CEO Martin Higginson. "In parallel, UML and
IG will take advantage of Monstermob's relationships in the U.K. and
Europe." Monstermob will pay an upfront stock consideration
representing approximately £19.1 million. The company said it expects
to complete the deal by month's end.
http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/050321/15/3ream.html

(San Francisco) Norwegian programmer Jon Johansen (aka "DVD
Jon"), who famously broke the anti-copying technology on DVDs
several years ago, has now released software that allows songs to be
downloaded from Apple's iTunes Store without any added copyright
protections. Users of the "PyMusique" software must first purchase the
songs from iTunes, but when downloaded they arrive in the unprotected
AAC format rather than wrapped with Apple's FairPlay digital rights
management software. Apple said it has blocked the PyMusique
"security hole" and that about 15% of iTunes users would need to
upgrade their software to still be able to purchase songs from the store.
http://fuware.nanocrew.net/pymusique 

(London) The Agile Seminars programme has announced the Spring
2005 London Agile Special Interest Group -- now called the London
Agile Seminar -- which will feature an introduction to Agile software
development. The seminar will also look at how Agile can work in a
distributed environment, organisers said. "London is a key centre of
Agile software development activity," said Brian Hanly, programme
director of Agile Seminars. "I think the mix of an introduction and a
more advanced topic on Agile is a way to keep the interest of novices
and experienced people alike." The event takes place at Kings College,
Waterloo campus, London, on April 5. To register for the free event,
visit the following link.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?J575239BA


(Los Gatos, California) California-based ICTV, a developer of a
platform for the delivery and distribution of interactive TV content,
announced this week that it has opened a new office in the U.K. The
company, which has announced deployments and pilots in Europe and
the U.S., said it would provide international sales, marketing and
customer support activities from the new office in Surrey, England.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050321/215803_1.html

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

> Naval IT Day Conference, AFCEA NOVA - Mar 30 - CNO Keynote

Hear keynotes from the CNO, Commandant of the Marine Corps,
Deputy Commandant for I&L and CIO. Plus speakers from
NETWARCOM, NAVSEA, NAVAIR, and many others. These leaders
will share how our Naval team (Navy plus Marines plus Industry) plans
to use IT to continue winning the war on terrorism while transforming
to meet all future threats. Plus, a very special program for small
businesses. Full info and registration at:
http://www.afceanova.org/navalitday  Send inquiries to
events@afceanova.org
_____________________________________________

> TechSouth IT Summit & Expo - April 19 & 20 - Lafayette, LA

Register today for the gulf coast's premier technology event featuring
30 seminar tracks and 5 dynamic keynote addresses. TechSouth will
feature keynote addresses being delivered by Eng Lim Goh (CTO,
SGI); William Vass (CIO, Sun), Mark Marcin (Industrial Light plus
Magic), Amy Wohl, and Anthony Townsend (NYwireless). This year's
event will also feature the attendance of 100 FTTH Council members.
Register today for $90. http://www.TechSouth.org  Send inquiries to
info@TechSouth.org
_____________________________________________

> Reach Beyond Your Local Metro Area for Event Attendees

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============================================

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Copyright: CapWire Inc. 2005

European Tech Wire - March 21, 2005

============================================
EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - March 21, 2005
============================================
To Subscribe: http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

o AFP Sues Google over Use of Photos, Headlines and Stories
o Siemens Agrees to Buy CTI Molecular for 758 Million Euro
o European Telecom Heavyweights Launch Wireless Initiative
o Report: Israeli VCs Raise More Than 548 Million Euro in 2004
o Mature Markets Report Minimal to Flat Growth in Internet Use
o Israeli Start-Up Xeround Secures 4.9-Million-Euro Investment
o Briefly Noted: Gizmondo Europe Ltd.-Tiger Telematics Inc.-
Vodafone Plc, IrelandOffline-Broadband Prices Worldwide,
British Venture Capital Association-Chief Executive John
Mackie, Cloudmark-Checkbridge
_____________________________________________

o AFP Sues Google over Use of Photos, Headlines and Stories

Paris -- According to a report by Reuters, Agence France Presse (AFP)
has filed a 13-million-euro lawsuit against U.S.-based Internet search
giant Google Inc. for listing AFP photographs, headlines and news
stories on its Google News website without permission. AFP also
claimed that Google has ignored several requests to stop using the
unauthorised content, Reuters said. The popular Google News website
is known for gathering headlines and part of the first paragraph of news
stories, occasionally linking pictures with headlines. The France-based
news service, which does not provide its content for free, is asking the
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to prevent Google
News from displaying any AFP material in future. Google said it was
still reviewing the lawsuit.
http://www.afp.com/english/home/
http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/index.html
_____________________________________________

o Siemens Agrees to Buy CTI Molecular for 758 Million Euro

Frankfurt -- Siemens AG, an engineering and technology giant based in
Germany, announced that it has agreed to acquire CTI Molecular
Imaging Inc., a U.S.-based maker of scanners used to detect cancer and
other diseases, for 758 million euro in cash. Tennessee-based CTI --
which makes positron emission tomography (PET) scanners that are
increasingly used to detect cancer and gauge the effects of cancer
therapy -- has had a joint venture with Siemens since 1987. "The big
picture here is about molecular medicine," said Siemens Nuclear
Medicine Director Michael Reitermann. "This is a field that's been
developing rapidly in the last five years, which is why we want to
participate in it and take control in the molecular imaging space." The
boards of both companies have already approved the transaction, which
Siemens expects to close this spring.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?V248627BA
_____________________________________________

o European Telecom Heavyweights Launch Wireless Initiative

Brussels -- A group of some of Europe's biggest telecommunications
companies has launched an initiative to speed up the development of
wireless technologies. Dubbed the eMobility Technology Platform, the
group includes such household names as Alcatel, Deutsche Telekom,
Ericsson, France Telecom, H3G, Lucent Technologies, Motorola,
Nokia, Philips, Siemens, STMicroelectronics, Thales, TIM, Telefonica
Moviles and Vodafone. The initiative aims to develop large-scale
approaches to system R&D and wireless services and applications in
the context of digital convergence. The European Commission said the
initiative would not receive direct EU research funding, but welcomed
the move and said relevant projects put forward by the industry may be
eligible for funding under the Information and Communication
Technology component of the EU Seventh Research Framework
Programme.
http://www.emobility.eu.org/
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N2D7313BA
_____________________________________________

o Report: Israeli VCs Raise More Than 548 Million Euro in 2004

Tel Aviv, Israel -- According to the latest Israeli Venture Capital Fund
Raising summary, the amount of capital raised by Israeli venture capital
firms surged to more than 548 million euro last year. The survey,
conducted by the IVC Research Centre, said that a number successful
fund raisings in 2004 brought an end to two years of severe drought
among Israel-based venture capital funds. The lion's share of the funds
were raised by Pitango's fourth fund (227 million euro), Gemini's
fourth fund (151 million euro) and Giza Venture Capital's first closing
for its fourth fund (91 million euro). The IVC Research Centre also
estimated that Israeli venture capital firms would now have about 757
million euro available for investment and that about 1.1 billion euro
would be raised for technology investments in 2005.
http://www.ivc-online.com/
http://www.ivc-online.com/upload/archive/survey/Q4-04.pdf
_____________________________________________

o Mature Markets Report Minimal to Flat Growth in Internet Use

New York -- Average U.S. Internet use at home has dropped 2% in the
past year, mirroring minimal to flat growth in other more mature
Internet markets like the U.K., Brazil, Germany, Spain, Switzerland
and Sweden, according to a report from Nielsen/NetRatings. U.S.
Internet users logged on an average of 25 times per month, for a total
average of 13 hours and 44 minutes. By contrast, Internet use in Hong
Kong, where users logged on an average of 30 times per month for a
total average of 22 hours per month, grew by 25%. In addition to Hong
Kong, Australia, France and Italy also saw double-digit growth in the
number of monthly user sessions. "The easiest opportunities are in
countries where Internet usage patterns and user/site relationships are
less established," said Nielsen/NetRatings senior Internet analyst
Kaizad Gotla. "Acquiring users in markets that are currently in their
growth stages will lead to a loyal user base that will pay dividends for
Internet companies in the future."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050318/sff004_3.html 
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com 
_____________________________________________

o Israeli Start-Up Xeround Secures 4.9-Million-Euro Investment

Jerusalem -- Xeround, an Israel-based start-up that provides signalling
software to carriers that deploy Internet telephony (VoIP) and IP
services, announced that it has secured 4.9 million euro in venture
capital financing. Benchmark Capital and Giza Venture Capital led the
round. Xeround said the investment would allow it build "top-quality"
development, sales and marketing teams, as well as bring its products
to market early next year. "We think the VoIP market is picking up
momentum and that Xeround addresses significant issues that the
industry will need to resolve as this market turns prime-time and
complies with what consumers expect from a main stream
communication service," said Benchmark Capital Partner Nachman
Shelef.
http://www.xeround.com/
http://makeashorterlink.com/?T117267BA
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(London) Gizmondo Europe Ltd., a division of Florida-based Tiger
Telematics Inc., announced that it has entered into a partnership with
U.K.-based mobile operator Vodafone Plc to package its Gizmondo
multi-entertainment console with a Vodafone SIM prepaid card in the
U.K. Under the terms of the partnership, Gizmondo owners will be able
to use prepaid bundles to send text messages, in addition to using their
handheld device for sending and receiving e-mail from POP3/Imap
accounts using a GPRS connection. "The contract-free pre-pay SIM is
there to open up the Gizmondo to a massive range of communication
and exciting GPS features, without an additional contract," said
Gizmondo Managing Director Carl Freer. "The strength and
infrastructure of the Vodafone network, and its customer commitment
as a whole, will be an invaluable asset."
http://www.tigertelematics.com/latest_news.asp?id=79
http://www.gizmondo.com/

(Dublin) When it comes to the price of broadband, Ireland ranks 27th
out of the 30 members of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development), according to a new report by
IrelandOffline. In Ireland, the price of a basic 1Mbps service is 39.98
per month, approximately 13 euro more per month than similar services
offered in the U.K. Only Luxembourg, Denmark and Iceland have more
expensive broadband, charging 46 euro, 47 euro and 48 euro per
month, respectively. France has the lowest price in the EU at 14.90
euro for 8.192Mbps. "This report is the clearest evidence yet as to the
state of broadband in Ireland," said IrelandOffline Chairman Damien
Mulley. "No talking up, side-stepping or clever marketing can distract
from the evidence: 26 other countries in the league of 30 score better
for value for money."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N10D317BA

(London) The British Venture Capital Association (BVCA) announced
on Monday that John Mackie is planning to step down as the industry
group's chief executive. "The U.K. private equity and venture capital
industry is an important and growing part of the U.K. economy, and it
needs an effective industry body to represent it," Mackie said. "I have
been chief executive for five years now, and it is time to bring in
somebody new to take the BVCA to its next phase of development."
The BVCA said it was in the process of appointing a successor to
Mackie, who has served as chief executive since April 2000, but that no
date for the handover had been set.
http://www.bvca.co.uk/

(San Francisco) San Francisco-based Cloudmark Inc., a maker of e-
mail security software, recently announced that it has teamed with e-
mail filtering firm Checkbridge Ltd. to deliver advanced spam, fraud
and phishing filtering services to Internet service providers in Europe.
As part of the alliance, London-based Checkbridge will license
Cloudmark's software and embed it within its managed e-mail filtering
service for Internet service providers (ISPs). "Filtering provision is
critical to the future success of our position in the ISP market," said
Clara.net Group CTO Neil Levine. "Border Scout with the Cloudmark
Authority engine has not only allowed us to fulfil this need, but also
given us a profitable revenue stream." Clara.net, the largest ISP in
Europe, is the first to offer the Border Scout service integrated with the
Cloudmark Authority engine.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Y556627BA

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

> TechSouth IT Summit & Expo - April 19 & 20 - Lafayette, LA

Register today for the gulf coast's premier technology event featuring
30 seminar tracks and 5 dynamic keynote addresses. TechSouth will
feature keynote addresses being delivered by Eng Lim Goh (CTO,
SGI); William Vass (CIO, Sun), Mark Marcin (Industrial Light plus
Magic), Amy Wohl, and Anthony Townsend (NYwireless). This year's
event will also feature the attendance of 100 FTTH Council members.
Register today for $90. http://www.TechSouth.org  Send inquiries to
info@TechSouth.org
_____________________________________________

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Send inquiries to mmiller@sunflowersystems.com
_____________________________________________

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============================================

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Copyright: CapWire Inc. 2005

European Tech Wire - March 18, 2005

============================================
EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - March 18, 2005
============================================
To Subscribe: http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

o EU: Microsoft Failed to Implement Interoperability Remedy
o Oracle Trumps SAP and Raises Retek Bid for Second Time
o Report: Long-Term VC Performance Drops Slightly in 2004
o European VC Associations Publish Valuation Guidelines
o Eqvitec Announces First Close for 50-Million-Euro Fund
o Google Now More Popular in U.K. than in U.S., Report Says
o U.S.-Based Insignia Completes Acquisition of Sweden's mi4e
o Briefly Noted: U.K. Games Industry-Entertainment and Leisure
Software Publishers Association, IBM-Swedish Job Cuts, Volvo-
Apple's iTunes Music Store, Alphyra Group-PostTS-An Post,
Avica Europe-Digital Cinema Ltd.
_____________________________________________

o EU: Microsoft Failed to Implement Interoperability Remedy

Brussels -- The European Commission announced late Wednesday that
it has strong doubts that Microsoft has complied fully with a recent EU
ruling against the U.S.-based software maker. According to a
Commission spokesperson, EU market tests show that Microsoft has
failed to implement an interoperability remedy designed to counteract
the company's dominant position in the European server market. Last
March, the EU ordered Microsoft to share information with competitors
to improve server interoperability throughout the region. Although
Microsoft has informed rivals how to get licenses for the information
on its website, the real problem is having access to the technical
documentation needed to evaluate whether or not the licence is
worthwhile at all, the Commission said. What's more, rival operators,
regardless of their respective needs, must take out a licence for the
information as a whole, meaning companies must pay for information
they do not necessarily need.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/legalnews.asp
http://europa.eu.int/comm/press_room/index_en.htm
_____________________________________________

o Oracle Trumps SAP and Raises Retek Bid for Second Time

Frankfurt -- Business software maker Oracle Corp. trumped German
rival SAP AG a second time this week after increasing its bid for
Minneapolis-based Retek Inc. to $11.25 (8.47 euro) per share. SAP
appeared to have acquired Retek for $8.50 a share at the beginning of
the month when Oracle then offered $9 per share. Only yesterday,
Retek's board unanimously accepted a second $11-per-share bid from
SAP -- its "best and final offer" -- only for Oracle to raise its bid yet
again. Oracle's latest bid values Retek at nearly twice its market value
before the bidding process began. Industry experts say the two heavy
hitters are battling for Retek to increase sales to the retail industry,
which is buying more software to help manage shops and track goods.
http://www.oracle.com/index.html
http://www.retek.com/
_____________________________________________

o Report: Long-Term VC Performance Drops Slightly in 2004

Paris -- According to the latest figures published by the European
Venture Capital Association (EVCA) and Thomson Venture
Economics, the long-term performance of European private equity
dropped slightly in 2004 compared to 2003. The report found that the
so-called venture bubble effect had an even more pronounced
downward effect on five- and 10-year returns. "2004 was a stronger
year for the industry as we continue to put the last few difficult years
behind us," said EVCA Chairman Herman Daems. "Some of these
preliminary figures announced today confirm this, with short-term
returns giving a positive indication of an improving environment along
with the steady returns since inception." The net pooled IRR since
inception fell to 9.1% last year, compared with 9.9% the year previous.
One-year horizon returns for all private equity came in at 12.3% at the
end of last year, compared with negative 0.8% in 2003.
http://www.evca.com/html/home.asp
_____________________________________________

o European VC Associations Publish Valuation Guidelines

Geneva -- The Association Française des Investisseurs en Capital
(AFIC), the British Venture Capital Association (BVCA) and the
European Venture Capital Association (EVCA) have published a set of
International Private Equity and Venture Capital Valuation Guidelines
endorsed by all three industry bodies. The group based the guidelines
on the overall principle of "fair value" to improve comparability for
investors and investment managers across the industry worldwide. "We
think this is a real step forward for the asset class as a whole, and we
hope these guidelines will be endorsed in other jurisdictions," an
EVCA spokesman said. "We intend to announce soon the establishment
of an independent international Board to monitor developments and
recommend any necessary future changes."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?B287352BA
http://www.privateequityvaluation.com/
_____________________________________________

o Eqvitec Announces First Close for 50-Million-Euro Fund

Helsinki -- Eqvitec, a Finland-based technology venture capital firm,
this week announced the first closing of its second mezzanine fund,
with initial committed capital of 50 million euro. The company said
Eqvitec Technology Mezzanine Fund II would invest in small and
medium-sized industrial and technology companies based in the Nordic
region, emphasising on participations in buyouts, recapitalisations and
financing transactions supporting organic and acquisitive growth. The
privately owned company, which has approximately 300 million euro
under management in four funds, said the mezzanine fund had attracted
both new and existing investors. Mezzanine financing, the final round
before going public, is associated with the middle layer of financing in
leveraged buy-outs that sits between equity and secured debt.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?P568352BA
_____________________________________________

o Google Now More Popular in U.K. than in U.S., Report Says

London -- According to a new report by Internet monitoring firm
Hitwise, Google is more popular in the U.K. than in the U.S. The report
found that google.co.uk came in first place in terms of market share of
visits, 48%, and volume of searches, 63.7%. By comparison, Google's
U.S. website only commands 36.6% market share and accounts for
56.7% of search volume. The report showed that Google came in 55
percentage points ahead of its nearest competitor, MSN Search, which
accounted for just 7.86% of the market based on volume of searches.
The following sites rounded out the Top 10: google.com (7.7%),
uk.search.yahoo.com (5.5%), ifind.freeserve.com (4.45%),
search.yahoo.com (2.93%), ask.com (1.92%), search.msn.com (1.22%),
ask.co.uk (1.22%) and altavista.com (0.71%).
http://makeashorterlink.com/?U149222BA
_____________________________________________

o U.S.-Based Insignia Completes Acquisition of Sweden's mi4e

Fremont, California -- Insignia Solutions, a U.S.-based provider of
products and services designed to help mobile operators and terminal
manufacturers manage mobile devices, announced that it has completed
its acquisition of Sweden's mi4e Device Management. Under the terms
of the deal, Insignia paid about 3.96 million shares worth
approximately 1.6 million euro ($2.1 million). The company said the
acquisition of mi4e, which will be renamed Insignia Solutions AB, will
allow it to expand its offerings to mobile network operators and handset
manufacturers. Anders Furehed, former CEO of mi4e, has been named
senior vice president of European operations. "The completion of the
mi4e acquisition and new executive appointments bring Insignia
several near-term benefits including referenceable customers, a more
complete and integrated mobile device management solution and
continued leadership during this exciting phase in the development of
the mobile device management market," said Insignia CEO Mark
McMillan.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050317/175183_1.html
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(London) According to a new report by market analysis firm Screen
Digest, the U.K. videogame industry is healthy, but needs more support
from the Government. Although more software and games are being
sold abroad than are imported, the rising cost of making games has
force many studios to close, Screen Digest said. In fact, the report
found that the number of U.K. developers has fallen by 6% since 2000.
"Our greatest asset is our creativity, and in recent times we have seen
this talent being leeched away through lack of funding and more
attractive prospects overseas," said Roger Bennett, director general of
Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. "It is now
time for government to recognise the valuable contribution we make to
the U.K. economy, comparative to other entertainment sectors."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?R42A223BA
http://www.elspa.com/

(Research Triangle Park, North Carolina) IBM, the largest employer of
technology workers in RTP, announced this week that it would cut 500
jobs in Sweden out of a total workforce of about 4,000 in the country.
A report on the website of Swedish trade union Sif said 300 of the jobs
would be cut in Vaesteraas, where IBM has been providing mainly
outsourcing services for customers including LM Ericsson and the
Swedish postal service. Spokeswoman Aasa Barsness told the
Associated Press that IBM may consider locating such outsourcing jobs
to less expensive labour markets, such as India.
http://www.ibm.com/se/
http://www.sif.se/default.aspx?id=1212&redirect=true

(Irvine, California) Swedish automaker Volvo announced this week
that it plans to promote native Scandinavian musicians through a
monthly playlist of songs from Scandinavian artists on Apple's iTunes
Music Store. Beginning March 23, the "nu: the sounds of new
Scandinavia" promotion will include a Times Square launch event live
concert featuring performances by Sahara Hotnights and The Ark, in
addition to iTunes gift certificates tied to Volvo test drives and direct
mail to Volvo owners. Volvo is offering a branded iPod connectivity
kit for its entire line of 2005 model year vehicles.
http://www.volvocars.us/itunes

(London) Ireland-based Alphyra Group announced this week that it has
become the largest operator of mobile phone and utility bill payment
terminals in the U.K. after acquiring PostTS, the payment processor for
An Post, for 85 million euro (£59 million). "Our unrivalled retail
network places us at the forefront of payment channels, and today's
development is of great significance in terms of our U.K. coverage and
consumer reach," Said Alphyra UK Managing Director Bill Tennent.
"This strategic acquisition is particularly beneficial to those areas
experiencing a decline in the availability of traditional payment
channels." Alphyra now operates in 15 European countries, with total
transactions of approximately 3.6 billion euro (£2.5 billion) annually.
http://www.alphyra.ie/home/

(Dublin) Avica, a provider of digital cinema technology, announced
this week that its Avica Europe unit has launched the first phase in its
plan to convert all movie theatre screens in the Republic of Ireland and
Northern Ireland to digital cinema. The company's Digital Cinema Ltd.
subsidiary said its distribution infrastructure would cover 500 Irish
screens in the first national network. "We are proud to be able to bring
the benefits of digital cinema to theatre-goers throughout Ireland, and
thrilled to provide the technology which will enable the country to be
the first in the world to make this move into the future of cinema," said
Avica Chairman and CEO Nicholas Clay.
http://www.avicatech.com/press/3-17-2005.html

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

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> Venture 2005 - Where Great Minds Meet Smart Money

Don't miss the Council for Entrepreneurial Development's (CED)
Venture 2005, set for April 26-27, 2005 at the world-renowned
Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, NC. CED's 22nd annual Venture
conference will connect the region's top high-growth companies with
hundreds of nationally prominent investors. Conference highlights
include 30 plus company presentations and keynote remarks from
Robert L. Johnson, founder and CEO of Black Entertainment
Television and owner of the NBA Charlotte Bobcats. Register today to
enjoy unparalleled hospitality while exploring NC's innovation
economy. For more details, visit http://www.cednc.org/venture  or call
919.549.7500
_____________________________________________

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Copyright: CapWire Inc. 2005

European Tech Wire - March 17, 2005

============================================
EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - March 17, 2005
============================================
To Subscribe: http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

o EU Approves Symantec's Proposed Acquisition of Veritas
o German Software Firm SAP Makes "Final Offer" for Retek
o Survey: Employees Misusing Company E-Mail Systems
o MPAA Hails Anti-Piracy Raid on Swedish ISP Bahnhof
o Report: Online Casino 888.com Planning IPO This Year
o Dutch Content-Protection Firm Irdeto Buys LockStream
o Briefly Noted: Grosvenor Capital Markets-John P. Grimaldi
Consulting, Royal KPN N.V.-Chief Financial Officer Ed
Kraaijenzank, BT Group Plc-Asia Pacific Investment,
BBC-"Doctor Who" Internet Leak
_____________________________________________

o EU Approves Symantec's Proposed Acquisition of Veritas

Brussels -- The European Commission announced that is has approved
the proposed acquisition of Veritas Software Corp., a U.S.-based
software company, by Symantec Corp., a security software firm also
based in the U.S. Symantec provides security software (data security,
anti-virus protection and fire walls), as well as services in relation with
its software products, while Veritas manufactures software for storage
and data protection. The Commission said the merger between the
companies was of a complementary nature, since both security software
and storage software largely function independently of each other. The
Commission also found that horizontal overlaps between Symantec and
Veritas were very limited and that the combined firm would continue to
face several strong competitors with significant market shares.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?T25752FAA
_____________________________________________

o German Software Firm SAP Makes "Final Offer" for Retek

Frankfurt -- SAP AG, a Germany-based business software giant,
announced on Thursday that it has increased its bid for U.S. retail
software specialist Retek Inc. from 6.36 euro per share to 8.23 euro per
share -- its "best and final offer". The revised bid would value Retek, a
Minnesota-based specialist in software packages for large retail chains,
at approximately 462 million euro. Last week, U.S.-based software firm
Oracle trumped a previous SAP bid by making an unsolicited 6.73-
euro-per-share bid for the company. Retek's chief executive said his
board unanimously recommended the revised SAP offer to its
shareholders. "We believe that SAP's offer is a good deal for Retek
stockholders, and our board of directors has unanimously
recommended that it be accepted," said Retek President and CEO
Marty Leestma.
http://www.retek.com/press/press.asp?id=696
_____________________________________________

o Survey: Employees Misusing Company E-Mail Systems

Redwood City, California -- Businesses in the U.S., U.K. and Germany
face a spiralling threat from the inappropriate employee use of
corporate e-mail systems, according to a new survey by Clearswift. The
survey showed a sharp increase in the number of e-mail threats, such as
the circulation of offensive material, the downloading of pirate
software and the loss of confidential information. More than half of all
employees surveyed admitted to receiving and forwarding jokes and
other inappropriate material using the corporate e-mail system. More
than 10% of respondents said they have downloaded pirate software at
work, including music, films and games, and more than a quarter of IT
department employees claim to have distributed confidential
information outside the company using e-mail. "The circulation of
offensive content leaves companies open to litigation and damage to
reputation," said Clearswift CEO David Guyatt. "Our survey shows that
they need to take stronger action to counter it."
http://www.clearswift.com/news/item.aspx?ID=786
_____________________________________________

o MPAA Hails Anti-Piracy Raid on Swedish ISP Bahnhof

Los Angeles -- The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
has hailed an anti-piracy raid conducted by Swedish authorities last
week on the offices of Bahnhof, the country's largest Internet service
provider (ISP). The Swedish anti-piracy group Antipiratbyran
reportedly seized four servers that housed more than 1,800 movies,
5,000 software applications files and 450,000 songs, in addition to data
on as many as 20,000 Bahnhof users. "This was a very big raid,"
MPAA anti-piracy operations director John Malcolm told Reuters.
"The material that was seized contained not only evidence of a piracy
organisation operating in Sweden, but of online piracy organisations
operating throughout all of Europe."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?W325211BA
http://p2p.weblogsinc.com/entry/1234000700035645 
http://isp.bahnhof.se 
_____________________________________________

o Report: Online Casino 888.com Planning IPO This Year

London -- According to a report by Reuters, online casino 888.com is
planning an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock
Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) later this year.
Quoting unnamed sources close to the company, Reuters said Cassava
Enterprises --- 888.com's Gibraltar-based parent company -- had
already hired Credit Suisse First Boston to prepare an IPO that would
value 888.com at about £832 million. Industry experts have long tipped
the online casino to cash in on the booming U.K. Internet poker market.
A recent study conducted by 888.com found that the total number of
people gambling over the Internet in the U.K. has increased by more
than six times over the last 12 months. What's more, the survey of more
than 2,700 people also found a remarkable 566% increase in the
amount of money staked online since the end of 2003. Neither Cassava
nor CSFB has commented on the Reuters report.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N26C321BA
http://www.888.com/ 
http://www.cassava.net/default.asp
_____________________________________________

o Dutch Content-Protection Firm Irdeto Buys LockStream

Amsterdam -- Irdeto Access, a provider of content protection
technologies for digital video and IP networks, announced on Thursday
that it has acquired LockStream Corp., a Seattle-based mobile digital
rights management (DRM) firm. Irdeto is a unit of Dutch media group
Naspers. "LockStream is a great addition to the Irdeto Access content
protection portfolio for digital TV, IPTV and mobile networks," said
Irdeto CEO Graham Kill. "With this acquisition, Irdeto Access gains
leading-edge products which are already deployed in real applications,
and a top-notch team to drive us towards our objective of leading the
mobile content protection market." Financial terms of the deal were not
disclosed.
http://www.irdetoaccess.com/iapr001.asp 
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(New York) Grosvenor Capital Markets President Brian Lewis
announced this week that his company has entered into an expanded
affiliation agreement with John P. Grimaldi Consulting, a New York-
based firm specialising in venture capital communications services.
Grosvenor, which has operations in the U.K. and continental Europe,
provides access to capital for start ups and established companies.
Under the terms of the agreement, Grimaldi will review all business
plans and proposals submitted to Grosvenor for content and editorial
focus. "We interview the company principals and scrutinise their
funding documents from an investor's point of view to ensure that key
messages are valid and that they are being properly articulated," said
Grimaldi. "Too often, the executives who prepare these materials
understate or overstate the key elements of their operations."
http://www.johngrimaldi.com/about.html3.html 

(Amsterdam) Royal KPN N.V., a telecommunications firm based in the
Netherlands, announced on Thursday that Chief Financial Officer Ed
Kraaijenzank has informed the board of his desire to resign from his
position at KPN Mobile, effective April 1. KPN Board of Management
said it regretted Kraaijenzank's departure and that it was losing an
experienced and capable manager. The board also said Kraaijenzank's
resignation was caused by the company's decision to discontinue the
KPN Mobile holding functions. Kraaijenzank has served as CFO at
KPN Mobile since its establishment in 2000. Prior to joining KPN
Mobile, he served as KPN's director of corporate control.
http://www.kpn-corporate.com/nl/pers/?id=2&taal=nl

(London) BT Group Plc, the largest telecommunications company in
the U.K., announced this week that it is planning to invest about £25
million to upgrade its existing IT network in the Asia Pacific region.
BT said the investment would combine voice, video and data products
into a unified service, allowing the company to integrate domestic and
international voice capacity across nine countries in the region. BT said
the installation was scheduled for Bangalore, New Delhi, Hong Kong,
Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei and
Tokyo. "This convergence both improves our cost model and enhances
our domestic capabilities," BT Group Asia Pacific President Allen Ma.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?L5BC331BA 

(San Francisco) According to a report by Wired News, the BBC may
have been behind the Internet leak of the first episode of the new
production of classic sci-fi TV series "Doctor Who". "I told them they
should release things before their time, like what they've done with
'Doctor Who'," Asa Bailey told Wired News. Bailey works for
Broadcast Assassins, an advertising firm hired by the BBC last year to
discuss emerging technologies and viral advertising. BBC
spokeswoman Annie Frederick, however, denied the allegation. "The
leak of the first episode on the Internet was not a publicity stunt," she
said. "It was a significant breach of copyright, which is currently under
investigation." Frederick added that the source of the leak appeared to
be connected with the BBC's co-production partner.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?I2BA151BA

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

> Venture 2005 - Where Great Minds Meet Smart Money

Don't miss the Council for Entrepreneurial Development's (CED)
Venture 2005, set for April 26-27, 2005 at the world-renowned
Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, NC. CED's 22nd annual Venture
conference will connect the region's top high-growth companies with
hundreds of nationally prominent investors. Conference highlights
include 30 plus company presentations and keynote remarks from
Robert L. Johnson, founder and CEO of Black Entertainment
Television and owner of the NBA Charlotte Bobcats. Register today to
enjoy unparalleled hospitality while exploring NC's innovation
economy. For more details, visit http://www.cednc.org/venture  or call
919.549.7500
_____________________________________________

> Reach Beyond Your Local Metro Area for Event Attendees

Hosting a webinar or seminar with a broad geographic appeal? Post
your event announcement on all of the Tech Wire publications for one
price. Reach 80,000 subscribers from technology and emerging growth
companies, many of whom attend seminars and networking events on a
regular basis. A 5-day ad across all 7 Tech Wires is $750. For more
info, go to http://www.potomactechwire.com/Event_Form.html

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============================================

To subscribe, go to:
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Questions, comments, news tips, press releases. Send email to:
jim@europeantechwire.com

Copyright: CapWire Inc. 2005

European Tech Wire - March 16, 2005

============================================
EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - March 16, 2005
============================================
To Subscribe: http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

o Bloomberg: WTO Backs Hynix over EU on DRAM Levies
o EU Antitrust Boss Still "Undecided" on Microsoft Compliance
o France's OneAccess Networks Secures Third-Round Funding
o Germany-Based Zanox Secures "Tens of Millions of Euro"
o Report: Fabless Semiconductor Revenue Grows 27% in 2004
o Report: One in Three Play Video Games while Commuting
o Briefly Noted: Sony's PlayStation Portable-European Launch,
Thomson-Screenvision, T-Online-Musicload, Groove Mobile-
Orange UK
_____________________________________________

o Bloomberg: WTO Backs Hynix over EU on DRAM Levies

Brussels -- According to a report by Bloomberg, the World Trade
Organisation (WTO) has sided with Hynix Semiconductor Inc. in the
South Korean memory maker's dispute with the EU. Bloomberg said
the WTO's decision that Hynix had been unfairly penalised by the EU
was still preliminary and yet to be made public. The WTO is expected
to publish its verdict on the matter -- which the EU can appeal -- within
the next two months. The EU, after receiving a formal complaint from
German computer chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG last year,
ruled that Hynix had received illegal aid from the South Korean
government and imposed a 34.8% levy on all Hynix DRAM imports.
Bloomberg said the WTO has upheld a complaint by South Korea
against the EU, which "failed to prove Hynix received an illegal state
subsidy when Korean banks gave it loan guarantees". The WTO has
already issued a preliminary ruling in Hynix's favour over a similar
tariff in the U.S.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?O42B22FAA
_____________________________________________

o EU Antitrust Boss Still "Undecided" on Microsoft Compliance

Brussels -- EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes announced
this week that her office was still determining whether or not Microsoft
is complying with last year's ruling against the U.S.-based software
giant. Microsoft has been ordered to offer a version of its Windows
operating systems without the Media Player video and music
application. What's more, the company has had to share protocol
information with its rivals in order to improve interoperability with
their products. While Microsoft insists that it has complied fully with
the landmark ruling, Kroes told the European Parliament's Economic
and Monetary Affairs Committee on Tuesday that it was still premature
to determine whether the company had done enough to meet her
office's requirements.
http://www.europarl.eu.int/committees/econ_home.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/legal/eudecision/
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/legalnews.asp
_____________________________________________

o France's OneAccess Networks Secures Third-Round Funding

Paris -- OneAccess Networks, a France-based manufacturer of access
routers for telecommunications carriers and corporate networks,
recently announced that it has secured more than 10 million euro of
third-round venture capital financing. The T-Com Venture Fund, an
investment fund focusing on broadband and fixed network activities,
led the round, in which Innovacom also participated. Under the terms
of the investment, T-Com Venture Fund and Innovacom took over 21%
of OneAccess share capital. OneAccess said the two new investment
funds both had extensive expertise with the telecommunications
market. "We enjoyed in 2004 a growth rate of 100 percent, and we plan
to repeat it in 2005," said OneAccess CEO Bertrand Meis. "The T-Com
Venture Fund and Innovacom will help us to keep focused on bringing
extra value to all our customers over Europe."
http://www.oneaccess-net.com/en/index.htm
_____________________________________________

o Germany-Based Zanox Secures "Tens of Millions of Euro"

Berlin -- Zanox AG, a Germany-based performance-based multi-
channel commerce company, recently announced that it has secured
tens of millions of euro in venture capital financing. Although financial
details were not disclosed, Zanox said an "international Asian group of
investors" had purchased enough shares in the company to allow it to
accelerate international expansion in its core business areas. Zanox,
which is currently active in 22 European countries, said the investment
would also allow it to expand its head office in Berlin, where staff will
be doubled from 60 to 120 in the medium term. According to Forrester
Research, the global market for multi-channel commerce and affiliate
marketing will be worth more than 167 billion euro by 2009.
http://www.zanox.com/
_____________________________________________

o Report: Fabless Semiconductor Revenue Grows 27% in 2004

San Jose, California -- According to the latest report by the Fabless
Semiconductor Associations (FSA), fabless revenues worldwide grew
by 27% to about 24.6 billion euro (£17 billion) last year. The private
fabless industry also raised more than 1.3 billion euro (£903 million) in
venture capital during the year, its largest funding amount since 2001,
although investment amounts declined each quarter. "The trend is
towards earlier-stage investments and lower capital commitments," said
Philip Gianos, a general partner with InterWest Partners and member of
the FSA venture-capital advisory board. Gianos also said investors
showed a preference for capital efficient companies that are using
outsourcing and offshore development to decrease their capital
requirements. A "fabless" facility is one that outsources the production
of silicon wafers, focusing instead on design and development.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050315/155239_1.html
_____________________________________________

o Report: One in Three Play Video Games while Commuting

San Francisco -- Almost one third of all game players say they play
games during their daily travel to work, according to a new study by
market analysis firm Trymedia Systems. The company's online survey
of more than 8,000 game players worldwide showed that 30% of
commuters turned on their laptops, clicked on their mobile phones or
used their portable gaming device to play games. Of those who played
games to and from work, the average length of game play was 23
minutes per trip. Among air travellers surveyed, gaming was found to
be a popular activity aboard airplanes, alongside reading, sleeping and
watching in-flight movies. "The survey results reflect the fast-growing
popularity of games being downloaded to PC and mobile phones," said
Trymedia CEO Alex Torrubia.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?C54822FAA
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(London) According to a report by Reuters, Sony will delay the
European launch of its PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld gaming
system by several months to ensure there is an adequate supply of the
devices for the upcoming U.S. launch on March 24. "We were
originally hoping for an end of fiscal year (March 31) launch, but now
that's not going to be the case," a Sony spokesman told Reuters. "It is
likely to be a matter of a few months rather than a few weeks … it's a
matter of allocation." Sony has already launched the PSP in Japan, and
said it planned to ship 1 million units for the U.S. launch later this
month.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?M27812FAA

(Paris) Thomson, a France-based provider of digital video technologies,
and U.S.-based cinema advertising firm Screenvision jointly announced
this week the launch of their U.S. digital cinema distribution network
for cinema advertising. Thomson's Technicolor Digital Cinema unit
will provide technology for the service to Screenvision, which provides
cinema ads for more than 15,000 movie theatre screens in the U.S.
Screenvision said it planned to spend more than 37.4 million euro to
deploy the SkyArc network, which will initially digitise 5,000 of the
screens for which it provides advertising.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050315/155671_1.html 

(Hanover, Germany) T-Online, the Internet service provider (ISP) of
German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom, announced this
week that its Musicload online digital music store has now surpassed 1
million customers. The Musicload service, launched in October 2003,
sold more than 4 million downloads during 2004 and now sells about 1
million songs from its 450,000-track catalogue every month, the
company said. By comparison, Apple's iTunes currently sells about
1.25 million songs per day.
http://www.t-online.net 
http://www.musicload.de 

(Andover, Massachusetts) Mobile music service provider Groove
Mobile (formerly Chaoticom) announced this week that U.K. wireless
carrier Orange UK, a subsidiary of French telecommunications
bellwether France Telecom, has launched an advanced version of its
mobile music download service that offers full-length tracks from
artists on labels including Warner, EMI, Universal and V2. U.S.-based
Groove Mobile's mobile music service has also been deployed by
wireless carriers Telenor, Eurotel, Pannon and SingTel.
http://www.chaoticom.com/chaoticom.html 

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

> Venture 2005 - Where Great Minds Meet Smart Money

Don't miss the Council for Entrepreneurial Development's (CED)
Venture 2005, set for April 26-27, 2005 at the world-renowned
Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, NC. CED's 22nd annual Venture
conference will connect the region's top high-growth companies with
hundreds of nationally prominent investors. Conference highlights
include 30 plus company presentations and keynote remarks from
Robert L. Johnson, founder and CEO of Black Entertainment
Television and owner of the NBA Charlotte Bobcats. Register today to
enjoy unparalleled hospitality while exploring NC's innovation
economy. For more details, visit http://www.cednc.org/venture  or call
919.549.7500
_____________________________________________

> AeA/Stanford Executive Institute: August 7-18

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http://www.aeanet.org/sei  and save $1000.
_____________________________________________

> Reach Beyond Your Local Metro Area for Event Attendees

Hosting a webinar or seminar with a broad geographic appeal? Post
your event announcement on all of the Tech Wire publications for one
price. Reach 80,000 subscribers from technology and emerging growth
companies, many of whom attend seminars and networking events on a
regular basis. A 5-day ad across all 7 Tech Wires is $750. For more
info, go to http://www.potomactechwire.com/Event_Form.html

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

============================================

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

Questions, comments, news tips, press releases. Send email to:
jim@europeantechwire.com

Copyright: CapWire Inc. 2005