p2pnet - rss feed: Kazaa guy’s TV project
p2pnet.net News:- eBay’s Kazaa and Skype developers Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis plan to develop software for distributing TV shows and other forms of video online, says BusinessWeek.com.
“Working under the code name ‘The Venice Project,’ Zennstrom and Friis have assembled teams of top software developers in about a half-dozen cities around the world, including New York, London, and Venice,” says the story. “The teams are currently in negotiations with TV networks, although it’s not clear whether any agreements have been reached. A formal announcement of the new venture could come as early as this fall.”
But Zennstrom and Friis won’t be leaving Skype, “if only because they would be walking away from their share of up to $1.5 billion in additional eBay payments over the next three years”.
‘Venice’ will, “get an investment from Zennstrom, one person familiar with the matter said. But Zennstrom isn’t expected to contribute much work, beyond strategizing at a very high level. Friis is expected to spend up to 20% of his time on the venture to help develop the business model. But it appears that he won’t be active in an operational sense,and others are being recruited to run the project on a daily basis.”
With a multi-billion-dollar court case launched by Morpheus owner StreamCast Networks still standing against him and other members of the former Kazaa team, not to mention eBay itself, he might well need the time and money.
Zennstrom and Friis, “seem intent on avoiding the legal controversy that dogged earlier filing-sharing companies such as Kazaa,” says BusinessWeek.com, adding:
“Despite its enormous popularity, Kazaa’s commercial prospects were crippled by legal battles with the recording and motion picture industries, which filed suit against Sharman in Los Angeles in 2002. That case is pending.”
The fact Kazaa virtually introduced spyware to the Net, and is listed by Badware.org as an application to be avoided, might also have something to do with it.
Says Badware of Kazaa:
- One bundled application cannot be closed. (Interferes with Computer Use)
- Claims to have “no spyware”, but is bundled with software that is considered spyware. (Deceptive Installation)
- Fails to uninstall certain executables and system components. (Unacceptable Uninstallation)
Badware was organized by Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and Oxford University’s Oxford Internet Institute are leading this initiative with the support of several prominent tech companies, including Google, Lenovo, and Sun Microsystems. Consumer Reports WebWatch is serving as an unpaid special advisor.
On top of that, most of the victims being pilloried by the Big Four Organized Music cartel were using Kazaa.
“When I was first sued by the RIAA, I never blamed them for trying to protect their copyrights (not ever) and I do still believe that even though I totally disagree with how they are doing it,” says Patti Santangelo, the first of the RIAA victims to take on the organization by herself.
“I can never forget that my first response to who should be held accountable was KaZaa,” she says. “To have the capability to make money and abuse an innocent consumer, or in most cases a child, is beyond my comprehension. The owners of Kazaa should be held accountable.”
Kazaa ceo Nikki Hemming is currently suing p2pnet for alleged libel.
Meanwhile, “Zennstrom and Friis are inviting the cooperation of TV producers and networks,” says the story, adding:
“There will be plenty of competition, though. Startups - including Brightcove, Bittorrent, You Tube, Veoh, and Video Egg - already allow consumers and professionals to distribute video over the Web. Veoh, which also uses a peer-to-peer model, has attracted major investors such as Time Warner and former Disney Chairman Michael Eisner.”
Also See:
BusinessWeek.com - Kazaa, Skype, and now “The Venice Project”, July 24, 2006
multi-billion-dollar - Named in StreamCast vs eBay, May 27, 2006
using Kazaa - Anonymous p2pnet poster named, June 29, 2006
currently suing - Sharman drops p2pnet libel case, July 12, 2006
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