Nikki Hemming Q&A
p2pnet.net News:- In their grim and relentless determination to gain total control of online distribution, the entertainment cartels are scarfing up companies which own independent p2p applications, and closing down web pages deemed dangerous to the corporate cause.
BearShare was the most recent p2p application to be assimilated and just before that, Kazaa owner Sharman Networks ’settled’ for a reported $115 million.
However, where BearShare didn’t want to go, Sharman had for years been trying one thing after another to become one with the Big Four which, until the ’settlement,’ had treated it and associate companies such as Altnet and Brilliant Digital Entertainment with extreme contempt, suing Sharman because its Kazaa allegedly facilitated file sharing, a heinous crime in the Big Four’s book.
Kazaa, despised as the application almost solely responsible for launching spyware on the Net, and also infamously linked to the bulk of RIAA sue ‘em all file sharing cases, was on its death bed, and Altnet had been desperately trying, and consistently failing, to convince the corporate world that its ‘lame duck’ DRM product was The One.
But days after the ’settlement’ was announced, Big Four organization the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industries) was hosting Altnet blurb written by BDE boss Kevin Bermeister.
And the deal with the Big Four also means Kazaa will be resuscitated.
Now Kazaa boss Nikki Hemming who, says Billboard, ” rarely grants interviews, preferring to challenge herself with shark diving,” has granted an interview with Billboard.
Among other things, “Business is not about individuals, and it’d be pretty foolish of me to take personally things that have happened in the past,” she says.
Below are a few excerpts:
Billboard: How soon do you anticipate before Sharman starts announcing its first licensing deals and in which territory?
Hemming: Very soon, actually. It’s our goal to secure licenses on a worldwide basis so we can take advantage of the fact there is a worldwide audience for us.
Billboard: What is your game plan for the Kazaa software?
Hemming: The first thing is to be at the forefront of technology. We have a lot of advantages from creating a flourishing digital content destination. We have an incredibly powerful brand and a lot of technical expertise. We have a unique understanding of the viral power that comes from P2P, and that’s going to be a facet in a very successful future selling content digitally. I’m confident we’re going to be leading the market in the future, cooperatively with the industry.
Billboard: When Napster went legit, it lost users. What have you got in place to stop that happening to Kazaa?
Hemming: That boils down to understanding the consumer market so that we deliver a product that hits the sweet spots of what they are expecting from a P2P application from which you can choose licensed content. We haven’t been sitting on our hands while we’ve been negotiating a settlement. We’ve been preparing for our future, and we’ve geared up for a strong entrance into the market.
Billboard: You’re going to negotiate with people who have had you followed, raided your house and office, and called you a gangster. Have you got a problem with that?
Hemming: Business is not about individuals, and it’d be pretty foolish of me to take personally things that have happened in the past. In terms of negotiations, we’ve concluded the first big negotiation already. Mutually agreeing to settle required a round-the-table agreement to go forward together. We’re not just willing to work together – we’re excited about the prospect.
Billboard: At the same time, the people you’re negotiating with would have some suspicions about Sharman’s setup. Do you agree you’ll have to clear the air with your future partners?
Hemming: The air is already cleared. We went out of our way to deal with any and all concerns on this subject. The Australian record industry’s most senior lawyer Richard Cobden didn’t have one question left on the subject. Anyone who says otherwise is simply making mischief.
Billboard: What role will Kevin Bermeister and his two companies play in the new Kazaa?
Hemming: We have a joint-venture agreement with Altnet, where Kevin is CEO, which has been in place for a period of time. We have technology that we are developing; he has technology that he is developing. Altnet is a great company to collaborate with: they’re very innovative and we’re happy to work with them.
Billboard: When Sharman first bought Kazaa, you envisaged use of a subscription model. Is that still a viable proposition?
Hemming: I think you’re referring to IPUF [Intellectual Property Use Fee]. That’s a model that certainly shouldn’t be dismissed. It requires that all parties in the integration chain participate, and therefore it’s a slightly longer term proposition. But Sharman intends to participate in the market with more than one model to ensure we’re capturing consumer demand across the board.
Billboard: Why have consumers not embraced subscription models?
Hemming: The IPUF model was before its time, and there were not enough players involved in the model in order to deliver it seamlessly. So when a consumer is purchasing they don’t see the back-end, they just get the experience they are looking for. Partially there are technical boundaries, and partly there’s not been enough innovation in subscription models at the moment.
Hemming is currently suing p2pnet for alleged libel in p2pnet’s home province of British Columbia in Canada. Sharman, too, was suing us, but dropped out a while back.
“You’re going to negotiate with people who have had you followed, raided your house and office, and called you a gangster,” said Billboard. “Have you got a problem with that?”
She responded, “Business is not about individuals, and it’d be pretty foolish of me to take personally things that have happened in the past.”
Does that mean she’ll soon apply the same keen reasoning skills to p2pnet, which neither raided her house nor called her a gangster?
(Thanks, Jack)
Also See:
be assimilated – Bearshare is Borged, August 17, 2006
i$115 million – Kazaa, MPAA alliance, July 27, 2006
Altnet blurb – Kazaa owner’s DRM plan, August 4, 2006
Billboard – Q&A: Nikki Hemming, August 26, 2006
alleged libel – Cyber-libel and p2pnet, July 31, 2006
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August 29th, 2006 at 3:32 am
I for one hope that no-one is stupid enough to get on board the new Krapzaa boat; it will sink, its just a matter of time…
August 29th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
The focus of the story should have been on the secret overseas trusts she set up to shield her and the other partners in crime from having their assets seized by the court. Now that she laundered and trafficked her entire fortune out of the country, she will claim to be flat broke. The Australian government should make it their priority to go after the millions squirreled away in Vanuatu and elsewhere.
Let’s not forget the untold damage done to millions of people’s computers by infecting them with malicious spyware.
Hemming is nothing but a crook and needs to be put away.
August 30th, 2006 at 1:39 am
I suspect that the Big 4 are on a fishing expedition. Oh, not to get more dirt on the Kaaza app but rather to get control of it as a commercial application in the end.
What better way to do that than to “sell” permission to become a store for sales? When you look really hard at those on-line sales sites right now, unless they got a gimmick to keep them afloat (like iPods’ coolness factor), then they are starving to stay the course. Many are getting right back out of the market because after the overhead there’s no money in it. With spyware and other items of questionable value expected to be laced into the “new Kaaza” it can hardly be a value to the customer. It won’t take long to identify it is there and again all but a few will shun the application making it a business dead duck. At that point for a measly amount of change, the cartels will be able to pick up a ready made application adaptable to their wishes.
In the end we all know the cartels are after control and that is what all the movements seem to point in that direction.
August 31st, 2006 at 6:15 pm
As long as Nikki feels that this corporate version of Kazaa can make her money she won’t care too much about the comments they’ve made about her. So Jon, unless you can offer her a few bags of money, I doubt she will apply the same reasoning to p2pnet.
August 31st, 2006 at 7:08 pm
You must be a moron to post this on this site… this is how Jon gets in hot water.The \\\”money mansion\\\” battle is over. She paid up and the music companies released her and that battle is gone- to now make accusations will only lead to more slander charges…dont think proxys help. Sharman owns over 1500 proxies and has deals with hundreds more to track IP\\\’s (it was a deal done with various gov. agencies to track any nasty things on Kazaa like if anyone used them for kiddie stuff etc…. ) so you could be posting through them!!!
Jon, lets get these morons off the site. edit responses so you don\\\’t land up with more lawsuits, and we have no where to chat!
September 1st, 2006 at 10:12 pm
In the spirit of the freedom of speech you so devoutly espouse (noting however you seem to have abandoned it as your defence here!) I can’t help but wonder why you peddle this crap if it is not simply to punish Heming for wanting to have her say on your behaviour…..
September 4th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
You’ve missed the point, John has admitted he’s done the wrong thing everywhere except to Kazaa. Meanwhile he continues to sponsor more libel. He also has abandoned all pretence about defences now so he’s probably getting used to the idea of giv them his house.
September 4th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
“You’ve missed the point, John has admitted he’s done the wrong thing everywhere except to Kazaa. ”
Really Gachnar ??
Where ?
What posts ?
Quote your sources please.
Provide links to the basis for this unsubstantiated claim, if you
can ( you can’t ).
“Meanwhile he continues to sponsor more libel.”
As mentioned before ..
No libel.
This suit is based on an OPINION post by an anonymous user,
posted in the comments section of an article that was on several
major news sites ( none of which were sued, btw ).
Reference .. http://regmedia.co.uk/2006/05/18/p2pnetsuit.pdf
This is the PUBLICLY AVAILABLE court paper on the suit.
New readers will see that this site was sued for READERS COMMENTS.
Consider also that Sharman networks saw fit to DROP the suit
Gives you some idea of the ( non ) strength of this case.
Jon has admitted nothing ( nothing to admit to ).
Nikki has this stupid idea that Jon knows who the anonymous poster
was, so , the idea was to bully the info out of him.
It’s not working, since Jon doesn’t have that info.
“he’s probably getting used to the idea of giv them his house.”
Actually, he should get used to the idea of having Nikki’s house
Oooooooh right … she doesn’t OWN a house does she.
Anyone but me remeber Snuffy Smith, hiding his stuff from
the Rev’noors ??
( If someone really want all the facts, I HAVE archived every line
item in question, and am quite happy to pass that info to anyone
interested in the raw facts. )
September 5th, 2006 at 3:57 pm
Looks like a complete confession here by John through the various twists and turns to a point now where he wants to be forgiven. A shame really ’cause John’s allowed record company trolls to punish Kazaa for settling and taking away their fat pay checks and nothing else here
September 5th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Since you are the same poster, Gachnar, I figure a copy of the same response I gave
to you below is appropriate ….
“Looks like a complete confession here by John through the various twists and turns to a point now where he wants to be forgiven. ”
Really Gachnar ??
Where ?
What posts ?
Quote your sources please.
Provide links to the basis for this unsubstantiated claim, if you
can ( you can’t ).
“Meanwhile he continues to sponsor more libel.”
As mentioned before ..
No libel.
This suit is based on an OPINION post by an anonymous user,
posted in the comments section of an article that was on several
major news sites ( none of which were sued, btw ).
Reference .. http://regmedia.co.uk/2006/05/18/p2pnetsuit.pdf
This is the PUBLICLY AVAILABLE court paper on the suit.
New readers will see that this site was sued for READERS COMMENTS.
Consider also that Sharman networks saw fit to DROP the suit
Gives you some idea of the ( non ) strength of this case.
Jon has admitted nothing ( nothing to admit to ).
Nikki has this stupid idea that Jon knows who the anonymous poster
was, so , the idea was to bully the info out of him.
It’s not working, since Jon doesn’t have that info.
“he’s probably getting used to the idea of giv them his house.”
Actually, he should get used to the idea of having Nikki’s house
Oooooooh right … she doesn’t OWN a house does she.
Anyone but me remeber Snuffy Smith, hiding his stuff from
the Rev’noors ??
( If someone really want all the facts, I HAVE archived every line
item in question, and am quite happy to pass that info to anyone
interested in the raw facts. )