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Legitimate email marketers, worried that spammers are soiling their name, have formed a coalition to represent their interests. Nineteen members of the National Advertising Initiative (NAI), who represent some of the biggest permission-based email companies, have united as the Email Service Provider Coalition (ESPC). The NAI’s executive director says that, in a market where any purveyors of marketing email are lumped together, it’s necessary for legitimate companies to distinguish themselves. The group will address concerns such as opt-in emails getting junked by ISP spam filters and state legislatures considering anti-spam measures that could hurt legitimate marketers. Doubleclick, Topica and Yesmail are all members of the coalition, which provides email services for 250,000 customers. Spam-fighting software producer Brightmail reported an all-time high of 5.9 million spam attacks last month.
Salon makes freeloaders view even more ads
The L.A. Times reported yesterday that online magazine Salon, suffering from a serious money crunch, soon will require readers to either buy subscriptions or click through several screens’ worth of advertising to reach a limited amount of free content. Found David Talbot told the Times, “There's no free lunch on the web anymore. There's no viable media without developing a base of revenue.” Late last year, Salon’s quarterly 10-Q financial report detailed its financial difficulties, but a $200,000 loan from a board member helped carry the magazine along. Talbot also said that the magazine has secured some funding from private investors that will help it remain profitable for the next few quarters. Salon has slashed its staff by about half the past two years while cutting back on costs. Talbot said the magazine nonetheless will send a reporter to cover the possible war in Iraq. Salon has sold subscriptions since April 2001, restricting about a fifth of its content for $30 per year.
Verizon ordered to reveal alleged infringer's name
The anti-piracy brigade claimed a victory Tuesday when a judge ordered Verizon Communications to stop protecting its subscriber who allegedly distributed copyrighted material to throngs of internet users. The Recording Industry Association of America has been fighting to get its subpoena delivered to a Verizon internet customer in a U.S. District Court case. Verizon argued that it should be able to protect its customers’ privacy, even when they allegedly distribute hundreds of copyrighted songs online. Internet consumer rights organizations picked up on the case, warning that protection of online privacy was at stake. The judge granted the RIAA’s motion to force Verizon to identify the “alleged infringer,” setting a new precedent in the online ethics debate. The Motion Picture Association of America also backed the RIAA’s position.
Microsoft, Sun agree to terms for Java inclusion
Microsoft and Sun Microsystems have agreed on a delivery plan to include Sun’s Java programming language in Microsoft’s Windows operating system within the next 120 days. The U.S. District Court judge agreed to the terms Tuesday, in compliance with an injunction that ordered Microsoft to incorporate Java into its new releases. Microsoft plans to appeal the injunction as soon as the judge approves the order. The two sides are awaiting trial on the issue, but the judge ruled that since Sun will likely win its case, the inclusion should begin immediately. Sun had complained that Microsoft wanted to wait up to a year before including the program, while the Redmond, Wash.-based computer giant argued that it wasn’t so simple to suddenly change the system.
Adult services king: Early adapters yearn for porn
In the early days of almost any innovation (videos, internet, DVDs), porn rules. That’s according to Private Media Group chief executive Charles Prast, who claims that up to 80 percent of traffic in new technologies is “adult services” driven. So it will go, Prast predicts, with the latest technology, ultra-fast mobile phones. New numbers from the research company Visiongain backs up that assertion. The company estimates that the porn market will be a $70 billion industry by 2006, with $4 billion coming from mobile phone usage. Analysts predict that high-speed phones with handset streaming video will take off in the mass market that year. Prast says that once the thrill of technology has worn off, porn content usually drops to about 20 percent of the market. The telephone should be particularly popular for porn because it’s so discreet.
January 22, 2003© 2003 Media Life
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