Roxio Buying Napster - P2P-Zone

JackSpratts · 16-11-02, 08:44 AM

AFP, Others.

Music software maker Roxio said on Friday it has signed a deal to acquire the assets of the once wildly popular music-
swapping website Napster, which is in bankruptcy.

The deal calls for Roxio to pay $US5 million ($A8.9 million) in cash and 100,000 warrants to purchase Roxio common stock.

As part of the transaction, Roxio will receive all of Napster's intellectual property including its technology patent portfolio, but none of Napster's liabilities, including pending litigation.

Roxio's president and chief executive Chris Gorog said: "Roxio's acquisition of Napster will expand our role in the digital media landscape and enhance our offerings to consumers. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners in the entertainment industry and will be announcing further plans in the coming months."

The purchase of Napster's assets is subject to approval of the bankruptcy court, which is expected on November 27, said the company.

A previous offer from Bertelsmann AG to purchase Napster was rejected by a US bankruptcy judge.

Bertelsmann had offered $US8 million ($A14.23 million) to Napster's other creditors and foregoing repayment of a loan of $US85 million ($A151.2 million) it made.

Private Media, a Spanish-based adult entertainment firm, had indicated interest in Napster for its so-called peer-to-peer (P2P) technology that allowed internet users to swap music.

Napster roared across the internet in 1999, when founder and then-college student Shawn Fanning invented a method by which users could easily pass files from computer to computer over the world wide web.

At its peak, Napster claimed some 70 million users, who could access and pass along a vast collection of music titles freely. But the music industry contended it facilitated rampant piracy of copyrighted music, and the court battles eventually led to its demise.
http://afr.com/it/2002/11/16/FFXNORKDK8D.html
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercuryne...ss/4534587.htm
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,106983,00.asp
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn...io.xml?s=IDGNS
http://www.itworld.com/Net/4087/021115roxio/
http://www.sanmateocountytimes.com/S...995393,00.html
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/tech...ter-Roxio.html

- js.

goldie · 16-11-02, 09:06 AM

All I can say is:

WHOA!

spstn · 16-11-02, 11:31 AM

Don't hold any hope.

Roxio is buying it to kill it twice, and gain points with the record industry.

Whatever form it takes is gonna be a bitch that will jump at the whims of the RIIA.

In a not too distant future roxio software won't let you duplicate or process copyrighted material, all this in cahoots with MS; does Palladium rings any bell out there?

This is not only sad news, but also as bad as it gets.

multi · 16-11-02, 01:19 PM

from this page..
Roxio to Acquire Assets of Napster
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - November 15th, 2002 - Roxio, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROXI), the Digital Media Company®, provider of the best selling digital media software in the world, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Napster, Inc. As part of the transaction, Roxio will receive all of Napster's intellectual property including its technology patent portfolio. Roxio is not assuming any of Napster's liabilities, including pending litigation. Roxio's purchase of Napster's assets is subject to approval of the bankruptcy court.

Roxio's President and CEO Chris Gorog commented, "Roxio's acquisition of Napster will expand our role in the digital media landscape and enhance our offerings to consumers. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners in the entertainment industry and will be announcing further plans in the coming months."

About Roxio

Roxio, Inc. (Nasdaq:ROXI) provides the best selling digital media software in the world. Roxio makes award-winning software products for CD/DVD burning, photo editing and video editing. Roxio's family of products includes category leading products Easy CD Creator ® (Windows) and Toast ® (Macintosh) for CD/DVD burning, PhotoSuite ® for digital photography, and VideoWave ® for digital video. Roxio also makes GoBack® , the #1 selling system recovery software that enables PC users to instantly recover from system crashes, virus attacks and data loss. Roxio distributes its products globally through strategic partnerships with major hardware manufacturers, in stores with the leading worldwide retailers, through Internet partnerships and also sells its products direct at www.roxio.com. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Roxio also maintains offices in Minnesota, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany and Japan. The company currently employs more than 400 people worldwide. Roxio is a member of the S&P SmallCap 600 and the Russell 2000 Index.

Safe Harbor Statement
Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this press release, in particular matters related to Roxio's purchase of Napster's assets and the distribution of content, are forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including the uncertainties of the bankruptcy proceedings, the risk that one or more potential purchasers may submit to the court more attractive terms, competition in the digital content distribution industry, intellectual property litigation surrounding digital content distribution and the uncertainty that consumers will adopt paid electronic distribution of digital content, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Additional information on other factors that could cause Roxio's performance to differ from projections are contained in Roxio's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on July 1, 2002 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q as filed with the SEC on November 13, 2002, copies of which are available at the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Roxio assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements included in this press release.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Why is Roxio purchasing Napster's Assets?
A: We feel that Napster has value that is synergistic with Roxio's current digital media offerings and long-term vision for the future of digital media and entertainment.

Q: What filings have been submitted toward the proposed transaction?
A: Today, November 15, 2002, Napster will file a sale order motion with the Delaware bankruptcy court to sell Napster's assets.

Q: When is the deal expected to close?
A: Closure is subject to the approval of the bankruptcy court, which is expected on November 27, 2002.

Q: What is the proposed purchase price?
A: Pursuant to the legal filings with the Delaware court, we have offered $5 million in cash and 100,000 warrants to purchase Roxio common stock.

Q: What are the terms of this deal?
A: Roxio will purchase substantially all of Napster's assets, including the company's intellectual property (several technology patents).

Q: Does Roxio inherit Napsters' liabilities in this proposed transaction?
A: No, Roxio is not subject to any of Napster's liabilities, including pending litigation.

Q: After the completion of the transaction, what is Roxio's strategy for Napster?
A: Following the close of the transaction, we will provide consumers and investors a strategic vision of how Napster will expand Roxio's role in the digital media landscape and enhance our offerings to consumers.

alphabeater · 17-11-02, 08:07 AM

pointless. they're just buying the name - well, and a few patents... i didn't know napster had any patents... hope they don't have any that they could sue p2p companies with.

still, that name is long since worthless, most people know about kazaa (at least) now...

SA_Dave · 17-11-02, 02:13 PM

$5 million for a technology which hasn't been improved on for about 2 years?

I could think of far better uses for it!

Is Roxio's board of directors really that ignorant? Oh wait...

Hi alphabeater! I completely agree with you. I'm not too worried about patent violations though. Do you know of any centralised p2p networks still in existence apart from The Bridge?

Mowzer · 18-11-02, 10:17 AM

geez, roxio eh?

Mazer · 18-11-02, 03:49 PM

Roxio is probably more interested in the Audio Identification technology that was supposed to make Napster legal. It was supposed to 'listen' to the music, identify the title, and determine if the song was already copyrighted. This was to replace the filename blocker that was blocking legitimate files. But since Napster didn't live long enough to unveil it's new technology we'll never know if it actually worked.

justed · 19-11-02, 04:02 AM

Sony and Philips Join in the Acquisition of InterTrust

Quoted from… intertrust.com/main/home/press/2002/021113_acquisition.html

Sony and Philips Join in the Acquisition of InterTrust
SANTA CLARA, Calif., November 13, 2002 -- InterTrust Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: ITRU) the leading inventor of digital rights management (DRM) and trusted computing technologies, announced that it has executed a definitive merger agreement with Fidelio Acquisition Company, LLC, a company formed by Sony Corporation of America, Royal Philips Electronics, and certain other investors. Under the merger agreement, Fidelio will acquire InterTrust for approximately $453M cash on a fully diluted basis…

By supporting the acquisition of InterTrust, Sony and Philips, two great, global technology companies, are clearly endorsing the importance of InterTrust’s broad, trusted computing/DRM patent portfolio…

This transaction will promote the development of digital media and commerce. Through more widespread deployment of our inventions, consumers and businesses will benefit from the secure distribution of digital content…

Not the cachet of Napster, but equally worrisome…

Mazer · 19-11-02, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by justed
Sony and Philips Join in the Acquisition of InterTrust

Not the cachet of Napster, but equally worrisome…

Agreed. Philips, that has been threatening to pull the Compact Disk Digital Audio label from copy protected CD's, is now threatening to integrate copy protection into future technologies. And it seems that Sony's electronics branch is being strong-armed by it's entertainment branch. I've always trusted Japanese corporations to do things completly different from American corporations (that's part of the reason that the recording industry doesn't have pervasive global influence), but now it looks like they're capitualting. When a company goes so far as to restructure it's business model, they're serious.

But maybe it's not what it seems. Maybe they're acquiring InterTrust so they can dissolve it and lock its technologies in the basement. Maybe they plan to promote free mediums without DRM, and maybe they'll stop anyone who infringes on their unused DRM patants. Those are big maybes and I don't really believe them, but it's something to think about.

16-11-02, 11:31 AM	#3
spstn No Nonsense Nonsense Join Date: May 2002 Location: Miami Posts: 382	Black Knight Not Needed Don't hold any hope. Roxio is buying it to kill it twice, and gain points with the record industry. Whatever form it takes is gonna be a bitch that will jump at the whims of the RIIA. In a not too distant future roxio software won't let you duplicate or process copyrighted material, all this in cahoots with MS; does Palladium rings any bell out there? This is not only sad news, but also as bad as it gets.

16-11-02, 01:19 PM	#4
multi Thanks for being with arse Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The other side of the world Posts: 10,343	from the roxio site... from this page.. Roxio to Acquire Assets of Napster SANTA CLARA, Calif. - November 15th, 2002 - Roxio, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROXI), the Digital Media Company®, provider of the best selling digital media software in the world, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Napster, Inc. As part of the transaction, Roxio will receive all of Napster's intellectual property including its technology patent portfolio. Roxio is not assuming any of Napster's liabilities, including pending litigation. Roxio's purchase of Napster's assets is subject to approval of the bankruptcy court. Roxio's President and CEO Chris Gorog commented, "Roxio's acquisition of Napster will expand our role in the digital media landscape and enhance our offerings to consumers. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners in the entertainment industry and will be announcing further plans in the coming months." About Roxio Roxio, Inc. (Nasdaq:ROXI) provides the best selling digital media software in the world. Roxio makes award-winning software products for CD/DVD burning, photo editing and video editing. Roxio's family of products includes category leading products Easy CD Creator ® (Windows) and Toast ® (Macintosh) for CD/DVD burning, PhotoSuite ® for digital photography, and VideoWave ® for digital video. Roxio also makes GoBack® , the #1 selling system recovery software that enables PC users to instantly recover from system crashes, virus attacks and data loss. Roxio distributes its products globally through strategic partnerships with major hardware manufacturers, in stores with the leading worldwide retailers, through Internet partnerships and also sells its products direct at www.roxio.com. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Roxio also maintains offices in Minnesota, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany and Japan. The company currently employs more than 400 people worldwide. Roxio is a member of the S&P SmallCap 600 and the Russell 2000 Index. Safe Harbor Statement Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this press release, in particular matters related to Roxio's purchase of Napster's assets and the distribution of content, are forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including the uncertainties of the bankruptcy proceedings, the risk that one or more potential purchasers may submit to the court more attractive terms, competition in the digital content distribution industry, intellectual property litigation surrounding digital content distribution and the uncertainty that consumers will adopt paid electronic distribution of digital content, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Additional information on other factors that could cause Roxio's performance to differ from projections are contained in Roxio's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on July 1, 2002 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q as filed with the SEC on November 13, 2002, copies of which are available at the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Roxio assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements included in this press release. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: Why is Roxio purchasing Napster's Assets? A: We feel that Napster has value that is synergistic with Roxio's current digital media offerings and long-term vision for the future of digital media and entertainment. Q: What filings have been submitted toward the proposed transaction? A: Today, November 15, 2002, Napster will file a sale order motion with the Delaware bankruptcy court to sell Napster's assets. Q: When is the deal expected to close? A: Closure is subject to the approval of the bankruptcy court, which is expected on November 27, 2002. Q: What is the proposed purchase price? A: Pursuant to the legal filings with the Delaware court, we have offered $5 million in cash and 100,000 warrants to purchase Roxio common stock. Q: What are the terms of this deal? A: Roxio will purchase substantially all of Napster's assets, including the company's intellectual property (several technology patents). Q: Does Roxio inherit Napsters' liabilities in this proposed transaction? A: No, Roxio is not subject to any of Napster's liabilities, including pending litigation. Q: After the completion of the transaction, what is Roxio's strategy for Napster? A: Following the close of the transaction, we will provide consumers and investors a strategic vision of how Napster will expand Roxio's role in the digital media landscape and enhance our offerings to consumers. __________________ i beat the internet - the end boss is hard Secret Temple of It

17-11-02, 02:13 PM	#6
SA_Dave Guardian of the Maturation Chamber Join Date: May 2002 Location: Unimatrix Zero, Area 25 Posts: 462	What a waste of 5 million bucks! $5 million for a technology which hasn't been improved on for about 2 years? I could think of far better uses for it! Is Roxio's board of directors really that ignorant? Oh wait... Hi alphabeater! I completely agree with you. I'm not too worried about patent violations though. Do you know of any centralised p2p networks still in existence apart from The Bridge?

19-11-02, 04:02 AM	#9
justed Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 17	Not the cachet of Napster, but equally worrisome… Sony and Philips Join in the Acquisition of InterTrust Quoted from… intertrust.com/main/home/press/2002/021113_acquisition.html Sony and Philips Join in the Acquisition of InterTrust SANTA CLARA, Calif., November 13, 2002 -- InterTrust Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: ITRU) the leading inventor of digital rights management (DRM) and trusted computing technologies, announced that it has executed a definitive merger agreement with Fidelio Acquisition Company, LLC, a company formed by Sony Corporation of America, Royal Philips Electronics, and certain other investors. Under the merger agreement, Fidelio will acquire InterTrust for approximately $453M cash on a fully diluted basis… By supporting the acquisition of InterTrust, Sony and Philips, two great, global technology companies, are clearly endorsing the importance of InterTrust’s broad, trusted computing/DRM patent portfolio… This transaction will promote the development of digital media and commerce. Through more widespread deployment of our inventions, consumers and businesses will benefit from the secure distribution of digital content… Not the cachet of Napster, but equally worrisome…

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16-11-02, 08:44 AM	#1
JackSpratts Join Date: May 2001 Location: New England Posts: 10,017	Roxio Buying Napster AFP, Others. Music software maker Roxio said on Friday it has signed a deal to acquire the assets of the once wildly popular music- swapping website Napster, which is in bankruptcy. The deal calls for Roxio to pay $US5 million ($A8.9 million) in cash and 100,000 warrants to purchase Roxio common stock. As part of the transaction, Roxio will receive all of Napster's intellectual property including its technology patent portfolio, but none of Napster's liabilities, including pending litigation. Roxio's president and chief executive Chris Gorog said: "Roxio's acquisition of Napster will expand our role in the digital media landscape and enhance our offerings to consumers. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners in the entertainment industry and will be announcing further plans in the coming months." The purchase of Napster's assets is subject to approval of the bankruptcy court, which is expected on November 27, said the company. A previous offer from Bertelsmann AG to purchase Napster was rejected by a US bankruptcy judge. Bertelsmann had offered $US8 million ($A14.23 million) to Napster's other creditors and foregoing repayment of a loan of $US85 million ($A151.2 million) it made. Private Media, a Spanish-based adult entertainment firm, had indicated interest in Napster for its so-called peer-to-peer (P2P) technology that allowed internet users to swap music. Napster roared across the internet in 1999, when founder and then-college student Shawn Fanning invented a method by which users could easily pass files from computer to computer over the world wide web. At its peak, Napster claimed some 70 million users, who could access and pass along a vast collection of music titles freely. But the music industry contended it facilitated rampant piracy of copyrighted music, and the court battles eventually led to its demise. http://afr.com/it/2002/11/16/FFXNORKDK8D.html http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercuryne...ss/4534587.htm http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,106983,00.asp http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn...io.xml?s=IDGNS http://www.itworld.com/Net/4087/021115roxio/ http://www.sanmateocountytimes.com/S...995393,00.html http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/tech...ter-Roxio.html - js.

16-11-02, 09:06 AM	#2
goldie yea, it's me. Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: usa Posts: 2,093	All I can say is: WHOA!

17-11-02, 08:07 AM	#5
alphabeater Registered User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: uk Posts: 97	pointless. they're just buying the name - well, and a few patents... i didn't know napster had any patents... hope they don't have any that they could sue p2p companies with. still, that name is long since worthless, most people know about kazaa (at least) now...

18-11-02, 10:17 AM	#7
Mowzer ' Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 209	geez, roxio eh?

18-11-02, 03:49 PM	#8
Mazer Earthbound misfit Join Date: May 2001 Location: Moses Lake, Washington Posts: 2,563	Roxio is probably more interested in the Audio Identification technology that was supposed to make Napster legal. It was supposed to 'listen' to the music, identify the title, and determine if the song was already copyrighted. This was to replace the filename blocker that was blocking legitimate files. But since Napster didn't live long enough to unveil it's new technology we'll never know if it actually worked.