DIGITAL MUSIC NEWS – WEEK IN REVIEW

• The week kicked off with a major defeat of Sharman Networks, owner of the Kazaa file- sharing application. Australian federal judge Murray Wilcox ruled that the company violated the country’s copyright laws, and ordered Sharman to install application filters to prevent the downloading of copy-protected works.
• Digital music companies continued to support the Katrina relief effort this week. XM Satellite Radio, Napster, and Apple joined a massive groundswell of support from artists and celebrities for the Gulf Coast survivors.
• Apple dominated headlines this week, unveiling an iTunes-enabled cell phone, an update to the iPod lineup, and an iTunes upgrade. The phone, called the ROKR, will be manufactured by Motorola and offered by Cingular. The news prompted reactions and announcements from a long list of competitors, including Sony, Verizon, and Microsoft. A major Apple marketing campaign featuring superstar artists like Madonna is now underway.
• The British digital music market heated up this week, with HMV Digital entering on Monday. That follows a debut by Virgin Digital last Friday. The increased competition has caused some reaction from established players like Apple, which trumpeted its leading position in the market.
• In Japan, Sony and Apple reached an unexpected agreement. Going forward, Sony will supply its catalog to the iTunes Music Store, breaking a negotiation stalemate.

From Digital Musc News