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<title>Haaze.com / novijgodsergeigerasimov / Published News</title>
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<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 07:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Jobs ordered to testify in FairPlay antitrust case]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-ordered-to-testify-in-fairplay-antitrust-case</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-ordered-to-testify-in-fairplay-antitrust-case</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 07:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>novijgodsergeigerasimov</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=jobs-ordered-to-testify-in-fairplay-antitrust-case</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Apple CEO Steve Jobs was ordered by a judge yesterday to answer questions in a deposition related to an antitrust suit filed against the company in 2005 over its FairPlay DRM software.Apple CEO Steve Jobs(Credit:Stephen Shankland/CNET)Attorneys for Apple had argued that Jobs' testimony in this case would be repetitive of what has already been offered as part of the ongoing lawsuit. But presiding over the case known as the Apple iPod iTunes Antitrust Litigation, U.S. Magistrate Judge Howard Lloyd ruled yesterday that this alone was not sufficient to preclude Jobs from testifying.The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, revolves around Apple's past use of FairPlay to encode its digital music files. Such encoding ensured that songs bought through iTunes would play only on iPods and not other music players and that songs bought through other digital music stores would not play on aniPod.Claiming it was the music companies and not Apple that wanted the digital rights management, Jobs eventually got rid of FairPlay in early 2009, paving the way for DRM-free music through iTunes.But the use of the software found Apple the target of a lawsuit launched in 2005 from a group of iPod and music buyers who claimed that the company's use of FairPlay allowed it to maintain a monopoly over both digital audio players and music downloads.As one example, RealNetworks had challenged Apple in July 2004 by releasing software called Harmony, which was designed to crack through the DRM and allow its own digital music files to play on the iPod.In its strong response a few days later, Apple threatened to block access to RealNetworks' digital music files the next time the iPod software was updated. Apple eventually followed through on that threat by updating the iPod in October and rendering RealNetworks' content unplayable.Though Lloyd has ordered Jobs to testify in the deposition, he did find in favor of Apple on certain motions. The plaintiffs argued that Jobs should be required to answer questions about Apple's initial decision to implement FairPlay and its refusal to license FairPlay to other companies. But the judge rejected both of those arguments.As a result, Jobs' deposition will be limited to two hours during which he'll be asked questions only related to RealNetworks' launch of Harmony in 2004, Apple's response to Harmony, and Apple's iPod update later that year.An Apple spokeswoman told CNET that the company would decline any response to the lawsuit and Jobs' testimony because the litigation is pending.In another matter related to Jobs, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that an investment advisory firm has raised questions over whether the Apple CEO should continue to serve on the board of directors for Walt Disney.Citing his absences from board meetings the past few years, Institutional Shareholder Services acknowledged that Jobs' ongoing medical condition could certainly excuse him from frequent participation. But the group felt that shareholders are entitled to greater disclosure and a full explanation were he to be renominated to the board. Disclosure of Jobs' medical ailments has been a issue that has dogged Apple as well over the years.The AFL-CIO, which owns about 3.8 million shares of Disney, already voted against Jobs returning to Disney's board, the L.A. Times added.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Record $7.8 billion year for cleantech venture capital in 2010, but two quarters of decline]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=record-7-8-billion-year-for-cleantech-venture-capital-in-2010-but-two-quarters-of-decline</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=record-7-8-billion-year-for-cleantech-venture-capital-in-2010-but-two-quarters-of-decline</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>novijgodsergeigerasimov</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=record-7-8-billion-year-for-cleantech-venture-capital-in-2010-but-two-quarters-of-decline</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Cleantech had a record year in drawing in venture capital in 2010, with $7.8 billion invested globally, according to a new report from the Cleantech Group. The last half of 2010 saw two consecutive quarters of declines, however.Overall, global investing totals saw a 28 percent increase compared to 2009, making it the highest year for investment after 2008 ($8.8 billion). The drawback in the last half of 2010 seems to reflect someskepticism among venture capitalists on capital-intensive investments that are risky and can take years to bear fruit. Instead, investors are looking more towards capital investments like energy efficiency. One company that has done well in that space is Opower, which recently raised $50 million in a round led by Accel and Kleiner Perkins.Venture investment in the fourth quarter of last year totaled $1.61 billion, down by 17 percent from the third quarter ($1.95 billion), marking the second consecutive quarterly decline in investing in cleantech. There were 180 deals, the same number as in the third quarter. In November, the Cleantech Group found that VC dollars flowing into cleantech in the third quarter of last year wentdown 30 percent compared to the previous quarter.An Ernst &amp;amp' Young report last yearfound that U.S. venture capitaldollars in the third quarter were half of what was invested in the third quarter of 2009, reflecting a 22 percent decrease in deals in an overall $575.6 million in 53 financing rounds.&amp;''Venture funds are still in a cautious place&amp;'' as they continue to try to raise money for their own funds, said Sheerez Haji, CEO of Cleantech Group. That makes it hard for early-stage startups, as investors look for later-stage companies where &amp;''the technology risk has been taken care of,&amp;'' he said.In fact, one of the capital-intensive investments and success stories of last year is a good showcase of how pricey projects must draw from funding sources beyond venture capital. That&amp;'s BrightSource Energy, the company behind a massive 392-megawatt Ivanpah solar thermal plant in California&amp;'s Mojave Desert, recipient of a $1.4 billion Department of Energy loan guarantee and said to be preparing an IPO this year.The company raised cash from traditional venture capital funds like Draper Fisher Jurveston and VantagePoint, but also corporations like Chevron, BP and Google. It also got funding from California teacher&amp;'s retirement system fund Calstrs and infrastructure company Alstrom.Overall, venture capital in North America totaled nearly 70 percent of all the venture capital invested globally in 2010, with dollars invested surging 45 percent to a total $5.28 billion. Big deals included solar manufacturer Solyndra&amp;'s $175 million raised in the wake of a pulled IPO, $350 million raised by electric vehicle infrastructure startup Better Place, $150 million raised by BrightSource Energy, $110 million raised by Abound Solar and $165 million raised by Switzerland&amp;'s smart meter company Landis + Gyr.IPOs had a record year as well, with eight of the 10 top IPOs in China worth a combined $10 billion. The country is emerging as a huge energy market with lots of opportunity for cleantech companies. It has pledged over $7 billion to smart grid alone and continues to subsidize solar panel manufacturers that have undercut global competition in price. The top IPO of the year was the $3.6 billion offering in Madrid by the renewable energy unit of Italian utility Enel Green Power, the renewable energy unit of Italian utility Enel.Cleantech Group analysts are bullish on the cleantech IPO market for 2011, saying this could be the year much-speculated Silver Spring Networks goes public. Car sharing startup Zipcar has also filed to go public.The smart grid market continues to be strong as utilities look to invest in the segment and with huge market opportunity in China.&amp;''These will be huge monster markets with plenty of room for startups and big companies like GE and Siemens andSchneider Electric,&amp;'' Haji said.The most active cleantech venture capital investors of last year, according to the report, were:Chrysalix Energy Venture (16 rounds)Draper Fisher Jurvetson (16 rounds)Carbon Trust Investment Partners (12 rounds)Element Partners (12 rounds)Kleiner Perkins Caufield &amp;amp' Byers (12 rounds)[Top image via Flickr/davedehetre]Next Story: Up close with Motorola&amp;'s new Android smartphone, the Atrix 4G Previous Story: On the GreenBeat: GM licenses new battery technology, First Solar acquires Ray TrackerPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: China, cleantech investing, cleantech IPOs, cleantech venture capital, energy efficiency, SolarCompanies: Abound Solar, Accel, Alstrom, Better Place, BP, BrightSource Energy, Calstrs, Carbon Trust Investment Partners, Chevron, Chrysalix Energy Venture, Cleantech Group, Draper Fisher Jurveston, Element Partners, Enel, Enel Green Power, Ernst &amp;amp' Young, GE, Google, Kleiner Perkins, Landis + Gyr, OPOWER, Schneider Electric, siemens, Silver Spring Networks, Solyndra, VantagePoint, ZipcarPeople: Sheerez Haji          Tags: China, cleantech investing, cleantech IPOs, cleantech venture capital, energy efficiency, SolarCompanies: Abound Solar, Accel, Alstrom, Better Place, BP, BrightSource Energy, Calstrs, Carbon Trust Investment Partners, Chevron, Chrysalix Energy Venture, Cleantech Group, Draper Fisher Jurveston, Element Partners, Enel, Enel Green Power, Ernst &amp;amp' Young, GE, Google, Kleiner Perkins, Landis + Gyr, OPOWER, Schneider Electric, siemens, Silver Spring Networks, Solyndra, VantagePoint, ZipcarPeople: Sheerez HajiIris Kuo is the VentureBeat's lead GreenBeat writer. She has reported for The Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong, Houston Chronicle, the McClatchy Washington Bureau and Dallas public radio. Iris attended the University of Texas at Dallas and lives in Houston. Follow Iris on Twitter @thestatuskuo (and yes, that's how you  pronounce her last name).VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Five and Fifty brings the Groupon approach to instant deals]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-and-fifty-brings-the-groupon-approach-to-instant-deals</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-and-fifty-brings-the-groupon-approach-to-instant-deals</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>novijgodsergeigerasimov</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=five-and-fifty-brings-the-groupon-approach-to-instant-deals</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A new startup called Five and Fifty wants to tackle one of the main complaints about group-buying supersite Groupon, which has a huge waiting list for businesses. It says it will allow merchants to send deals instantly to a much more targeted audience.As an example, Five and Fifty founders Chris Routh and Ben Tyson talked about a cupcake shop in San Franciscoa4a4s South of Market district. (The two were on-stage at today&amp;'s Launch conference in San Francisco, launching their company.) If, near the end of the day, the store owner wants to get rid of the rest of her cupcakes, they said, a4Ashe sure as hell isna4a4t going to use Groupona4, because therea4a4s no way she could get an offer onto the site in time.Instead, the owner could create an offer on the Five and Fifty website, and it would be sent out as an SMS text message to the phones of users who said theya4a4re interested in that type of deal. The company is called Five and Fifty because of the restriction that it places on deals &amp;8212' they can only last for five hours and must be at least 50 percent off regular prices.Of course, the idea of taking on Groupon isna4a4t exactly new &amp;8212' in fact, Routh and Tyson directly addressed the concern that theya4a4re just another Groupon clone. One of the differentiators, they said, is that Five and Fifty doesna4a4t take a percentage of sales. Instead, businesses just pay a flat fee based on the number of coupons theya4a4re sending out. They also emphasized the idea that rather than sending out coupons to a general audience, they&amp;'re trying to targeting those deals to audiences based on their interests.Another way for businesses to share details is via their Facebook Page or their Twitter account, but a Five and Fifty offer is more valuable, Routh and Tyson said, because ita4a4s allowing businesses to reach a new audience.The service is launching in Kansas City (where the company is based) and San Francisco. It sounds like the company is self-funded.Next Story: Docstoc takes Apple&amp;'s subscription plan in stride Previous Story: Fix your golf swing with Zepp&amp;'s motion capture iPhone appPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: deals, launch2011, mobile dealsCompanies: Five and FiftyPeople: Ben Tyson, Chris Routh          Tags: deals, launch2011, mobile dealsCompanies: Five and FiftyPeople: Ben Tyson, Chris RouthAnthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter. Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.comVentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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