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Tag: USVO

  • Doordarshan chooses USVO’S anti-piracy solution

    Doordarshan chooses USVO’S anti-piracy solution

    MUMBAI: Indian pubcaster Doordarshan (DD) will be using MediaSentinel to protect their content distribution in a three month trial program.

    DD would be among the first of the world’s largest networks and the first public broadcaster to deploy piracy deterrence technology to protect profits by thwarting pirates.

    MediaSentinel is an anti-piracy workstation developed by USA Video Interactive Corp.

    The trial with Doordarshan was initiated by First Serve Entertainment, Inc., one of Vijay Amritraj’s group of companies, which exclusively represents USVO and markets and sells the MediaSentinel technology in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and non-exclusively in other parts of the world. USVO had announced a marketing agreement with First Serve Entertainment last year.

    “This test and use of MediaSentinel by India’s national public broadcaster is to be saluted and commended as the first effort of its kind to deter rampant piracy in a huge marketplace like India, where hundreds of millions of dollars are lost by domestic and foreign producers. We hope others take cue from the public broadcaster. MediaSentinel needs to be deployed if the Indian media and film industry wants to give law enforcement the tool to trace and catch pirates. The Indian government’s initiative should definitely lead a wave of interest across China and the rest of Asia, where piracy is believed to cause billions of dollars of losses,” said First Serve Entertainment Inc chief operating officer Munish Gupta.

    “We are very pleased that Doordarshan, one of the most important broadcasters in the world, has chosen to test and try MediaSentinel for their anti-piracy needs. We will be working hard to ensure this is a successful trial and the first step towards a smooth integration of MediaSentinel into Doordarshan’s operations as the frontline solution protecting their intellectual property. This deal validates our anti-piracy solution, our international sales efforts, and our partnership with First Serve Entertainment,” said USVO chief executive officer Edwin Molina.

  • Vijay Amritraj’s First Serve inks marketing deal with USVO

    MUMBAI: USA Video Interactive Corp. has signed a formal sales and marketing agreement with First Serve International, LLC (“First Serve”) in accordance with the memorandum of understanding that was signed by USVO and First Serve in May.
     

     
    “We feel that USVO’s MediaSentinel product provides for a very strong deterrence and tracking tool against the menace of piracy and the billions of dollars lost to it,” said First Serve International chairman Vijay Amritraj.

     
     
    First Serve has begun introducing MediaSentinel to post-production and production companies and studios around the world, especially in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East where it has exclusive rights to market the digital watermarking tool.

     
     
    MediaSentinel is an anti-piracy device that embeds “SmartMarks”- invisible forensic information in every frame of video content – providing the proof courts need to convict the individuals who steal the original material, thereby protecting intellectual property rights.

    Its use by producers and distributors of film and television content allows unprecedented, secure access to a wide range of distribution markets and methods which otherwise represent a significant piracy risk.

    As part of the agreement, First Serve has the rights to market and sell MediaSentinel on an exclusive basis in Asia, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.

    “For our company to have developed a strong foundation to enter the market through First Serve is a significant milestone for USVO. This allows us access to several regions of the world, which are plagued with piracy issues. With this formal agreement completed, we can move forward together to market MediaSentinel,” said USVO president Edwin Molina.

    First Serve has an experienced executive team consisting of Vijay Amritraj, Edward Borgerding and Munish Gupta.

    Amritraj is a tennis legend, successful actor, entertainment entrepreneur, television commentator and United Nations messenger of peace. Borgerding spent 20 years with The Walt Disney Company, most recently as executive vice president for Walt Disney International – Asia Pacific with overall responsibility for Disney’s extensive business interests in that region, including all studio divisions, consumer products, ABC Television and theme parks. Gupta, on the other hand is an accomplished former journalist, and over a 19-year period.

  • USVO files suit against ISP movielink

    USVO files suit against ISP movielink

    CONNECTICUT: Sony Pictures Entertainment had an incredible 2002. This year could be a touch different if USA Video Interactive (USVO) has its way.
     

    USVO’s subsidiary USA Video Technology Corporation has filed a suit against internet movie service provider (ISP) Movielink regarding the rights to the technology that can deliver movies over the Internet. In India of course we are still some way off from this becoming a reality due to broadband constraints.

    The suit identifies Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Metro Goldwyn-Mayer, Universal Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment as members of the limited liability company that owns and operates Movielink and the www.movielink.com website service. Movies made by these studios — including the Oscar nominated My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Bourne Identity are presently available for download on a fee basis from the movielink.com site. The complaint states that rights to the technology being used by the studios on the site belong to USA Video Technology.

    USVO president Edwin Molina has been quoted in an official release saying that the patented technologies represent an advance in home movie entertainment. The days of video rental stores could be fast numbered as it is possible for Internet users to secure almost any movie, any time, from any location with online access all from their comfort of their homes.

    The plaintiff is asking the Delaware federal court for a declaratory judgment of both infringement and willful infringement, permanent injunctive relief, compensatory and treble damages, interest, legal costs, as well as a jury trial on all appropriate issues.

    An unfavourable verdict against the studios could affect millions of movie fans across the globe. The suit alleges that Movielink has infringed and continues to infringe on the patented online movie delivery system.

    USA Video Technology Corporation is a developer, supplier and owner of the patent-in-suit that covers media delivery services that allow Internet users to request and receive digitised movies online.