Here is a seemingly "perfect infringer":
Wave Systems Corp. Announces Three Pay-Per-Use CD-ROM Software Publishing Partners; Interplay, Houghton-Mifflin and Kamickazi Add To The 300 Publishers Now Registered to Sell Content Via WINPublish
INDIAN WELLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 1997--Wave Systems Corp. (NASDAQ:WAVX) announced today the addition of three well-known publishers of educational and entertainment multimedia to its expanding list of content providers that will distribute software beginning this fall using Wave's unique pay-per-use distribution system.
Interplay, Houghton-Mifflin and Kamickazi Comedy Circus, publishers of a wide-range of award-winning entertainment and educational software, said they will ship special, encrypted versionsof their titles in CD-ROM software bundles that Wave plans to begin shipping to retail outlets in September.
The three companies are part of a growing number of publishers, large and small, that are distributing now or plan to distribute overWave's WINPublish network, an Internet-based content distribution service for selling content directly to consumers from their Web sites.
"Our mission is to provide consumers with easy, low-cost and secure pay-per-use access to multimedia entertainment news and information, whether it be contained on CD-ROM's, the Internet or other emerging platforms," said Wave President Steven Sprague.
"We're excited that Interplay, Houghton-Mifflin Interplay and Kamickazi are teaming with Wave to distribute their titles via pay-per-use beginning this fall."
Sprague said Wave's pay-per-use software purchasing format continues to generate market interest and momentum. The company has signed over 300 publishers for its recently launched Internet electronic commerce service WINPublish.
The announcements were made at Demo '97, a high profile computer industry conference focusing on state-of-the-art technology product previews for industry experts, media, investors and high-tech executives. Wave is demonstrating its hardware-based system allowing consumers to purchase directly from their local personal computer.
Consumers can buy multimedia titles and a wide range of education, entertainment and information content from their desktop computer with WINPurchase, Wave's Internet purchasing system.
WINPurchase allows for secure micro-payment transactions, including pay-per-use and rent-to-own, from remote and local PC's using Wave's patented hardware-based metering and transaction service.
All three publishers said that Wave's unique ability to deliver multimedia content on a pay-per-use basis has the ability to change the business model as to how companies publish and how consumers buy multimedia software.
"We are excited to work with Wave to bring Curious George, the world's most famous monkey, to his legions of fans via this new distribution means," said Paul Bader, VP and Director of Sales at Houghton Mifflin Interactive.
"Wave has provided the kind of innovative new Web distribution channel that we've been looking for Houghton Mifflin is a leading publisher of textbooks, instructional technology, assessments, and other educational materials for the elementary and secondary school and college markets, as well as an extensive line of reference publications, fiction and non-fiction for adults and young readers, and multimedia entertainment products.
"Show me the money and I'll show you the funny with Wave," said Vic Dunlop, producer for Kamickazi. "E-publishers and consumers alike have a mutually beneficial solution to their electronic distribution challenges with the Wave System."
Kamickazi is the comedy network on the Internet featuring well known comedians including television star Bob Saget, Judy Tenuda, Soupy Sales and comedy venues such as the Friar's Club.
Michael Lennox, director of business development for Interplay, said that "Wave's comprehensive buy-and-sell process could dramatically alter the way digital information, including multimedia entertainment and educational content, is distributed to and purchased by consumers."
Modern Media Ventures is one of the first publishers to offer content for sale via WINPublish. "WINPublish works," said Modern Media's president, Bob Lewis. "We were really excited the other day to receive our first check from Wave and look forward to expanding our availability of content on the Internet."
Wave is also negotiating agreements with major computer Original Equipment Manufacturers who will include the WaveMeter hardware solution in computers and peripherals also this fall.
Wave's planned partnership with Creative Labs creates a completely new and efficient distribution model capable of securely delivering thousands of pay-per-use or rent-to-own titles. The relationship with Creative, subject to execution of a definitive agreement, will establish Creative as a supporter of WINPurchase.
"Our product is ultimately platform-independent. What we promiseis an exciting new distribution channel for publishers, a consumer purchasing environment that is convenient and easy-to-use, and ongoing revenue for Wave's partners," Sprague said.
He added that the pay-per-use purchase of software will extend toa variety of platforms, including the Internet, CD-Rom, DVD (Digital Video Disks) and cable television.
Founded in 1983, Interplay Productions is a company dedicated to manufacturing and distributing a wide range of award-winning entertainment and educational software designed by gamers, for gamers.
Interplay releases products through Interplay, Brainstorm, MacPlay, VR Sports and Shiny Entertainment and its affiliated labels for personal computers as well as leading console game platforms. Inaddition, the company's OEM division represents a wide variety of publishers' software to the OEM community for hardware bundling.
More comprehensive information on Interplay and its products is available through the company's worldwide web site at interplay.com .
Houghton Mifflin Interactive Corporation (HMI), Somerville, Mass., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Houghton Mifflin Company, publishes award-winning children's and family digital products.
The Corporation cultivates world-class talent to produce digitaladaptations of Houghton Mifflin books and original CD-ROMs and onlineworks. HMI products are available through a network of retailers nationwide, and directly from HMI. For more information call 800/829-7962, or visit the Houghton Mifflin Interactive Network, the Company's World Wide Web site, at hminet.com .
Wave, with offices in Lee, MA, San Jose, CA, New York, NY, and Princeton, NJ, markets a distributed information metering and transaction service, the Wave System, for use in consumer, entertainment and education applications.
Wave's information metering infrastructure provides individual and corporate content owners with secure distribution as well as new marketing and pricing options that include rental, rent-to-own, purchase and pay-per-use transactions.
Consumers benefit from the convenience and control of obtaining content via delivery systems such as online services, the Internet, satellite transmission and CD-ROM, DVD and broadband. More information about Wave is available through Wave's Internet web site:http://www.wavesys.com. Note to Editors: WaveMeter, WINPublish are registered trademarks of Wave Systems Corp. --30--gt/sf* lmm/sf CONTACT: ChipShots, Inc.
David Gould, 408/541-2185 (PR)
800/593-CHIP dwgould@ix.netcom.com
or
Wave Systems Corp.
James Stokes Hatch, 413/243-1600 (IR)
jhatch@wavesys.com
or
Jaffoni & Collins
David Collins, 212/505-3015 (IR)
dccjci@aol.com |
