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To: H James Morris who wrote (102526)	5/1/2000 12:57:00 PM
From: Sam Citron	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

>>Sold my Ericy and put the proceeds into Nok. They all played music on their Nokias this morning in Helsinki! ...FINLAND, 19 April 2000 - A small step towards wireless download of music will be made at the Finnish May Day (Vappu) festivities at Helsinki T„htitorninm„ki Park on May 1. A top Finnish pop band will release a single from its new album as a mobile phone ringing tone. The audience will then attempt to set a new type of world record, where thousands of people will play the single simultaneously on their mobile phones. Thousands of downloads of the song are expected, and the proceeds (FIM 5 per download) will be donated to a local youth group. The event is expected to gain international attention, as Finland's wireless market tends to signal the direction of wireless user trends internationally. The main event organizer is the Finnish software company Akumiitti, which specializes in entertainment programs for wireless handsets. Top names from the Finnish music industry are also involved. Akumiitti's marketing manager, Mr. Tero Puumala, says the event will demonstrate the significant role that entertainment and other value added services have in the Finland's mobile phone culture. Releasing the new single in a ringing tone format also emphasizes the importance of copyright protection and the multitude of uses for the new forms of entertainment. "The demand for mobile entertainment services is growing fast. This establishes a need to monitor copyright. This is evident especially when hit singles are used as ringing tones. Akumiitti cooperates with Teosto and other copyright enforcement organizations. This ensures that compensation for the use of intellectual property is paid to the creators," says Puumala. The relationship between mobile services and copyright is currently unclear. Some of the open issues include the technical means of securing copyright for digitized intellectual property, as well as the responsibility of the service provider in preventing piracy. A recent ruling by a German court decreed that this responsibility rests with the service provider. "In 1998, Finland became the first country to face the issue of copyright and mobile phone ringing tones, because the related technology and applications were initiated here," says Ms. Hannele Saaristo, Assistant Department Director at Teosto, Finland's copyright enforcement organization. The Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications estimates that the value of Finland's short message service market will increase to over FIM one billion this year. Last year, an estimated 650 million short messages were sent. Over the next few years, the increasing speed of wireless networks and related technologies are expected to accelerate demand for an increasing array of SMS and WAP-based services, particularly in central Europe and other regions with high mobile phone penetration. About Akumiitti Akumiitti, founded in 1993, is a leading wireless software company. Akumiitti is privately owned by its employees and two venture capital companies, the insurance company Tapiola and IT Venture Development.