国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

The inventors of the world's first combined compact disc and DVD are considering legal action against Warner Music, one of the largest record groups, amid allegations of breach of contract and patent abuse.

Warner Music, a subsidiary of Time Warner, is planning to launch dual discs in the US next year in a potential tie-up with Sony Music, part of the Japanese consumer electronics and entertainment giant.

The company, which is exploring a potential merger with EMI of the UK, regards combined CDs and DVDs as a new format to help reverse sliding music sales and offset losses to internet piracy.

But Dieter Dierks, a veteran music producer and chairman of the Dierks Group, claims the project could be illegal.

The German entrepreneur, who patented the combined disc technology under the name DVD Plus, has written to Warner Music claiming it has licenses over production of such discs and royalty agreements that promise a share of future profits arising from sales by the US group.

In April 2000, Warner Music sold rights over its own dual disc technology to Mr Dierks in a deal allowing the US company to manufacture the discs if the technology was perfected, as long as it used the DVD Plus logo.

Warner Music officials said that it was determined to press ahead with production of its dual discs in spite of the agreement with Mr Dierks.

"There are no patents in the US," according to one person familiar with the situation. "As far as we can tell, the agreement doesn't obligate us other than putting the DVD Plus logo somewhere on the package, and the only royalty issue is in Germany."

Phil Carson, the record executive behind Twisted Sister and a business partner of Mr Dierks, accused Warner Music of breaching its agreements and contracts relating to DVD Plus.

"We now find ourselves in a position where our work and investment has been hijacked," he said. "It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to make this format work, and now it may go for nothing."

DVD Plus International, which has already sold more than 2m units of its combined CD-DVDs, last week held meetings with Universal Music, the world's largest record group, to seek support for its stance.

Close

Today's Top News		Top International News
+Suspects detained in massive sex scandal ( 2003-09-28) +China beats Russia 1-0 to top Group D ( 2003-09-29) +China unveils anti-SARS taskforce ( 2003-09-29) +New Oriental fined 10m yuan in copyright lawsuit ( 2003-09-29) +China's urban schools asked to serve for migrant workers ( 2003-09-28)		+DVD pioneers consider Warner suit ( 2003-09-29) +Wheelbarrows hold Monrovia together ( 2003-09-29) +France: Transfer power to Iraq by 2004 ( 2003-09-29) +Bali bomb accomplice gets 12 years ( 2003-09-29) +Iraqi cops, US troops stage joint raids ( 2003-09-29)