Green IT; IT Detective; Search; Canadian Trade; 5/12/08 – PHOTOS & Events

484_ The Music Industry Fights Piracy for Survival
In the nine years following the development of Napster, the music industry has changed dramatically. To match the new methods of downloading music illegally, there are new means of detecting such activity and new legal ramifications. Richard Gabriel, attorney with Holme Roberts & Owen goes on to point out other dicey issues. "The ethics of downloading music illegally and who should be responsible for such activity continue to be debated. This debate relates to the broader question of whether the music industry's business model, i.e. charging for the distribution of music-faces an existential threat not merely from piracy, but the proliferation of artists willing to share their music for free." Whether or not individuals can justify downloading copyrighted music from peer-to-peer networks or other outlets, the fact remains that this conduct is illegal. To underscore that message, the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) has brought thousands of lawsuits against individuals who have violated the copyright law. At the same time, organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have suggested that the advent of file sharing cannot be stopped by litigation. What if it was your music?
Related Links: Holme Roberts & Owen || It's the Law Channel || Electronic Frontier Foundation || Silicon Flatirons || Keywords: Richard Gabriel, Holme Roberts & Owen, Music Industry, Piracy, Recording Industry of America, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Downloading - Bytes: 24960839 - 5/5/08

482_ Money, Music and More: Bringing Balance - Your Soul Patch
Part one of the interview with Jason Mendelson and Ryan McIntyre, both Managing Directors with the Foundry Group was focused on intellectual property and the current 'copyright paradigm'. IP isuues are hot topics with their portfolio companies. Both men are dedicated to the success of the companies they work with. Larry had to ask, "How do you bring balance to your business and personal lives?" Jason's been playing the drums since he was 3, a percussionist, and actually supported himself playing music with big names like Aretha Franklin. Jason and Ryan met at Mobius in California. Ryan had built a recording studio in his home – 600 sq. ft of recording space, and had a band. Jason showed up one day, "..the idea was that I would be a consultant to the band." Things took off from there. Ryan said, "In general our lives are hectic with a thousand calls in the air, generally multi tasking, always thinking about the past, present and future, and the great thing about music... it’s then. When I’m playing music there’s no room in my head for anything other than the moment. That’s a liberating thing and it is great for bringing balance." BTW, the music at the beginning and end of this interview is a small part of the second album produced by Jason's and Ryan's band 'Soul Patch'. Enjoy! -
(Part 1) Intellectual Property Can Save You or It Can Get Ugly
Related Links: Foundry Group || Ask the VC || Venture Capital Channel || Soul Patch || Keywords: Jason Mendelson, Ryan McIntyre, Foundry Group, Venture Capital, Ask the VC, Trade Secrets, Intellectual Property, IP, Patents, Soul Patch - Bytes: 24152505 - 5/5/08

489_ Green IT Infrastructure Costs Less:
Bigger is not Better
Green IT infrastructure costs less and improves the health of our planet. Trent Hein co-founder of Applied Trust and CEO and Ned McClain, co-founder and CTO talk about the proactive steps Applied Trust has taken to implement a Green IT infrastructure and take that even a step further and call it EcoInfrastructure. Everyone knows that with today’s high cost of data center real estate, the increasing cost of energy, and your company’s desire to be more eco-friendly, infrastructure is on everyone’s mind. Trent and Ned discussed specific tactics and strategies for taking steps to building a Green IT infrastructure. Here are five key points: 1) Bigger is not better 2) Consolidate 3) Server virtualization 4) Organizational philosophy 5) Reduce the waste stream. Applied Trust engineers will work closely with your staff to ensure that a thorough assessment is conducted. All assessment recommendations will be presented in an actionable manner, such that network and system administrators can use the document as a guide for mitigation. Here are some results you can expect: • Reduced capital costs • Stronger bottom line through significantly reduced operating costs (including reduced energy consumption and reduced system administration labor) • Support for the environment • Improved employee morale and workplace environment • Improved corporate image as a “green business,” which can provide a marketing or recruiting edge. Listen Now...
Related Links: Applied Trust (ATE) || Women in IT || Conscious Economy Channel || Safe Surfing || BYTES: 21668156 - 5/12/08 > Keywords: Trent Hein, Ned McClain, Applied Trust, ATE, EcoInfrastructure,
Green IT

485_ The Investment Community Still Has Money for the Middle Market
Formerly an attorney and investment banker in New York on Wall Street, David Strong moved to Denver and is now a partner at the Denver office of Holme Roberts & Owen. During our discussion Dave said, "We are still seeing a vibrant economy in the middle market in Colorado, defined as anywhere from $20 to $100 million. There is definitely huge pressure on larger cap deals – credit markets have been tightened significantly – those deals are becoming harder to do. But what we’ve seen is a lot of capital, at least in the middle market waiting to be deployed. Buyers who raised their money before the credit crunch, before the investment community got so skittish. They are looking for value in their market, and I think, still finding it. Those deals still have some leverage, though not as much as prior to the big credit crunch. Terms, everything is a little tighter. We’ve seen valuation go down, exit multiples go down, with the pressure. But we are still seeing good companies getting good valuations and those deals are still getting done." Then Dave got into the selling side...listen for more.
Related Links: Holme Roberts & Owen || It's the Law Channel || ACG Denver Events Calendar || M&A: ACG DEnver Channel || Keywords: David Strong, Holme Roberts & Owen, M&A, ACG, Denver, Credit Crunch, Investment Community - Bytes: 22896956 - 5/5/08

483_ Social Entrepreneurship is Answering the Tough Questions
"The problems of the world will not be solved by governments and traditional charities," said Chris Pelley, Managing Director of Capital Investment Management Company (CIMCO) and Board Member of the Association of Corporate Growth in Denver. In the business community, many people are puzzled by the term, social entrepreneurship. Chris feels, it is the business people in our society who will ultimately make a tremendous difference in this field of philanthropy and problem solving. Larry asked, "You’re a registered investment advisor, how did you get involved in this?" I am intrigued by this idea. I was introduced to it by a friend at Oxford University; he mentioned it to me because he knew my daughters were interested in the subject. Being a father who cares, we were invited to attend the “Skoll World Forum Conference for Social Entrepreneurship” at Oxford, four years ago. People are going to get involved in this for a number of reasons. First and foremost; 87% of the children leaving colleges and universities want meaning in their lives more than they want money in their lives. These concepts are exploding around us. Parents and business people might want to discover more to help their teenagers and young adults through the new Ashoka Support Network.
Related Links: CIMCO Home || ACG Channel || ACG Denver Events || Ashoka || Keywords: Chris Pelley, Social Entrepreneurship, Ashoka, Capital Investment Management Company, CIMCO, Association of Corporate Growth, ACG, Denver - Bytes: 27056486 - 5/5/08