WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. and NEVIS, West Indies, Jan. 15, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Altnet, Inc., a subsidiary of Brilliant Digital Entertainment (AMEX:BDE), the leading provider of secure digital media via peer-to-peer technology, and Grokster, one of the world's most popular file-sharing programs, today announced that they have entered into a commercial distribution deal under which Altnet will distribute secure, authorized content to millions of Grokster users through Grokster's latest release, 2.6.
Under the terms of the deal, 2.6 will leverage Altnet's TopSearch Gold Icon program, a paid search utility that gives preferential placement results in the form of Gold Icons for keyword requests spanning music, software, videos and games. Grokster joins Kazaa, MetaMachine (owner and operator of eDonkey and Overnet) and Excite's My Search Toolbar as an Altnet distribution partner.
"This distribution agreement creates further opportunity for content owners to benefit from the aggregate traffic on Altnet's syndicated network," said Derek Broes, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Operations for Altnet. "Our partnerships with peer-to-peer and web services have proven that consumers will pay for and share files that have been licensed to them. The result is a win-win for both sides. For content owners, we provide a one-stop, secure content management and distribution platform that allows providers to reach a growing audience at the most opportune time -- when users are searching for their content. For consumers, we make it easy for them to buy licensed, high-quality content."
Henry Wilson, President of Grokster, Ltd., stated, "With the release of Grokster 2.6, we have included numerous upgrades and additional features, including access to Altnet's licensed content. We look forward to increasing the availability of licensed files on Grokster through this partnership, and we believe that this version of Grokster will significantly enhance the user experience as well as provide a huge opportunity for the content creators and owners alike."
The partnership will make Altnet's entire licensed catalogue of music, video, software and games files available to millions of Grokster users. Altnet's advanced implementation of digital rights management (DRM) technology allows artists and other content providers to manage their files in real time and alter pricing, graphics or other features associated with their content. Content providers can also receive updated traffic and usage information for their files on a constant basis using Altnet's technology.
Grokster's latest version will incorporate Altnet's payment gateway, which allows micro payments via a user-friendly one-click process. Altnet's PeerPoints(tm) program, which rewards users for sharing Altnet licensed files, will also be included in Grokster 2.6.
About Altnet
Altnet is the leading peer-to-peer distributor of secure digital media that originates from content owners. Altnet reaches an estimated 70 million users and is the No. 1 issuer of rights managed music in world. Altnet's products integrate with websites, applications, and peer-to-peer networks to allow Internet users to simply and easily locate, download, sample, and purchase digital content. Altnet is a subsidiary of Brilliant Digital Entertainment (AMEX:BDE).
About Grokster Ltd.
Grokster is an advanced peer-to-peer file-sharing program that enables users to share any digital file including images, audio, video, reports, documents, etc. Content developers and owners may now easily broadcast their files to a global audience through the Grokster Software. It is easy to publish your work: your family photos, home videos, academic reports, travel journal, diary, recipes, music from your own band. Grokster accesses over 500,000 plus online users through the FastTrack P2P Stack. Grokster, Ltd. is an international software company engaged in the business of providing cutting edge person-to-person software. Grokster is privately held and headquartered in Nevis, West Indies.