Vuze, Inc.

Infobox Company
company_name = Vuze, Inc.
company_
vector_
company_type = Private company
genre =
foundation = 2006
founder =
location_city =
location_country =
location = 471 Emerson St
Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA
origins =
key_people = Gilles BianRosa, Olivier Chalouhi, Luther Kitahata, Peter Bradley, Milan Parikh
area_served =
industry = Video distribution
products = Vuze (formerly Azureus)
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
parent =
divisions =
subsid =
owner =
company_slogan =
homepage = [http://www.vuze.com/app?service=home www.vuze.com]
dissolved =
footnotes =

Vuze, Inc. (formerly Azureus, Inc.) is a company formed by some of the core developers of the open source BitTorrent client Azureus. Based in Palo Alto, California, it bills itself as "the company behind Azureus".cite press release | title = Azureus' Next-Generation Video Distribution Platform Goes Live | publisher = Business Wire |date= 2006-12-04 | url = http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/061204/20061204005493.html | accessdate = 2006-12-18]

In January 2007, the company launched an Azureus-powered open entertainment platform called Vuze (formerly Zudeo), which is intended to enable content providers to easily distribute their content over the Internet. [ [http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/061204/20061204005493.html Azureus' Next-Generation Video Distribution Platform Goes Live] (Business Wire):(2006-12-04) Retrieved on (2006-12-18).]

The company claimed to have "distribution deals with 12 television, film and media companies"cite news | last = Calore | first = Michael | title = Azureus' HD Vids Trump YouTube | publisher = Wired News |date= 2006-12-04 | url = http://www.wired.com/news/technology/software/0,72223-0.html?tw=rss.index | accessdate = 2006-12-19 ] and now seems to have deals with over 100 content providers around the world. Vuze attracts and features high quality content from a growing roster of global television networks (BBC, Showtime, PBS, A&E, National Geographic & more), premier production studios and thousands of maverick content creators. Vuze also provides viewers with access to a world of high-res content that can be viewed in DVD-quality and HD, right on a computer monitor or connected TV.

In November 2007, Vuze filed a petition with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to restrict Internet traffic throttling by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Vuze filed its “Petition for Rulemaking” to urge the FCC to adopt regulations limiting Internet traffic throttling, a practice by which ISPs block or slow the speed at which Internet content, including video files, can be uploaded or downloaded. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/18/AR2007111800021_pf.html Video distributor wants FCC to stop ISP traffic 'throttling'] (Washington Post):(2007-11-18) Retrieved on (2008-01-04).] In December 2007, Vuze secured $20 million in its C round of funding. [ [http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/?epi_menuItemID=8529ea2ad8631dcd3bb97904c6908a0c&epi_menuID=887566059a3aedb6efaaa9e27a808a0c&epi_baseMenuID=384979e8cc48c441ef0130f5c6908a0c&searchHereRadio=false&ndmHsc=v2*A0*J2*L1*N-1002313*Zvuze Vuze, Inc. Secures $20 Million in New Round of Funding Led by Top Tier Investors] (Business Wire):(2007-12-19) Retrieved on (2008-01-04).] This round was led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with existing investors Redpoint Ventures, Greycoft Partners, BV Capital, and Jarl Mohn participating. As a result of the investment, TiVo Co-Founder and former CEO Mike Ramsay joined the Vuze Board of Directors.

On 2007-06-12, it was reported that Azureus, Inc. is being sued by the French music industry group Société des Producteurs de Phonogrammes en France (SPPF) under the new provisions of copyright law passed by the French Parliament in 2006. [ [http://newteevee.com/2007/06/12/azureus-facing-lawsuit-in-france Azureus Facing Lawsuit in France] ] The new copyright provisions, abbreviated to DADVSI, was designed to bring France in line with the European Union Copyright Directive (EUCD) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaty. The software developers could face criminal penalties including up to three years in prison and a €300,000 fine if the case is successfully prosecuted in French courts.

On 2006-12-20, the BBC announced that hundreds of episodes of its programs will be made available through Vuze.cite news | title = BBC moves to file-sharing sites | publisher = BBC NEWS |date= 2006-12-20 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6194929.stm | accessdate = 2006-12-20 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.vuze.com/app?service=home Vuze]