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Appeals court overturns $1 billion copyright lawsuit against Cox
An appeals court has blocked a $1 billion copyright verdict against US internet service provider Cox Communications and ordered a retrial.
G4 will return to TV on November 16th
You can watch 'Attack of the Show!,' 'Xplay' and other shows on cable and streaming services.
Cox slows an entire neighborhood's internet after one person's 'excessive use'
Cable company Cox Communications is slowing internet speeds of a whole neighborhood if one resident is a heavy user, Ars Technica reported.
Music labels sue Cox again for allegedly ignoring piracy
Music labels really, really aren't a fan of Cox's internet service. Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. have sued Cox again for contributing to copyright infringement after it allegedly refused to take "reasonable measures" to fight piracy. While internet providers are supposed to terminate the accounts of users who ignore warnings against bootlegging music, Cox only ever conducted "soft terminations" (temporary disconnections) and warned some users over 100 times. It even instituted a cap on the volume of accepted copyright complaints and cut back on the number of anti-piracy staffers, according to the labels.
Cox expands its 1TB data caps to more territories
Cox is bringing its terabyte internet data caps to a bunch of new territories, having already introduced the plan to Cleveland, Ohio; Omaha, Nebraska; Sun Valley, Idaho; Florida, and Georgia. As a result, customers in Arizona, Las Vegas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma will now also have to pay $10 for every 50GB of data they consume over the cap -- Cox hasn't announced when it will introduce it to other markets.
Cox brings its internet data caps to Florida and Georgia
Like it or not, you're going to have a hard time escaping the clutches of landline internet data caps. Cox has expanded its trial 1TB data caps from Cleveland to include customers in Florida and Georgia. Once a two-bill grace period expires, you'll have to pay $10 for every 50GB of data you consume over the limit. You'll start getting warnings if you reach 85 percent of your cap. It's not clear if or when Cox will expand the trial or make it permanent, but it won't be shocking if it becomes a mainstay.
DOJ sues DirecTV for conspiring against LA Dodgers (updated)
The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it is bringing suit against DirecTV for its role in an alleged collusion scheme involving the broadcast rights to Los Angeles Dodgers games. Specifically, the DOJ asserts that DirecTV and three of its competitors -- Cox, Charter and AT&T -- shared "agreed to and did exchange non-public information about their companies' ongoing negotiations" with SportsNet LA, the only channel authorized to show Dodgers games.
Fiber cut knocks out internet for some in the northeast
If your internet is or was out this evening and you live in the northeastern part of the US, you are not alone. Customers in New York City, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and other nearby areas are seeing outages, which can apparently be traced back to what Time Warner Cable has said are "multiple fiber cuts" at a network provider. Customers from Comcast and Cox have also reported problems, and the network provider in question, Level 3, says it is working on restoring service. In a statement, the company attributed the outage to third-party construction and said technicians are onsite. Time Warner Cable just updated us that repairs are "well under way" and it has restored service for customers in NYC, which matches what we're seeing on outage tracking websites like DownDetector. Update: As of 8:30AM, Level 3 reported service was restored, although most users were back online well before that. Additionally, Comcast contacted Engadget to say that it did not see any effects as a result of this fiber cut.
Cox is bringing VOD to select TiVo boxes in July
Cox and TiVo have been making noise about joining forces and making the cable provider's extensive Video-On-Demand catalog available on retail TiVo set-tops for nearly five years now. Following a recent post by ZatzNotFunny, however, Cox confirmed earlier today that the integration will finally be taking place in "early July." But don't get excited just yet -- the initial rollout will only be available to specific IP-connected customers in Orange County, California.
TiVo said to be launching Cox video on demand
You're forgiven if you forgot that TiVo and Cox were once best buddies. They formed a partnership years ago, but that alliance quietly fell by the wayside. However, there are signs that it could come roaring back. Tipsters tell Zatz Not Funny (which has a good record with such leaks) that TiVo is close to launching Cox On Demand services. It's not clear whether this will simply rehash the DVR maker's Comcast technology or try something new. If the rumor is true, though, this could be heartening news -- you could spring for one of TiVo's nicer video recorders without having to sacrifice all the on-demand content that comes with your Cox TV package.
Cox continues rolling out its gigabit internet to US cities
Last May, Cox Communications announced that it would join Google and AT&T in offering residential customers gigabit-fast wired internet service to Phoenix, Las Vegas and Omaha. Today the service, dubbed "G1GABLAST", has finally arrived in Omaha and Las Vegas as well as parts of Orange County, California. "We started in Phoenix last fall, but we have not stopped there," Cox President Pat Esser said in a statement. "We are excited to have the choice of gigabit speeds available to more customers today, and we're adding new building projects every month." To that end, Cox has already increased the speeds of its High Speed Internet (HSI) Essential and HSI Starter plans over the past few months and intends to similarly boost its HSI Ultimate package later this year. The company also announced that communities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Oklahoma and Virginia will be offered gigabit speeds by this summer with Cox's entire user base receiving the option by the end of 2016.
One Shots: The last superhero
I've been holding onto this screenshot for the better part of the year for a time when the world entire would need a jolt of City of Heroes to get it through the next day. I think that today is that day. Behold! A superhero! Reader Michelle said that she was still traumatized by the game shutting down: "This particular screenie was of my last 50. He was a Fire Armor/Electric Melee tank named Demolition Companion. He was a clockwork that the Resistance attempted to reprogram but didn't complete, so he was broken (hence why he was on fire all the time) and very, very dangerous. In this shot he's standing in the sewers ready to wipe out some Resistance scum. (He was one of my only Loyalists.) I wish I'd gotten to RP him more." Want to be featured in a future edition of One Shots? Send your favorite MMO screenshots to oneshots@massively.com, and don't forget to include your name, the name of the game, and a description of the scene. Large, colorful, UI-free shots that tell a story and really show off the game make for the best images. Look ma, we brought back One Shots!
Music publishers sue Cox for not doing enough to stop piracy
Large American internet service providers these days tend to operate under a "six strikes" approach to piracy -- they'll warn you if they catch copyright violations, but it's unlikely that you'll get the boot. However, that isn't good enough for BMG or Round Hill Music. The two music publishers have sued Cox Communications for allegedly refusing to forward notices demanding settlements for copyright violations. According to the claim, the cable giant went out of its way to treat these messages like junk mail, letting about 200,000 "repeat infringers" go scot-free. If the court agrees that Cox knowingly looked the other way, it could be in trouble. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires that networks have a policy for cutting off unrepentant pirates, and the lawsuit suggests that Cox doesn't respect that rule.
NCsoft might allow players to resurrect the City of Heroes IP
There's good news for City of Heroes fans to celebrate now, even if it's not a finished thing yet. Nate Downes, President of Missing Worlds Media, has posted about a project wholly unrelated to City of Titans and yet entirely tied to it: the quest to resurrect the City of Heroes IP. He explains a story that began in September of last year, starting with a few contacts within NCsoft who led to the ultimate goal of resurrecting the last version of the game as well as licensing out the IP to its spiritual successors. The proposal currently on the table before NCsoft would allow the game's spiritual successors to drop the "spiritual" portion of their title, enable a restoration of the game's servers for the last update (albeit with no saved character data), and create the potential for a "transition" server between the original game and its successors. While it's far from a done deal, it's the best news that the former residents of Paragon City have heard since the lights went dark -- there may be brightness on the horizon.
Players allegedly negotiating with NCsoft to buy City of Heroes
Instead of spending gobs of volunteer development time and money on City of Heroes knock-offs, wouldn't it be better to simply acquire the real deal? That's the thought behind a fan effort to purchase the rights to the superhero MMO from NCsoft, while proving to the publisher that the team has the talent and capability to handle the property. According to a poster named Ironwolf on the Titan Network message boards, progress is being made on this front. Ironwolf wrote the following on August 13th: "I did contact the team yesterday and got this reply back: Things are moving along. We should have things worth showing fairly soon, made a great leap forward yesterday." The efforts to purchase City of Heroes started in early March, according to a timeline on the same thread. On March 12th, Ironwolf noted, "Got letter back from [former NCsoft executive] Chris Chung -- it showed that is WAS possible to buy the game." On April 5th, he wrote that the general range of the price is "very doable." [Thanks to Duane for the tip!]
Perfect Ten: The MMOs that influenced me greatly
Every one of us has an "MMO resume": a list of titles that we've played, whether briefly or extensively. Some of those are just games, casual flings that meant nothing. But others can take a more meaningful role in our lives, influencing how we experience and view MMOs. I would scarcely say that my resume is one of the most robust you'll ever see; I'm sure plenty of you have played more than I. However, I like to think that I've had a journey over the course of a decade or so that's shaped who I am as a gamer. Since it's my birthday today, I'm going to share 10 of those influential MMOs with you and what they've done for me. You're going to get me cake.
Cox will start its gigabit internet rollout in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Omaha
Bandwidth-hungry internet users can register a few new cities as potentially acceptable places to live. Following Google Fiber and AT&T, Cox Communications is one of the first big cable companies to announce plans for internet service at gigabit speeds, and the initial areas on its list are Phoenix, Las Vegas and Omaha. It's also extending its WiFi hotspot program to Phoenix and Las Vegas, and promises the high speed connections will both to neighborhoods and "select" new condo or apartment developments. If you have Cox but don't live in those areas you're not entirely out of luck, since it's also cranking up the speeds on its existing tiers this year. The Preferred tier will go from 25Mbps to 50Mbps, while its high speed internet service is going from 50Mbps to 100Mbps. The bad news? The gigabit rollout could take a while, since the company is only saying it will begin rolling out these speeds in all of its markets by the end of 2016. [Image credit: Ed Shadid / Flickr]
Cox wants to hop on the gigabit internet bandwagon this year
In case there was any doubt that gigabit internet access is spreading like wildfire in the US, Cox has revealed plans to introduce an ultra-fast service of its own. The cable provider tells Bloomberg that it hopes to have 1Gbps speeds available by the end of the year, with news of the initial markets coming in the next two to three weeks. CEO Pat Esser notes that gigabit has been on the cards for a long time, but admits that news from rivals like AT&T and Google tipped Cox's hand -- the company wants to let its customers know that they won't be left in the slow lane.
The Daily Grind: Is there an MMO you're too wary to play?
Ever since City of Heroes was abruptly and unjustly sunsetted, I've toyed with the idea of giving Champions Online another spin. It can never be everything City of Heroes was to me, but it has a lot of the same ideas behind it, and it's closer in spirit and gameplay to my beloved CoH than the admittedly few other superhero options on the table. But Champions Online has been so spottily supported by its developers over the last few years that I have a nagging suspicion I'd just be wasting my time, that the game is locked into a cycle of decay that will only frustrate me in the long run if I invest too much time, money, or emotion into it. And that's enough to keep me away. How about you -- is there an MMO you'd like to play but that just makes you too wary to actually jump back in? What specifically is holding you back? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
City of Titans updates trailer for City of Heroes' 10th birthday
Today would have been City of Heroes' 10th anniversary, believe it or not. And while fond memories and colorful screenshots are all that remain of the former superhero MMO, the spiritual successor City of Titans is being built to fill in the void that was left behind. Missing Worlds Media, the team behind City of Titans, released a new version of the teaser trailer for the Kickstarter project on this solemn occasion. It mostly consists of concept art and unpainted models being plunked down to make a city, but if you're looking to the future for your superhero fix, it might be an early glimpse at your future home. Give it a watch after the break. [Update: Not to be outdone, Heroes and Villains also released new work-in-progress screenshots of its own spiritual successor to CoH in honor of the original's anniversary.]