Skip navigation

techNOTES

Cypress goes coast to coast; MFN lands Rudin Atlanta-based Cypress Communications has been chosen to install broadband communications networks in four of the nation's highest profile developments, while New York-based Rudin Management Co. has selected New York-based Metromedia Fiber Network (MFN) to provide fiber optic infrastructure for Rudin's properties.

Cypress has completed installation at Boston Properties' Prudential Center in Boston and Shorenstein Co.'s John Hancock Center in Chicago. Broadband installation is near completion at 191 Peachtree in Atlanta, which is owned by a joint venture between Cornerstone Properties and Cousins Properties Inc. Construction recently began in Boston Properties' Embarcadero Center in San Francisco. The four developments total 7.4 million sq. ft. of Class-A commercial space. Cypress has completed construction of broadband networks in 150 buildings nationwide, and is in the process of installing broadband in 580 more properties.

In New York, MFN has begun installing fiber optic cable in Rudin's 16 Manhattan properties, which encompass more than 10 million sq. ft. The Rudin properties range in size from 250,000 sq. ft. to 1.6 million sq. ft. MFN will provide unshared, high-capacity bandwidth at a fixed-lease cost.

CoStar says take your own photos - judge agrees A federal judge acting at the request of Bethesda, Md.-based CoStar Group has ordered San Francisco-based LoopNet Inc. to remove copyrighted CoStar photographs of commercial properties from LoopNet's Website.

In a preliminary injunction issued in March, U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow ordered LoopNet to remove, "any and all [CoStar] photographs" from its Website once CoStar notifies LoopNet of any possible infringement. The injunction requires LoopNet to inform users whenever it removes CoStar photographs submitted for posting on LoopNet's Website.

The ruling resulted from a lawsuit brought by CoStar against LoopNet and its CEO and president, Dennis DeAndre, alleging that they infringed CoStar's copyrights by unlawfully displaying and distributing CoStar's photos on the Internet.

Speaking from the bench at a March 9 hearing in Greenbelt, Md., Judge Chasanow found that CoStar has a "likelihood of success" in its claim of copyright infringement against LoopNet. The judge also warned LoopNet that in the future it should ensure that it does not repost CoStar photos that have already been removed from the LoopNet site.

In its suit, CoStar is seeking monetary damages for past infringements, attorney's fees and a permanent injunction against LoopNet and DeAndre. A trial date has not been set.

Comro.com expands New York presence New York-based SL Green Realty Corp. will advertise its entire portfolio on Chicago-based Comro.com's online marketplace. The SL Green portfolio totals nine Manhattan buildings encompassing 9.2 million sq. ft.

Comro.com's Website provides access to property reports, floor plans, building photos and site maps of commercial properties nationwide.

INFOMART part of downtown L.A.'s revitalization Dallas-based INFOMART will redevelop the U.S. Postal Service Terminal Annex in downtown Los Angeles into high-tech office space. INFOMART paid $40 million for the 500,000 sq. ft. building on a 6.5-acre site. The company plans to spend an additional $20 million for renovations and technological upgrades.

As it did in Dallas with the first INFOMART, the urban redevelopment specialist plans to attract Internet, telecommunications and e-commerce tenants to downtown Los Angeles. The Ratkovich Villanueva Partnership is the local development associate for INFOMART Los Angeles.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Terminal Annex served as Los Angeles' primary post office from 1939 to 1989.

Winstar wins GSA contract for Cincinnati buildings New York-based Winstar Communications Inc. has been awarded the General Service Administration's (GSA) Federal Technology Service for government buildings in Cincinnati. Potentially, the GSA's Metropolitan Area Acquisition (MAA) contract is worth $100 million over eight years.

With the four-year contract, which includes four additional one-year options, Winstar will provide data, transmission and local switched voice services to government employees in Cincinnati. The deal also allows Winstar to provide new technologies as they become commercially available.

Struxicon's in the money, ready to roll Newport Beach, Calif.-based Struxicon has closed its Series-A funding round for the development of an Internet platform for construction project bidding, material and equipment procurement and project management. Heading Struxicon's list of investors are Comdisco Ventures and Hybrid Venture Partners, the $1.5 billion investment arm of Rosemont, Ill.-based Comdisco Inc.; Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Kennedy-Wilson Inc., which plans to use Struxicon on development projects valued at more than $100 million; and Palo Alto, Calif.-based venture capital firm Athena Technology Ventures.

Scheduled for a mid-year debut, Struxicon intends to be the first Internet company to combine real-time project and supply bidding, project management capabilities, qualitative information on contractors and suppliers and a centralized communication channel for the construction industry. George Minardos, Jean-Christophe Curelop and Ryan Hong founded the company.

Hide comments

Comments

  • Allowed HTML tags: <em> <strong> <blockquote> <br> <p>

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Publish