Announced at MIP-TV, independent animation studio Mike Young Prods (MYP) announced the formation of Taffy Ent., the new business unit dedicated to the rights management and worldwide distribution of family and children’s entertainment. Mike and Liz Young and Bill Schultz created Taffy to own and represent its library as well as to actively seek to acquire rights to other animation properties.

Comcast Corp. announced that it has signed an agreement with Vulcan Programming Inc. to acquire TechTV Inc. Comcast plans to merge TechTV with G4, the Comcast-owned television network devoted to videogames and the gamer lifestyle. The deal increases Comcast’s content portfolio and expands G4’s distribution. The combined channel will be available to 44 million cable and satellite customers nationwide.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charles McCoy dismissed the 13-year-old lawsuit against the Walt Disney Co. brought by Stephen Slesinger Inc., the owners of the Winnie the Pooh merchandising rights, after concluding that they "tampered with the administration of justice" by hiring a private investigator to take documents from Disney's trash bins. Monday’s ruling spares Disney from having to pay royalties and damages that might have totaled hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Disney.

Entertainment Rights has announced that it has purchased the complete rights to the Filmation library from Hallmark Entertainment in a $20 million deal. The library includes more than 1,700 hours of programming, featuring HE-MAN AND MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, SHE-RA, GHOSTBUSTERS, MY FAVOURITE MARTIAN, THE LONE RANGER, THE ARCHIES, FAT ALBERT, SABRINA and BRAVESTAR.

THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE director Sylvain Chomet has opened an animation company called Studio Django in Edinburgh, Scotland. The new firm has already signed on for two productions. Chomet's wife Sally will serve as a producer for the company.

Focus Features has opened a new action, thriller and urban dedicated label called Rogue Pictures, reported VARIETY. Supervision of the new unit will be headed by Focus' management team. Focus president of distribution Jack Foley will be the go-to man on Rogue releases. The first film to be released by the new arm with the forthcoming CHILD'S PLAY sequel, THE SEED OF CHUCKY, directed and written by series creator Don Mancini.

With the epic undertaking of the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy behind them, Weta Digital is considering renting out several racks of IBM blade servers in partnership with Telecom, reports www.stuff.co.nz. Telecom Advanced Solutions started hosting the hardware last winter after Weta ran out of room in the Miramar facility. The new servers were linked to Weta's main site using a 10 gigabit fibre-optic connection.

Square Enix Co. Ltd. has acquired UIEvolution, Inc., a leading wireless software company, through its subsidiary, Square Enix U.S.A. Inc. This move is in hopes to capitalize on the growing mobile market in the U.S. Square Enix invested approximately $4 million in UIEvolution in December 2003. UIEvolution will function as the research and development center for core technologies that will help Square Enix produce a new type of network-based entertainment.

A core group of Disney Orlando character animators have announced the formation of Project Firefly Animation Studios. The new 2D and 3D studio will be based out of offices on the Universal Studios Florida back lot. Project Firefly has a slate of original projects in development for theatrical and video release.

Santa Barbara-based production/distribution company Foothill Entertainment Inc. has formed a broad-based strategic alliance with recently established creative content house phuuz entertainment inc. to extend the business and creative reach of both organizations globally.