US-based MediaG3 announced a licensing agreement with Shanghai-based Oriental Media Communications to serve Chinese corporate clients using MediaG3 Technology, which allows for users to receive the companies' rich-media email messages. This announcement comes days after a new CNNIC report shows Chinese email providers ever-more vigilant about rich-media emails.

However Steve Strauss, President and CEO of Chilmark, which owns MediaG3, stated, "This is great news as the synergy between both the subsidiaries and the parent are extremely strong. With Chilmark Media's launch in China this just adds to our presence in that market and will increase our revenues and our position."

Oriental Media Communications will deliver targeted rich-media email marketing services for Chinese corporate clients as well as the reselling of MediaG3 technology in Shanghai and six provinces. The objective of this strategic alliance is to meet the needs of the ever-growing China commercial and communications market and capture revenue opportunities. Through the specific details of the technology license and marketing rights agreement, MediaG3 enables Oriental Media Communications to create and deliver effective rich-media email messages or sublicense MediaG3 email solutions to Chinese enterprises.

Many of the freemail systems of Chinese web portals like Sohu, Sina, and Tom.com have become increasingly suspect of emails that are not delivered in either straight ASCII text or in watered-down HTML. Because of this crackdown, industry experts predict it difficult for endusers to be able to receive many of the rich-media emails on these types of systems.

The CNNIC report issued last week shows that spam is an ever-growing problem for Chinese netizens and the email providers are starting to take action by disallowing many file types through their systems.