CEO of Vivendi Universal Net resigns

Vivendi Universal Net USA CEO Robin D. Richards announced his resignation Thursday, and the Los Angeles-based technology division of the European content giant Vivendi Universal did not announce a successor. Richards, the former president of music site MP3.com, was a lead negotiator in Vivendi's $372 million acquisition of MP3.com in August 2001.

Philippe Germond, deputy COO of Paris-based Vivendi, announced in a statement Thursday that the company's Los Angeles, San Diego and New York offices would remain open after Richards' departure. Vivendi Universal Net USA was formed in October 2001 to aggregate digital entertainment from popular sites including MP3.com, RollingStone.com and EMusic.