Company Town

Rides: Struggling Iwerks Entertainment, maker of ride-simulation theaters for such places as shopping malls and fairs, said it signed ride-simulation and theater projects in Asia valued at $5.7 million. The projects will be built in South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand and Japan. The company said more than 70% of the projects involve ride simulators, which will bring the number of its theaters to 65 worldwide. The announcement follows last week’s disclosure that three directors, including former Major League Baseball Commissioner Peter V. Ueberroth, resigned as directors to devote time to other interests. The company lost $8 million in the year ended June 30 and has seen its stock fall from nearly $40 a share to less than $5.

* Film: Hollywood’s major studios have filed suit against a Chinese video distributor, demanding that it stop sales of pirated versions of major motion pictures. The U.S. filmmakers have asked the Beijing Intermediate People’s Court to suspend sales by Xianke Jiguang Market, a local video distributor, in their joint legal action aimed at curbing widespread copyright violations. The plaintiffs include Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, United Pictures International, Paramount, Walt Disney, Columbia, Time Warner and TriStar.