Anime on DVD is reporting that at a screening of the Kiba anime at Anime Boston, information surfaced indicating that Upper Deck would be handling the licensing of the property in North America.  When contacted by ICv2 a spokesperson for Upper Deck's Entertainment had 'no comment at this time' concerning the Kiba franchise.  Upper Deck Japan is the main sponsor of the Kiba anime series, which was produced by Madhouse and directed by Hiroshi Kojina (Grenadier), so it makes sense that Upper Deck will have somthing to say about how the property is exploited in North America. 

The 51-episode anime series ties into a card game and is far bloodier than previous CCG-inspired anime series; it actually features the deaths of numerous characters.  Just as Yu-Gi-Oh! was more violent and action-packed than Pokemon, so Kiba (which means 'fang' in Japanese) ups the ante from Yu-Gi-Oh! and should appeal to an older audience that may have by now outgrown both Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!.

The hero of Kiba is Zed, a bored 15-year-old who stumbles through a space-time portal into a conflict-driven world where magic users, who are known as Shard Casters do constant battle with each other by means of marble-esque spheres called 'shards.'

The key to the success of a property such as Kiba is clearly TV exposure, which can drive sales of the accompanying CCG and other merchandise, so don't expect to hear too much about the details of Kiba licensing until a TV deal is in place.