Business

Marie Antoinette may not have been too far off the mark when she intoned the immortal line, "Let them eat cake." When it comes to the right to be forgotten, it seems Europeans want both to have their cake and eat it. They are up in arms over Google's having deleted links to various news stories from...

Do you remember those snotty little kids who didn't seem to understand the difference between right and wrong? You know, the little brats who thought the rules didn't apply to them. The kids who thought they could get away with whatever they wanted -- rules were for somebody else. Well, that seems t...

T-Mobile's efforts to market itself as the un-carrier that puts customers first may be impacted by the FTC's allegations that it has engaged in "cramming" -- charging consumers for services offered by third-party companies without their knowledge or consent. "We're asking the court for an order both...

Google has acquired music-streaming service Songza, adding to its portfolio of streaming media properties. Songza provides custom music playlists intended to match whatever situation listeners be in, effectively providing a fitting soundtrack to their lives. Users select playlists based on time of d...

Twitter is deepening its mobile advertising capabilities with the acquisition of TapCommerce, a retargeting and re-engagement provider. Twitter announced the deal on Monday, calling the company's toolset an important piece of the mobile advertising platform it is building for marketers, app develope...

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday signed a measure that legalizes the use of bitcoins and other virtual currencies in the state. The law repealed previous legislation that specified only "lawful money of the United States" could be used in California. "Modern methods of payment have expanded b...

The Supreme Court has declined Google's appeal of a lower-court ruling in a class-action lawsuit that alleges it violated federal wiretap laws with its Street View cars. The court left in place a decision the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals handed down in September. The appeals court declined to d...

After a hornet's nest was stirred up earlier this week over the premature termination of some Chromebook Pixel users' free data plans, Verizon apparently has begun trying to make amends. "A very small number of Chromebook Pixel customers may have had a promo end prematurely," said Verizon spokespers...

Action camera maker GoPro, which went public Thursday, saw its share prices skyrocket, closing at $31.34, 30 percent over its asking price of $24. That was a rare positive note in an otherwise down market, but it has raised questions about the company. Is the price justified, considering that GoPro ...

Barnes & Noble finally bit the bullet. The company on Wednesday announced its board of directors had approved a proposal to spin off its Nook e-reader business into a publicly traded company. Both its print and e-book divisions have been struggling financially for several quarters; it has become...

Barnes & Noble finally bit the bullet. The company on Wednesday announced its board of directors had approved a proposal to spin off its Nook e-reader business into a publicly traded company. Both its print and e-book divisions have been struggling financially for several quarters; it has become...

Google has started to remove search results in certain cases in Europe, in compliance with the EU's new "right to be forgotten" rules. The EU last month ruled that the company must allow individuals to request the removal of links to news articles, court judgments, and other documents that might tur...

The German Publishers and Booksellers Association has complained to German antitrust authorities that Amazon has been anticompetitive. Amazon delayed the shipment of books from publisher Bonnier following a disagreement over dividing the revenue from e-book sales, it said. Although Amazon was receiv...

Aereo may be dead in the water after the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled it broke federal law by retransmitting programming without paying copyright fees. The company, which allows consumers to watch broadcast TV over the Internet, had been in long-running battles with broadcasters over the legalit...

When the U.S. Supreme Court issues a unanimous decision, it's easy to conclude that it must be right on the facts, right on the law, and right in applying the law to the facts. So what's not to like about its recent 9-0 ruling in a software patent case? "This decision is a victory for innovation," s...