Business

Ever since Microsoft made an unsolicited takeover bid for Yahoo -- a $44.6 billion proposition -- Yahoo has been beset with distractions, which the company readily acknowledged in making its annual report. The loss of key employees and the exodus of advertisers from its platform have been among the ...

During the last few years, so-called virtual worlds have evolved. Second Life is a prominent example -- with a registered user base targeting the 10 million mark. Avatars build virtual houses, purchase virtual goods and engage in electronic transactions. Conducting business in these virtual worlds i...

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice for not responding in a timely manner to a request it made six months ago under the Freedom of Information Act. The organization had asked for any communications between former DoJ attorney Jane Horvath and...

eBay has reached a settlement with MercExchange in a case that had bounced around several courts and prompted a landmark Supreme Court decision. The San Jose, Calif.-based online auctioneer will purchase three patents, including technology central to its vaunted "Buy It Now" feature, from Great Fall...

PC maker Dell posted double-digit sales growth for its fourth quarter, but missed analysts' profit and revenue targets. The results suggest that the onetime market leader's new retail strategy and turnaround plans are still works in progress. Dell's sales rose 10 percent to $16 billion while it ship...

XM Satellite Radio Holdings announced double-digit growth in revenues and its subscriber base despite Congressional foot-dragging in regard to its potential merger with rival Sirius Satellite Radio. The company's revenues increased 22 percent in 2007 to $1.1 billion, driven in large measure by its 1...

Reverse shell mergers have emerged as the de facto global IPO marketplace for emerging growth companies. Last year, there were 222 completed reverse merger transactions. Collectively, they were valued at $8.36 billion, a 14 percent increase over the previous year. We expect 2008 to show greater inc...

Tension appears to be rising days after a hearing that was meant to help clear the air over the flap involving Comcast's management of Internet traffic. Some groups claim the public was deliberately shut out of the hearing by Comcast, and New York State investigators are asking the cable company to ...

President George W. Bush, speaking at the White House in a press conference Thursday morning, called on the House of Representatives to pass surveillance legislation that would provide retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that provided the government access to their networks without ...

Sprint unveiled a $29.5 billion loss for its fourth quarter, much of it tied to the lower-than-expected value of its Nextel acquisition. The company will not pay out a dividend to shareholders as it seeks to preserve cash resources while it tries to engineer a turnaround plan. Sprint had previously ...

When in doubt about buying a stock, ask a friend -- or rather, a million friends, Marcus New says. New, 38, has launched -- relaunched, actually -- Stockhouse.com, a community of investment experts who provide input on stocks that are hot, lukewarm or downright pestilent. Stockhouse.com, a product o...

So, Google's latest downturn is a reflection of a free fall in the U.S. economy? Not exactly. Google shares dropped nearly 5 percent in the wake of a report by research firm comScore that pointed to a flattening in clicks on the site's ads. comScore reported flat year-to-year performance in Google's...

The European Union has slapped Microsoft with a record $1.35 billion fine. "Microsoft was the first company in 50 years of EU competition policy that the Commission has had to fine for failure to comply with an antitrust decision," said European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. $1.35 billion i...

Television networks are still figuring out how to corral the profit potential of the digital video recorder, and ABC is the latest player to make a move. The Disney-owned network will offer programs free to Cox Communications cable subscribers who have Cox's video-on-demand service. Atlanta-based Co...

The Federal Communications Commission is prepared to step in and prevent Internet service providers from arbitrarily regulating Web traffic to control demand on their networks if it deems such moves are necessary. At the start of a day-long hearing on the topic of network traffic management -- a hea...