Business

A new teleommunications reform bill which would create a market-oriented regulatory system -- treating Internet telephony the same as conventional phone service -- is moving through Congress, experts tell the E-Commerce Times. The bill is sponsored by Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). According to a stat...

Communications gear maker Nortel plans to buy Tasman Networks, a maker of high-performance enterprise routers, in a bid to beef up its product offerings in the area of multimedia data delivery. Ontario, Canada-based Nortel said it would pay US$99.5 million in cash for San Jose, California-based Tasm...

Online and in stores, retailers sought an extra boost in the days after Christmas to help galvanize what's being described as a mixed holiday shopping season so far. They trotted out their usual array of gimmicks designed to get customers back into the buying mood on Monday, hoping that gift returns...

Microsoft and Google have agreed to end a bitter five-month legal feud over Google's hiring of a former Microsoft executive. The two companies did not detail the terms of the settlement, which ends two separate suits. However, it is widely believed that Kai-Fu Lee, who had overseen Microsoft sales e...

Citing free speech issues, a federal judge has blocked a California law outlawing sales of violent video games to minors that was scheduled to go into effect next week. The ruling hands the gaming industry a victory that may be short-lived, however, as similar legislation looms. The court order, wh...

Since the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley act in 2002, there has been a great deal of confusion and fear in corporate boardrooms. Many of my peers are now reluctant to serve on boards, and some have actually resigned. In my opinion, much of this fear and confusion is unfounded. The fact of the matte...

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott yesterday bolstered his pending November lawsuit against Sony BMG Music Entertainment, adding a number of new allegations that reflect harm to consumers who purchased certain CDs. The original suit alleged the company surreptitiously installed spyware using so-call...

In a move that solidifies its market position and also eliminates a significant competitor in the hard disc drive space, Seagate Technology said it would buy Maxtor for US$1.9 billion. The all-stock deal brings together the number one and number four makers of hard disc drives in the world and will ...

Setting a firm deadline behind its oft-repeated threats to issue stiff fines against Microsoft, the European Commission has given the software giant just five weeks to bring itself into compliance with an order that found it engaged in anti-competitive behavior. Microsoft could face fines of up to U...

In a bold move to strengthen its grip on the money-making side of the Web search business, Google has finalized a deal to pay US$1 billion for a 5 percent stake in America Online and to deliver advertising to AOL sites. The deal, which came about after months of back-and-forth negotiations among AOL...

Suggesting the patents at the heart of an adverse court ruling that could force it to shut down or alter its BlackBerry e-mail service are without merit, Research In Motion said it would continue to battle NTP in the courts and at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The defiant tone sounded by RIM...

For the last several days, Google has set the online and financial worlds buzzing with an expected deal with America Online that could be cut as early as today. Although opinion varies on the wisdom and impact of the move, there's one point on which everyone agrees: The maneuver will add fuel to the...

Continuing its legal war against piracy of its popular software titles, Microsoft said it filed 10 more lawsuits against companies accused of selling illegal copies of its products, with some of the software giant's own partners and re-sellers named in the suits. Seven lawsuits filed against nine in...

Mobile software maker Visto Corp. has filed suit against Microsoft, claiming that the push e-mail built into the new version of its Windows Mobile software violates patents the firm has held for nearly a decade. Redwood Shores, Calif.-based Visto is seeking a permanent injunction against Microsoft t...

Microsoft and long-distance company MCI will test a co-branded Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling service meant to help the two companies have a hand in the massive shift of voice-based calls from traditional land lines to the Internet. MCI Web Calling for Windows Live Call will be integrat...