Business

After months of complaints that its Google Library effort constituted a violation of copyright law, Google has been sued by a leading writer's association and three writers who claim that the search giant is infringing on the works of thousands of individual writers. The Authors Guild and three indi...

Microsoft has filed lawsuits against eight software re-sellers, saying that consumers helped lead them to the firms accused of selling pirated versions of the company's software. The software giant said the firms sold counterfeit or unauthorized copies of Microsoft Windows and related software compo...

In a case that underscores the growing pains of the online search business and the Web sector in fast-emerging China, Baidu.com has been ordered to stop providing referrals to music download sites offering certain copyright-protected songs. The order from a Chinese court came in conjunction with a c...

In one of the first major moves since announcing a sweeping restructuring that followed the hiring of a new CEO, Hewlett-Packard said it would buy Peregrine Systems in an all-cash deal worth US$425 million. The acquisition gives HP access to Peregrine's highly regarded portfolio of information techn...

Attempts by lawmakers to ban Internet gambling by U.S. residents hit a roadblock this week when a bill that would have made it illegal for banks or credit card companies to pay for online gaming was halted. A procedural move scuttled an attempted by Republican Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona to slip an a...

The Federal Communications Commission's proposal to spend US$211 million to help rebuild telecommunications in the wake of Hurricane Katrina is a good stop-gap measure, but it will take a lot more money and a lot more time to restore full communications. Although improving the infrastructure and off...

Verizon Wireless yesterday announced it has partnered with with Vodafone to introduce a new service designed to give business travelers mobile versatility. Dubbed GlobalAccess, the service offers Verizon Wireless business customers with a two-card solution that gives them secure connection to the In...

Each e-mail that you send makes a statement. Every recipient of your e-mails forms an impression of you -- either a good one or a bad one -- and, in some cases, all without even having met you. Since this is the reality, why not make sure that your e-mails, especially business e-mails, are professio...

The portal world was abuzz today after published and broadcast reports linked both Google and Microsoft to possible acquisitions or partnerships with America Online. Time Warner, America Online's parent company, has been known to be weighing various options for cutting AOL loose from the company tha...

Hard drive maker Seagate Technology yesterday announced the acquisition of a company that provides networked digital content protection products for the home and small business markets. Mirra, Inc. is set to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Seagate Technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed...

Baidu.com, the search company billed as the Chinese version of Google, saw its stock price take a huge hit this week after two major investment banks that helped underwrite its August initial public offering cautioned that recent share price run-ups were not supported by fundamentals. Both Piper Jaf...

Do you plan to conduct business abroad? If yes, then you need to know how you may be seen by others. Otherwise failure can result. The Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project studied attitudes towards 16 countries across the globe -- analyzing how the United States did in China compared to In...

In a deal harking back to the days of dot-com euphoria, online e-commerce powerhouse eBay announced a US$2.6 billion deal to acquire Luxembourg-based Skype, a pioneer in free Voice over IP (VoIP) services on the Internet. The mega-sale drew fire from some quarters and praise from others. "I think th...

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR), saying that its Internet property listing policies deprived consumers of choice and possible savings. In a suit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, the DOJ said that even a recentl...

PalmSource, the mobile software maker that has seen its share of the hand-held market eroded by smartphones and other competitors, has agreed to be purchased by a Japanese software firm in a deal worth about US$324 million. Access, best known as the maker of the NetFront mobile device Web browser, s...