E-Commerce

Super Bowl XLII may have been an historic upset, but the Internet traffic driven by the multimillion-dollar advertising largely held true to form. Web hosting and domain registration company GoDaddy.com appeared to have once again stirred up the most excitement, using a tried-and-true formula -- a t...

"Get it in writing" is a quaint concept in the electronic information age -- especially in B2B e-commerce, where a more suitable direction may be: "get in it cXML." Every industry has major players moving back-office functions from sourcing and procurement to invoicing and payment to the Web. Suppli...

Does being a Web user automatically mean giving up your right to privacy? A growing chorus of voices says the evolution of the Internet, the increasingly cozy relationship between search and advertising companies and the rise of Web 2.0 social networking technologies adds up to an environment where ...

Swedish prosecutors are charging owners of The Pirate Bay, a peer-to-peer Web site, with "promoting other people's infringements of copyright laws." Hans Fredrik Neij, Per Svartholm Warg, Peter Kolmisoppi and Carl Lundstroem operate what is reportedly the world's largest BitTorrent tracker, connecti...

Search giant Google missed analyst forecasts for fourth-quarter profit -- even as it slowed its hiring growth to curb expenses -- and executives cited the difficulties of making social networking advertising work as one of the factors for the miss. The longtime Wall Street darling joined a long list...

Seeking to reshape the online landscape and create a serious challenger to Google with a single bold stroke, Microsoft has made a $44.6 billion unsolicited bid to buy struggling portal Yahoo. The offer -- shareholders can choose either cash or the equivalent amount of Microsoft stock -- valued Yahoo...

Amazon.com doubled its fourth-quarter profit as international sales fueled growth, but the e-tailer's outlook raised questions about its continued reliance on discounting as it expands into new markets and product categories. The company met analyst expectations for fourth quarter earnings with net ...

In the wake of a fourth-quarter report that showed a drop in profits and an outlook that disappointed investors, Yahoo said Tuesday it will cut 1,000 workers from its payroll as CEO Jerry Yang attempts to reinvigorate the portal he cofounded. Yahoo's fourth quarter profit of $205.7 million, or 15 ce...

In Greek mythology, the Hydra was a creature who could not be defeated, as each time one of its heads was cut off, two more would sprout back in its place. It seems that SEO mythology is no different; every time one SEO myth is debunked, two more SEO myths crop back up in its place, only adding to t...

In a blow to the music industry's worldwide campaign to crack down on copyright infringement, a European court has ruled that Internet service providers cannot turn over the identities of alleged file-sharers. The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg found that existing EU laws do not allow for s...

Barely a week after eBay announced a change in leadership, the online auctioneer unveiled a major switch in strategy. The company plans to reduce by half the up-front fees it charges users to list their items on its platform. The strategy, unveiled by John Donahoe, the company's incoming chief execu...

Qtrax, a new ad-supported music downloading service, has made a splash in the online music industry -- although it's debut was likely not quite what it had envisioned. The company previously reported that it had signed license agreements with the major music labels -- a coup that would have allowed ...

Hoping to overcome sizable hurdles such as a volatile stock market and uncertain economy, Current Media -- the money-losing, multi-channel media company cofounded by former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore -- has filed for an initial public offering. Current Media, which operates ...

eBay's PayPal unit will acquire the software firm Fraud Sciences for $170 million. The move could help boost confidence in the online payment industry and in the parent company's online auctions. Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, and founded by former members of Israel's intelligence agency, Fraud Sciences...

Amazon.com is taking its digital music store to the world -- a necessary move if the online retailer hopes to compete with a digital giant like iTunes. Amazon will roll out its music store internationally this year, offering music that is free of digital rights management copy-protection technology ...