E-Commerce

The appendage of the letter "i" to a word with the intent of creating an icon is silly. Momentary, short-term fame and glory may be possible, but it is a very dubious tactic for creating a long-lasting, global iconic mark. What makes an icon is the exclusive longevity of its unique name. That's why ...

20th Century Fox has served YouTube and another video-sharing site, LiveDigital, with subpoenas to hand over information about the user who uploaded episodes of the hit TV series "24" before they aired this month. The user also uploaded recent episodes of "The Simpsons." It is not known how YouTube ...

The digital lifestyle has taken root in U.S. living rooms, primarily with the TV set and the home PC -- and, like the couch potato, it's beginning to spread. From set-top boxes and time/place shifters such as TiVo and Slingbox to iPod's home stereo and TV component, the shift seems to be centered on...

Web portal and search engine giant Yahoo on Tuesday posted fourth quarter results that beat Wall Street estimates, despite a sharp drop in profit from a year earlier, and said that its long-awaited ad placement system upgrade would roll out a month ahead of schedule. Yahoo said revenue climbed 13 pe...

Google said Monday it will be expanding tests of its video advertising system by delivering music video clips from Warner Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment along with advertising over its AdSense online advertising service. As part of a trial during the next four weeks, Web sites that use...

Social networking site MySpace is suing a high-profile e-mail marketer, claiming that he violated the site's rules and state and federal laws by deluging members with spam. MySpace said Tuesday it had filed a suit alleging that Scott Richter had violated the federal CAN-SPAM Act and California's ant...

Google's most recent efforts to expand its advertising delivery network to the world of video games may bring credibility to the in-game advertising space. The search giant reportedly is in talks to acquire Adscape Media, a San Francisco company that places advertising inside video games. The deal c...

Shares of major overseas Internet gambling companies took a heavy hit Monday after news broke that U.S. investigators had launch a fresh probe into Web-based gambling. The U.S. government has reportedly sent subpoenas to as many as 15 investment banks across Europe and the U.S., seeking information ...

Google plans to build a new, $600 million datacenter in North Carolina designed to help support its online operations, the company announced Friday. The site, to be located in the city of Lenoir, is expected to create about 210 jobs over time. North Carolina awarded Google a 12-year job development ...

In the late 1990s, a new application appeared on the World Wide Web. It allowed people from different places and different time zones the opportunity to simultaneously view a slide show, commonly PowerPoint, and to hear a speaker explain the details behind each slide. The viewers also had the opport...

Increasing the security of eBay's massive and growing auction and fixed-price sales platform will be a top priority during 2007, according to company executives. The recent announcement of an enhanced password program for PayPal users is just one example of a larger effort to curtail phishing and fr...

More job seekers than ever descended on employment Web sites during the first week of the new year, according to an online competitive intelligence service. Visits to electronic emporiums for employment climbed 31 percent during the week of January 6 compared to the same period a year ago, Hitwise r...

When your company name is already synonymous with "search the Internet," it's safe to say you're king of that realm. Further proof that Google tops the heap of search engines came Tuesday, as comScore Networks reported the company increased its share of the U.S. Web search pie by 0.4 percent last mo...

The creators of the peer-to-peer VoIP network Skype and the controversial file-sharing site Kazaa have unveiled their latest startup: Joost, an Internet TV company that they claim will revolutionize Internet-based television. Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom formally announced Joost Tuesday, after m...

Hoping to keep itself relevant as more consumers seek video on demand via the Internet, Netflix launched a Web initiative Tuesday that gives subscribers the option of downloading and instantly watching movies online. The company will roll out the service to subscribers over the next six months. User...