The U.S. Internet operator will “respect the wishes of any Chinese author who hasnt authorized their books to be scanned,” it said in a Jan. 9 letter to the China Writers Association and posted on the groups Web site. It also included an apology for “inadequate communication” with Chinese authors. Google spokeswoman Jennie Johnson confirmed the contents of the letter sent by Erik Hartmann, chief of Google Books in Asia.
Google should submit proposals to compensate Chinese authors whose works it included without approval and immediately stop - - - - >

The worst recession since World War II and Italian acceptance of Internet buying — even for big-ticket items — is sparking greater use of Web shops in the luxury-goods industry. Designer Roberto Cavalli and shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo SpA have both opened e-stores in the past five weeks.
“I expect a significant boom in online luxury sales during the Christmas period,” said Alessandro Perego, a professor in charge of research on e-commerce at Milan Politecnicos School of Management. “In the past year the number of Web sites has - - - - >

McLaughlin, who was Googles first public policy executive, built Googles presence in Washington, helping promote the Mountain View, California-based companys position on topics such as online privacy, so-called net neutrality and copyrights.
McLaughlins departure highlights the connections between Google, the most popular Internet search engine, and the Obama administration. Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt is part of the presidents council of advisers on science and technology. Schmidt also campaigned for the governments economic stimulus package, which was passed earlier this year.
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Softbank reported a net loss of 15.01 billion yen ($154.3 million) for the January-March period, a reversal from the 15.4 billion yen it earned the same period the previous year.
Quarterly sales dipped 3.7 percent to 690.8 billion yen as an ongoing recession cut into handset sales.
Softbank has been more successful than its rivals, NTT DoCoMo and KDDI Corp., in wooing people to its cell phone services for 23 straight months through March with discounts and by being the exclusive local carrier for eye-catching handsets like Apple Inc.s iPhone.
But it has yet to translate its aggressive marketing campaigns, such as the - - - - >

The two companies should pool resources to compete with Google Inc., the dominant Internet search engine, Ballmer said yesterday at an analyst meeting in New York. A minute earlier, he said Microsoft has lured about 10 engineers from Yahoo.
“You all know that I would like to figure out how to pool somehow Microsoft and Yahoo,” Ballmer said. “Im hoping thats a reasonable conversation to have with new management at Yahoo.”
Ballmers comments gave - - - - >

“Microsofts tying of Internet Explorer to the Windows operating system harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice,” the EU said in a statement.
It gave Microsoft eight weeks to respond, adding that the company can defend its position in a hearing if it finds that useful.
Microsoft issued a statement saying, “We are committed to conducting our business in full compliance with European law.”
The commissions investigation into Microsofts Web-surfing software began a year ago, after the Norwegian browser-maker Opera Software ASA filed a complaint. Opera argued that Microsoft hurt competitors not only by bundling the software, - - - - >

The spammers sent out billions of e-mails in recent years encouraging people to click through to Web sites that allegedly used false claims to peddle prescription drugs, as well as “male enhancement” and weight-loss pills.
The Federal Trade Commission received more than 3 million complaints about the spam and related Web sites, illustrating the scale of the operation, officials said.
The sites, including one called “Canadian Healthcare,” were difficult to distinguish from legitimate online pharmacies - making the pitches more persuasive, said Steve Baker, the FTC’s Midwest Region director.
“These sites are really professionally constructed,” he said. “Some years ago you used to - - - - >

One company that remains profitable this season is Google. As a media company they have provided valuable content on YouTube, but the bulk of the revenue comes from advertising. They have helped web developers especially bring people to what they were hoping to find on the internet.
The sphere of influence generated by this corporation grows every year. It could have something to do with the fact that they treat their employees well and know how to run a business.
While advertisers of home and auto loans cut back, makers of apparel and appliances kept spending, Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette said. - - - - >

A huge demand for social networking has given companies like Qzone and Xiaonei a large market share. In China MySpace will be hard pressed to overtake the competition. In a country where internet cafes are popular, sharing of photos and music will be an emerging market and even a popular pass time.
Unlike the movie and TV industries, the Chinese Internet business is open to foreign investment. China has the world’s largest online population, with more than 250 million using the Net; many of them are students or people in their 20s, prime users of MySpace in other countries. Murdoch’s wife, - - - - >

Internet radio is under attack, with entertainment industry funded groups such as SoundExchange trying to put it out of business. Unless something is done, the public will lose advertisement free internet radio stations like Pandora. For now Listeners can sit back and relax, try new music before they buy an album, and not worry about oppressive adds ruining the experience with the free service, but for how long?
The measure, which was sponsored by Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., and now heads to the president, would green-light an anticipated deal between Webcasters and SoundExchange, a nonprofit that collects royalties for recording copyright - - - - >