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China's Sina to Increase Investment in Weibo by $100 Million

Duan Li — Fri, 13 May 2011 19:35:56 +0000

Beijing - China's Sina has announced that it plans to increase investment in Weibo, its Twitter-like microblogging service, by $100 million comparing with 2010.

Report: U.S. Video Game Sales Up 20% in April to $961.2 Million

Mark Hefflinger — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:15:43 +0000

Port Washington, N.Y. - U.S. video game sales rebounded in April, up 20% to $961.2 million from $802.4 million a year ago, according to a report from market research firm NPD Group. Sales of game hardware were up 12%, to $279.9 million; Microsoft said it sold 297,000 Xbox 360 units during the month. "New physical retail sales of hardware, software and accessories showed notable growth in April versus last year. A 17% increase in unit sales translated into over 20% dollar growth due to higher average retail prices," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

Retail E-Commerce Spending Grows 12% from Year Ago

Mark Hefflinger — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:14:21 +0000

Reston, Va. - E-commerce spending in the U.S. rose 12% last quarter, compared with the year before, marking the sixth straight quarter of positive growth, according to new figures from comScore.

Playdom to Pay FTC $3 Million for Disclosing Children's Data

Mark Hefflinger — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:59:45 +0000

Washington - Virtual worlds and online games publisher Playdom has agreed to pay $3 million to settle charges from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), that it illegally collected and disclosed personal information from hundreds of thousands of children under 13, a violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Emerging Markets Drive Software Piracy to Record $59B in 2010

Mark Hefflinger — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:56:27 +0000

Washington - Theft of software for personal computers leapt 14% globally last year to a record commercial value of $59 billion, according to new figures from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), an industry organization representing some of the largest commercial software publishers.

LimeWire to Pay Labels $105 Million to Settle Copyright Suit

Mark Hefflinger — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:54:02 +0000

New York - File-sharing service LimeWire will pay $105 million to settle copyright infringement claims from the four major record labels, avoiding the $1.4 billion in damages award the labels had been seeking in court proceedings. A federal judge last year found LimeWire and founder Mark Gorton guilty of copyright infringement and ordered the service shut down; a separate trial heard over the past two weeks intended to determine the amount of damages Gorton and the company would pay.

WSJ: Google, Justice Dept. Near Settlement Over Pharmacy Ads

Mark Hefflinger — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:31:12 +0000

Washington - Google is nearing a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over allegations the company illegally accepted ads from foreign online pharmacies, and is expected to pay up to $500 million in penalties, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Report: Mobile "Check-in" Services Gaining Popularity

Mark Hefflinger — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:28:46 +0000

Reston, Va. - Though still in its relative infancy, mobile device "check-in" services like Facebook Places, Foursquare and Gowalla are now attracting 7.1% of all mobile users, according to new data from market research firm comScore.

Game Publisher We R Intetractive Scores $5 Million

Mark Hefflinger — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:19:24 +0000

London - Online games publisher We R Interactive announced on Friday that it has raised $5 million in a second round of funding.

Movie Camcorder Sues MPAA, Police Over Arrest Injuries

Mark Hefflinger — Thu, 12 May 2011 19:59:08 +0000

Los Angeles - A New Jersey man has sued the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and local police, alleging that deadly force was wrongly used during his arrest on the non-violent charge of camcording a movie inside a theater, TorrentFreak reported.