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MPAA has waited till the last moment to start trying to block film betting despite being notified for over a year.

The XBox moves into cable TV turf. What does it mean for the industry?

Google faces problems related to privacy and copyright protection in Europe. Google's most immediate challenges may be in Italy. This month a decision is expected in a trial in Milan, where four Google executives have been charged with defamation and privacy violations in a case involving videos posted on a Google Web site showing the bullying of an autistic boy.Italian prosecutors accuse Google of negligence, saying it was too slow to remove the video. But Google sees a political dimension. One of the four executives, Peter Fleischer, Google's chief privacy counsel, called the case part of "an attack on a decade of progress" for Internet companies in Italy. In Germany, German publishers have persuaded the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel to support a new kind of copyright protecting journalistic content on the Web. Analysts say the measure, which has not yet been introduced, could require Web companies like Google to buy special licenses to cite content published elsewhere.

 Hulu investor  Providence Equity Partners is pumping $50 million into a new online video company set up by Chinese Internet search giant  Baidu. The news comes roughly 7 weeks after Baidu confirmed plans to established a new independent company to provide licensed, advertising-supported online video content to Chinese Internet users.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday resurrected a possible settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by freelance writers who said that newspapers and magazines had committed copyright infringement by making their contributions available on electronic databases. The proposed settlement was prompted by a 2001 decision from the Supreme Court in favor of six freelance authors claiming copyright infringement in The New York Times Company v. Tasini. After the Tasini decision, many freelance works were removed from online databases. Most publishers now require freelance writers to sign contracts granting both print and online rights. After the decision, the authors, publishers and database companies who were parties to several class-action lawsuits negotiated a global settlement that would pay the plaintiffs up to $18 million.

Italy is trying to pass a law that holds Internet companies accountable for copyright infringement by users who post media.

A list of the top 10 mergers in recent times according to PC Authority magazine. Not all are media companies, but still a useful overview.

Time Warner's 4th quarter financial results from 2009. They reported an increase in total revenues, which came from growth in subscriptions. A decline in advertising revenues was reported. Subscriber Statistics During the fourth quarter, Time Warner Cable added 56,000 Digital Video subscribers to 8.866 million. The company lost 105,000 Basic Video subscribers to 12,859 million, added 120,000 Residential high-speed data subscribers to 8.994 million, added 2,000 Commercial high-speed data subscribers to 0.295 million, added 75,000 Residential Digital phone subscribers to 4.153 million, and also added 9,000 Commercial Digital phone subscribers to 0.067 million. During the same quarter the company added 64,000 Triple play subscribers to 3.448 million, added 27,000 Double play subscribers to 4.9 million, and lost 146,000 Single play subscribers to 6.224 million.

News Corp. the media conglomerate run by the billionaire, said second-quarter earnings got a boost from Avatar ticket sales and its broadcast TV division. The New York-based company reported net income of $254 million, or 10 cents per share, up from a net loss of $6.4 billion, or $2.45 cents per share in the same period a year prior, when the company was forced to write down the value of its assets.

PARIS - Google said on Monday that it faced antitrust complaints in Germany from newspaper and magazine publishers who want the company to pay for using article snippets in its Web news service and search results.

Many companies take out death and disability insurance to cover themselves in the event that an athlete or celebrity endorser dies or is injured while under contract. In a new wrinkle, more companies are trying to insure against the potential loss of sales when an athlete product endorser is involved in a scandal.

Merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, two of the major concert ticket vendors in the US, was approved by the US Justice Department. Consumer groups, independent promoters and ticket brokers all urged the department to block the deal, warning that it would give the resulting company the power to dictate terms for live entertainment at the expense of venues, artists and consumers. The companies argued that combining their ticketing and promotions arms would enable them to offer better services to venues and acts, and better value to fans.

"Three million cable customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will see their ABC station go to black (or something like it) early Sunday morning unless The Walt Disney Company and Cablevision either strike a deal or extend their tense contract negotiations. Cablevision's contract to carry the ABC station in New York City, WABC, expires at midnight, and the two companies are in a standoff over how much Disney, which owns ABC, should be paid for the right to retransmit the signal."

"The context of this decision is interesting, in that the issue arose in the restructuring of Nassau Broadcasting, where its creditors were to take a controlling position in the company in exchange for a release of some of the company's debt. However, the new ownership position of its creditors, where their interests became attributable for the first time, required multiple ownership reviews in several markets, as these same investors were owners, or holders of significant debt (triggering an EDP issue) in other companies holding radio or TV licenses in nearby markets."

Broadband companies are questioning the FCC's ability to regulate the Internet over fears they may be regulated similar to telephone companies. Chariman Genachowski remains adamant he will push ahead.

"News Corp. agreed to pay $70 million for a stake in the media company owned by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, one of its largest shareholders. The New York media conglomerate will take a 9.1% stake in Rotana Group, with an option to double its holdings in 18 months. Corp. will have two seats on Rotana's six-person board. The investment gives News Corp its first significant foothold in the Middle East, where it expects economies to grow quickly."

A sour economy and civil litigation - including one suit filed by Titan Media Group's parent company - have prompted video website Veoh.com to file for bankruptcy. Veoh co-founder Dmitry Shapiro wrote in a blog post that despite "great vision, a passionate team, tens of millions of users, millions in revenues and victory in court were not enough."

"ABC News will sharply reduce its news-gathering staff through buyouts and possible layoffs, the company said on Tuesday. ABC employees said they expected the cutbacks would affect 300 to 400 people, or roughly 25 percent of the news division's work force."

ABC News will sharply reduce its news-gathering staff through buyouts and possible layoffs, the company said on Tuesday. ABC employees said they expected the cutbacks would affect 300 to 400 people, or roughly 25 percent of the news division's work force.

ROME - Three Google executives were convicted of violating Italian privacy laws on Wednesday, the first case to hold the company's executives criminally responsible for the content posted on its system. Enlarge This Image Paolo Bona/Reuters Bill Echikson, a spokesman for Google, called a judge's ruling against executives "astonishing." Related New Complaints Filed Against Google in Europe (February 25, 2010) Times Topics: Google Inc. The verdict, though subject to appeal, could have sweeping implications worldwide for Internet freedom: It suggests that Google is not simply a tool for its users, as it contends, but is effectively no different from any other media company, like newspapers or television, that provides content and could be regulated.

Article argues the i-Pad is a device for consuming media, and that it offers a new platform for media companies to utilize. What type of business model will result from such a platform, and are there new economic models that will result from its introduction?