As European lawmakers debate how to keep access to the Internet free and equal — so-called network neutrality — they are inundated, not unsurprisingly, by lobbyists.

But the corporate envoys roaming the halls of Brussels trying to make their case, more often than not, do not represent the Continent’s myriad telecommunications and Internet companies, but rather those from the United States. Europe has become the world’s technology regulator. So the AT&Ts and Verizons are pitted against the Googles and Yahoos to shape European law in the hopes that American regulators will follow suit. Read the rest of this entry »

Google’s YouTube and the Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music label, are in advanced discussions over a licensing agreement that could lead to the creation of a premium site for music videos, according a person briefed on the talks.

The discussions remain fluid and the terms of the agreement, which could not be learned, are still being negotiated. A final deal could still be weeks away, and its terms may be different from those being discussed currently, the person said. Read the rest of this entry »

India’s troubled Satyam Computer Services Ltd. said Saturday it will seek new investors and replace its auditors in the wake of a $1 billion fraud scandal.

Following a board meeting Saturday, the software services provider said in a statement that it has set up a process to line up potential strategic investors and next week will seek regulatory approval for that process.

The Hyderabad, India-based company, one of India’s largest outsourcing companies, also said it has notified the Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs that it plans to remove PriceWaterhouseCoopers as its auditors. The statement said Price Waterhouse had been notified and resigned from that role.
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In some ways, blogging is like a misbehaving child: negative attention is good attention. Even if people hate you, they’re still connected to you in some way, and that connection translates to page views.

CNET came up with five contenders that deserves the title of “Most hated person on the Internet?”

So who deserves it?

More after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Shares in the Japanese electronics giants Toshiba and Nintendo plunged on Friday after the companies warned late on Thursday of disappointing earnings ahead.

The problems facing Japanese companies were highlighted after a government report early Friday showed a record decline in industrial production last month.

Toshiba, Nintendo, Sony and NEC Electronics, some of the biggest names in consumer electronics and technology, all reported disappointing results and gloomy outlooks on Thursday, further proof that the slowdown had expanded well beyond big-ticket items like cars and houses, and revealing the extent of consumer pessimism around the globe.

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