Academy Awards ads routed Super Bowl's
In the two biggest nights for U.S. television advertising, the commercials shown during the Oscars clearly outdid the coarse and mean-spirited Super Bowl ads.

Internet renegades go by the book
The renegade Internet entrepreneurs who started the file-sharing service Kazaa and the online phone service Skype have started a Web video venture that is doing everything by the book.

EU starts court case against Germany over law favoring Deutsche Telekom
European regulators have started legal proceedings against Germany over a new law that allows Deutsche Telekom to keep rivals off a high-speed network it is building to deliver on-demand movies and other services to German living rooms.

Ericsson bids for Tandberg TV
The deal could create a leader in technology for sending video over Internet and mobile networks.

Microsoft expands into health care search
Microsoft is buying a specialized search engine tailored to deliver useful medical information to consumers.

Briefing: European Parliament split on roaming fees
European Parliament members Tuesday debated mobile phone roaming legislation and were divided about whether companies should be given more time to lower prices before facing laws that would force them to cut fees.

Web sites trying to lure away the most talented YouTubers
The most popular YouTubers, who have generated millions of visits and tens of thousands of subscribers, say they have received overtures from multiple sites.

With Joost, founders of Skype and Kazaa are going by the book
The Web video service already has differentiated itself from YouTube by securing agreements to broadcast shows from MTV, Comedy Central, VH1 and other Viacom networks.

Briefing: Britain seeks inquiry on BSkyB's ITV deal
Also: Yahoo's new links bring more clicks on its ads; Tribune considers proposal from Zell; CBS invests in virtual developer

Google in content deal with media companies
Google is working with several large media companies to distribute their videos on other Web sites.

Tribune Co. considering bid from real estate billionaire
The company, a Chicago-based media conglomerate that has invited buyout offers, is considering a late bid from Sam Zell, the Chicago real estate billionaire.

In pursuit of a faster chip
Cadence says its diagonal design approach will help cope with growing chip complexity while adding significantly to the speed, efficiency and performance of a generation of smaller chips that are just starting to appear.

Movie theaters offer video games to fight falling ticket sales
These hybrid movie theaters offer all the digital fire and fury of a video game, and, naturally, there's buttered popcorn.
- Hero of video game leaping to big screen

European Parliament members Tuesday debated mobile phone roaming legislation and were divided about whether companies should be given more time to lower prices before facing laws that would force them to cut fees.

The European Commission has proposed price caps on wholesale and retail roaming fees. The proposal follows years of warnings by Viviane Reding, the EU telecommunications commissioner, that mobile phone operators had overcharged customers. Some Parliament members said that the free market should be given more time to work, while others pushed for regulation.

The legislation must be approved by European governments and the Parliament. It would impose a maximum fee that operators could charge for making and receiving calls abroad. Companies argue that fees are already falling.

European governments and the Parliament are working to approve the legislation by July so it can be in force before the summer vacation period. (Bloomberg)

KPN, the Dutch phone company, said Alcatel-Lucent would take over the construction, operation and maintenance of the network for its German unit, E-Plus. As part of the deal, which takes effect Thursday, Alcatel-Lucent will take on about 750 E-Plus workers in Germany, KPN said. (Reuters)

DEUTSCHE TELEKOM should supply more information on its €3 billion, or $4 billion, fiber-optic network, the German telephone regulator said Tuesday, a day after the European Union said that it would sue Germany for passing a law that allowed Telekom to exclude competitors from the network. (Bloomberg)

THE BBC said its governing body, the BBC Trust, provisionally approved plans for a free satellite service to widen access to its digital channels. $@ (Bloomberg)

JDS UNIPHASE, a maker of telecommunications equipment, agreed to buy Picolight for $115 million in stock to add optical components for business networks. (Bloomberg)

INTEL and Philips Electronics plan to introduce a wireless handheld device to assist doctors and nurses in recording and storing patient information. Philips said the device would help reduce medication errors.

(Bloomberg)