U.S. high-tech firms stymied on immigration for skilled workers
Technology companies have been making a huge effort to reshape the Senate immigration bill to meet their demand for more foreign workers. But they have had only limited success.

Nintendo briefly edges out Sony in market value
Nintendo surpassed Sony in market capitalization during morning trading Monday to temporarily become one of the 10 most valuable companies in Japan.

An empire builder, Murdoch still playing tough
Rupert Murdoch's vast media holdings give him a gamut of tools to enhance his financial interests and establish his legitimacy in the United States.

Fears of self-censorship at French news outlets
Besides any influence, direct or otherwise, by media barons close to the new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, self-censorship is influenced by the economic vulnerability of the print media and its dependence on French government subsidies.

Robots put through their paces in Disaster City
A special facility in Texas tests the performance of robots under grueling - and sometimes gruesome - circumstances

Vonage gets a break as judge suggests compromise in Verizon case
A judge suggested on Monday a possible compromise in a patent dispute between the Internet phone carrier Vonage and Verizon Communications that would allow Vonage to continue signing up new customers while it modifies its technologies.

Sony chairman promises a shift from recovery to growth
Investors at the company's annual meeting in Tokyo remained skeptical of an imminent turnaround, pressing for a clear strategy.

Yahoo sales chief resigns
Wenda Harris Millard is leaving as chief sales officer at Yahoo to become president for media at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, amid a reorganization of Yahoo's sales team.

Danish broadcaster's house of blues
Budget crisis threatens cherished public media.

Microsoft says Google to file Vista complaint
Microsoft said Monday that it expected Google to file a complaint with a U.S. judge arguing that changes Microsoft had agreed to make to its Windows Vista operating system fell short of addressing concerns over its computer search function.

On Advertising: As tech giants shop, ad industry wonders about the next big deal
A $10 billion spending spree in which Internet advertising specialists have been snapped up by technology companies has added to uncertainty in the industry.

Europeans widen investigation into search data
An investigation set off by concerns over how long Google stores user information has widened to include all Internet search engines.

In the media, the rush to find a partner
Given the general state of upheaval in the media industry, it's not hard to appreciate why so many people are looking to form partnerships.

EBay returning to China
With a local partner and stricter safety measures for users, the online auction leader hopes to avoid the pitfalls that sank its first China venture, EachNet.

New rules expected on safety of nanotechnology products
DuPont and Environmental Defense, one of the largest environmental groups in the United States, plan to release jointly developed guidelines for evaluating the safety and environmental risks of nanotechnology products.

Users can't be choosers with movie downloads
The DVD became the most popular way to view movies for good reasons. The discs are sturdy and the crisp images do not degrade with repeated showings.

Google files to extend decree on Microsoft

Google asked a U.S. judge on Monday to extend the consent decree, or voluntary agreement, that settled the landmark antitrust case against Microsoft. The request was based on competition concerns involving the computer search function in Windows Vista.

Google filed a brief with the judge overseeing the 2001 consent decree saying that even though Microsoft had agreed to modify Vista to address the concerns, "more may need to be done to provide a truly unbiased choice of desktop search products."

Deutsche Telekom, the largest European phone company, should improve competitors' access to its high-speed Internet networks, the European Union told the German telecommunications regulator.

Former European phone monopolies are upgrading their traditional land-line networks into Internet-based systems that allow faster transmission and new services like television over the Web. Deutsche Telekom, based in Bonn, plans to spend as much as €3 billion, or $4 billion, on a fiber optic network to which rivals including United Internet want access.

The EU said the German regulator must ensure that Deutsche Telekom offers competitors access to its new fiber optic equipment, which is being installed closer to customers' homes, so that alternative operators can reach these "new access points."

The commission does not have the legal authority to require the German telecom agency to follow its advice.

Verizon asks that court uphold Vonage ruling

Verizon asked an appeals court to uphold a $58 million verdict and an order barring Vonage from connecting Internet phone calls to traditional lines.

Vonage asked the court to overturn the jury verdict and the order, which blocks it from violating three Verizon patents covering Internet communications.

Judge Timothy Dyk asked Richard Taranto, lawyer for Verizon: "Isn't there kind of a middle ground" when such a court order "would put someone out of business?"

The appeal focuses on how a U.S. district judge, Claude Hilton, interpreted key words and phrases in the patents.

European Union ministers have agreed on a start-up budget of €308.7 million, or $415.5 million, for a planned European Institute of Technology to help match the United States on innovation.

Research ministers from the 27-member bloc gave their political backing to the new institute, seen as Europe's answer to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

However, an initial vision of a multibillion-euro campus-based institute has been replaced by a more modest plan to link a network of existing universities and private research bodies that would offer an "EIT label" on degrees.

The French financial newspapers La Tribune and Les Echos were not published Monday as their staffs went on strike to protest a possible plan by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton to sell the first and buy the second.