Bertelsmann exploring the sale of its book and music clubs
Net income at Bertelsmann fell more than 80 percent in 2007 to €405 million, or $640.4 million, largely on write-downs at the U.S. division of its Direct Group book business.

Yahoo says revenue outlook justifies higher bid from Microsoft
Yahoo said Tuesday that it expected revenue to increase at least 19 percent in each of the next two years. Shares of Yahoo had their biggest gain since Microsoft announced its $31-a-share bid on Feb. 1.

Google loses another bid for a European trademark for its Gmail service
The Gmail name is too similar to German trademark, according to the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market.

'Sex and the City: The Movie' and its brand name appeal
Skyy Spirits and Mercedes-Benz are among eight marketers - big, small and in between - that have agreed to be promotional partners for the New Line Cinema release, due out in the United States on May 30.

BSkyB wins right to broadcast most Champions League soccer games
BSkyB, which has broadcast Champions League games since 2003, is extending its bet on the richest soccer club competition in Europe.

Starbucks stumbles in music
Critics say that the music industry's ardor for Starbucks' support for the business has waned as the coffee chain has broadened the appeal of the CDs it is selling in its stores.

Deutsche Telekom agrees to buy 20 percent stake in Hellenic Telecom
The German company took a step Monday toward gaining control of the former state-owned Greek telecommunications firm.

As Wikipedia grows, scrutiny intensifies
Since Jimmy Wales helped create Wikipedia in 2001, the online encyclopedia has become one of the top 10 most visited Web sites. But with that success, questions have been raised about his spending and his relationship with a venture capitalist.

Siemens shocks investors with profit warning
The German engineering giant, which has been trying to put a huge corruption scandal behind it, disclosed that delays and canceled orders in its far-flung operations would cut its earnings by €900 million, or $1.4 billion.

Online 'casual' games for kids offer media firms new programming options
One of the big lures in casual games is the opportunity to attract advertising, including advertising from food companies that have gradually agreed to limit the nature and volume of television advertisements for children.

U.S. Supreme Court turns down Microsoft appeal of Novell lawsuit
In its antitrust suit, Novell alleged that Microsoft targeted Novell's WordPerfect and QuattroPro programs to protect its Windows operating system.
- Microsoft-Yahoo deal is probable, analysts say

Collectibles overtake Europe's newsstands
Besides a hodgepodge of DVD's, CD's, encyclopedias, books, postcards, toys, newspapers and magazines, a new publication has cropped up at newsstands in Italy and elsewhere in Europe: the partwork.

Companies see red over rights to the color magenta or use of stripes
The IT company, Compello, is locked in a legal struggle with the German giant, Deutsche Telekom over the color magenta while Adidas is pursuing ways to keep garment makers from decorating clothing with two stripes.

Publications discover treasure in archives
As magazines and newspapers hunt for the new thing they need to be to thrive in the Internet era, some find that part of the answer lies in the old thing they used to be.

Soothing the Middle East divide with music
Amid another flare-up in Israeli-Palestinian violence, there are plenty of raised, partisan voices on either side. A new ad campaign suggests a different way to address the divide: speak, or even sing, to both sides at once.

A cellphone with no flips, no folds - just a very low price
Spice Ltd., which is based in Noida, India, has unveiled "the People's Phone." The number keys are big and bold. It is chunky and has no color screen - in fact, it has no screen at all.

The End User: Virtual college fairs
A U.S. company has blended social networking into the process of searching for a university.