Sarkozy looking to build national media champion
There is no French multimedia empire comparable to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. or Bertelsmann of Germany. The president's plan to abolish advertising on public television is a step toward competing with them.

Brussels plans cuts in SMS roaming fees
The cost of sending a text message across European borders could fall by up to 70 percent, according to the European Commission.

Court sides with eBay in counterfeit case
A judge ruled that the online retailer does not bear a legal responsibility to prevent its users from selling fake items on its marketplace, a sharp departure from a ruling in a similar case in Europe.

Worst is yet to come for Europe's ad market
Advertising executives and media owners are worried that European marketers will slash their ad budgets, as many of their counterparts have already done in America.

Microsoft turns aggressive in bid for Yahoo
Shareholders searching for détente in the battle between Yahoo and Microsoft are unlikely to find it in Microsoft's new proposal to buy Yahoo's search business.
- Yahoo again spurns a Microsoft takeover offer
- Icahn accuses Yahoo of distorting facts
- Yahoo looks for outside help to take on Google

Apple sold a million iPhones in first 3 days
Half of Apple's 187 U.S. retail outlets were sold out as of Sunday night, and carriers in Britain, Germany, Canada and Japan said many of their shops had run out.
- On a small screen, just the salient stuff
- Glitches appear at debut of iPhone 3G
- The new iPhone still has a battery problem
- Apple's stock option practices remain under scrutiny

Product placement becomes part of the plot
Advertisers and U.S. regulators debate whether television viewers and moviegoers should be told when payments are made to put products in stories

EBay deal with Buy.com: Rancor among the faithful
The golden era of the small seller on eBay, hawking gewgaws and knickknacks from the basement or garage, is coming to a noisy and ignominious end.

New video genre brings cringes, but on purpose
People are making videos of their strong reactions to the trailer for Disney's "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." Some videos depict people reacting in horror to the jubilant trailer.

Disney goes interactive with Blu-ray features
Because of a technology that connects Blu-ray discs with the Internet, an upcoming Blu-ray version of "Sleeping Beauty" will allow viewers to watch the movie in tandem with friends in other locations and chat using a laptop, PDA or cellphone.

Ads can be good for your health
Social scientists have learned that there is power in tying certain behaviors to habitual cues through relentless advertising, and those cues can help public health campaigns in developing countries.

J. C. Penney and Sears take cue from Hollywood
The saying that you cannot tell the players without a scorecard is being refreshed in ad campaigns for the back-to-school shopping season.