Corporate and legal

FTC, EU to postpone Google antitrust decisions, report says

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's final decision on its 20-month long antitrust probe of the search giant will be delayed until next year, Bloomberg reported late yesterday after speaking with unnamed sources.

The results of the probe were expected to be announced this week.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company has been in talks with the FTC over the past two weeks, and according to Bloomberg, Google has been preparing a letter with voluntary changes to try to end the FTC's investigation without it resulting in a formal settlement or eventual lawsuit.

In addition, the FTC has … Read more

Nokia may consider a10-inch Windows RT slate -- Digitimes

Nokia may be jumping into the tablet fray with a Surface RT alternative, if the not-always-reliable site Digitimes is to be believed.

The mobile company is in talks with Qualcomm and Microsoft to begin development of a 10-inch Windows RT-based tablet, Digitimes reported yesterday, citing supply chain sources who claim to have knowledge of the discussions. The company plans to show off the tablet at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona early next year.

If the Nokia tablet launches, it would come with a 10-inch display, Digitimes' sources say. In addition, the computer would run Qualcomm's S4 processor and … Read more

Kodak sells its imaging patents for $525M

Eastman Kodak has a buyer -- or better said, buyers -- for its coveted treasure trove of digital imaging patents.

Under the agreements announced today, Kodak is selling the bundle for approximately $525 million, part of which will be paid by 12 intellectual property licensees organized by Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corp. Each licensee will receive rights to the patent portfolio and certain other Kodak patents. Another portion of the money will be paid by Intellectual Ventures, which is acquiring the digital imaging patent portfolio subject to these new licenses, as well as previously existing licenses, Kodak said.

The deal … Read more

Microsoft Surface tiptoes into Verizon store display cases

Microsoft Surface has arrived in Verizon stores, but that doesn't mean you can walk out with one.

And chances are you won't even notice it. That's because it's not for sale.

Verizon is using the tablet to showcase the Windows and Windows Phone experience -- but that's about all for now.

"We are delighted that Verizon have chosen Surface for use in their stores, however, we have nothing further to share at this time," a Microsoft spokesperson told CNET. Verizon declined to comment.

There had been some speculation that Verizon would launch sales … Read more

Yahoo China quietly shutters its music service

Yahoo has announced that it is terminating its music service in China as of next month, according to The Next Web.

Apparently the closure comes as the Web giant looks to rework its product strategies.

"Thank you all for your continued support of Yahoo's products," a statement posted on the Yahoo China's music search portal read, according to The Next Web. "As part of an adjustment to our product strategy, we have decided to stop providing the Yahoo [China] Music service starting January 20, 2013."

With new CEO Marissa Mayer on board, Yahoo has … Read more

House approves Netflix-backed changes to video privacy law

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Netflix-backed bill today that would make it easier for people to share their video-viewing habits online, while failing to act on an e-mail privacy measure.

By voice vote, members of the House approved H.R. 6671, which amends the Video Privacy Protection Act to allow video rental companies to obtain consent from customers in order to share information about their viewing preferences on social networks. Originally passed in 1988, the law was enacted after a newspaper printed the video rental history of Judge Robert H. Bork during his Supreme Court nomination hearings. … Read more

ITC judge sides with Apple in latest Motorola patent spat

Apple's iPhone does not infringe on a sensor patent held by Motorola Mobility, a judge at the U.S. International Trade Commission said today.

In an initial determination, ITC Administrative Law Judge Thomas Pender said Apple's iPhone did not infringe on a patent covering proximity sensor technology, because the main claim in that patent is invalid.

The ruling is preliminary and needs to be approved by the ITC's full six-member commission.

"We're disappointed with this outcome and are evaluating our options," a Motorola representative told Bloomberg, which reported the news Tuesday afternoon.

The spat … Read more

Penguin settles DOJ lawsuit over alleged e-book price-fixing

Penguin has become the latest book publisher to settle federal charges of e-book price-fixing, leaving only Apple and Macmillan to fight the Justice Department allegations.

In an antitrust lawsuit filed in April, federal prosecutors accused Apple and five book publishers of conspiring to artificially hike prices. The same day, the Justice Department announced it had reached settlements with three publishers but said Apple and the other two publishers had opted to fight the charges. Lagardere SCA's Hachette Book Group, News Corp.'s HarperCollins Publishers, and Simon & Schuster (owned by CBS, which publishes CNET) agreed to settle.

Penguin added … Read more

Oracle turns in a mixed bag in 2nd-quarter results

Oracle today reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, revenue that was lighter than estimates, and hardware system product sales that fell 23 percent from a year ago.

In other words, Oracle's quarter was a mixed bag (preview).

Oracle reported second-quarter earnings of $2.6 billion, or 53 cents a share, on revenue of $9.1 billion, up 3 percent from a year ago. Non-GAAP earnings were 64 cents a share.

Wall Street was expecting Oracle to report second-quarter earnings of 61 cents a share on revenue of $9.02 billion.

New license and cloud revenue was up 17 percent in the … Read more