Corporate and legal

President takes on patent trolls, pushes for 'smarter patent laws'

As expected, President Obama has come out today in full force against so-called "patent trolls."

In a statement released on Tuesday by the White House, the president issued five executive actions it'll take against companies that collect patents for the sole purpose of licensing them and suing other companies that may or may not be violating them. The administration has ordered that patent owners regularly update their ownership information so they can't hide patents in other entities. It has also requested that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) enhance employee training to decrease chances … Read more

Amazon's secret weapon: $600 million in annual ad revenue

Amazon might be making the bulk of its cash on online sales and tablets, but the company has been quietly building an awfully large advertising business.

According to new data released on Tuesday by research firm eMarketer, Amazon generated $610 million in ad revenue last year, up 45.5 percent compared to 2011. What's more, eMarketer expects Amazon to generate $835 million this year, generating a 37 percent gain over the previous period.

So, how did Amazon do it? The company has been generating revenue from ads in search results on its own pages. The company also generates ad … Read more

IBM to buy cloud specialist SoftLayer

IBM said Tuesday it is buying SoftLayer Technologies, as the computing giant aims to bolster its cloud computing efforts.

While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, the Wall Street Journal said the acquisition is worth around $2 billion, citing a person familiar with the deal.

IBM will create a new cloud services division within its Global Services unit that will house SoftLayer as a standalone company. It will act as a junction box between other cloud services the company owns.

Big Blue says the acquisition will help it to beef up its ability to integrate public and … Read more

Salesforce aims $2.5B deal at ExactTarget

Salesforce has entered a definitive agreement to acquire ExactTarget, a digital marketing software firm, for $2.5 billion, marking the cloud software company's biggest acquisition to date.

Under the terms of the deal, Salesforce will buy all the outstanding shares of ExactTarget for $33.75 per share in cash, marking a premium of more than 50 percent on the company's stock closing price on Monday.

"The CMO is expected to spend more on technology than the CIO by 2017," said Salesforce chairman and chief executive Marc Benioff in prepared remarks. "The addition of ExactTarget … Read more

Lenovo in talks with smartphone party for joint venture

Lenovo told its shareholders in a statement Tuesday that it's in talks with a smartphone maker to engage in a possible joint venture.

"The Board would like to inform the shareholders of the Company and potential investors that the Company is in preliminary negotiations with a party in connection with a potential joint venture transaction," Lenovo wrote (PDF). "As at the date of this announcement, no material terms concerning the Potential Transaction have been agreed and the Company has not entered into any definitive agreement in relation to the Potential Transaction."

The business-speak aside, Lenovo … Read more

HTC bleeding continues: Operations chief reportedly steps down

The HTC exodus continues, with Chief Operating Officer Matthew Costello the latest key executive to step down, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Costello leaves office after less than three years at the smartphone manufacturer, according to the report. Fred Liu, president of engineering and operations, is taking on Costello's duties, while Costello stays on as an executive adviser after moving to Europe.

HTC confirmed Costello's departure and Liu's new role and issued a statement to CNET.

To achieve success, we've had to change when it was right for the business. Recently was one of those times. We … Read more

Obama to target patent trolls with executive actions

The Obama administration will reportedly announce a set of executive actions on Tuesday aimed at reining in certain patent holders amid concerns they are abusing the current system and squelching competition.

President Obama will instruct the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to initiate a rule-making process that would require patent holders to disclose the owner of a patent, senior Obama administration officials told The Wall Street Journal. He will reportedly announce five executive actions and seven proposed legislative changes, including asking Congress for legislation that would sanction litigants who file lawsuits deemed abusive by the courts.

Patent assertion entities (… Read more

Apple WWDC predictions: Deutsche Bank chimes in

The overhaul of iOS will be the marquee attraction at Apple's upcoming WWDC, according to Deutsche Bank.

In a note to investors Monday, Deutsche Bank Equity Research's Chris Whitmore said the focus will be on iOS 7 and Mac OS upgrades.

The note has a lot to say about the expected iOS 7 announcement.

We believe iOS is due for a material upgrade in order to freshen and reinvigorate the 'cool' factor around Apple's products. The general look and feel of iOS is 6 years old and is in need of an update and some spark. It … Read more

Sean Parker agrees to $2.5M settlement over wedding venue

It appears that former Facebook president Sean Parker has inadvertently become an environmentalist to save his wedding.

He has agreed to dole out $2.5 million in a settlement with the California Coastal Commission over the construction of an immense wedding venue in an ecologically sensitive area of state. That comes on top of the $10 million he spent on his lavish wedding this past weekend to singer-songwriter Alexandra Lenas.

In a little nook of the redwood forest in Big Sur, Calif., Parker commissioned the custom-made construction of what seems like a small village for his wedding day. In addition … Read more

Apple owes France $6.5 million in unpaid taxes

Apple appears to be delinquent on a hefty tax payment in France.

SACEM, a French society that controls royalties paid to authors, composers, and publishers, said on Friday that Apple owes 5 million euros ($6.5 million) in royalty taxes from iPads sold in France in 2011. The tax, known in France as a copie privee, is levied against all vendors of digital devices that use copyrighted content, according to French blog site The Rude Baguette.

That tax then goes to SACEM, which divvies out the money among the various authors, producers, and other creative folks.

Apple passed on the … Read more