Silicon Valley Wire

Berkeley-Based MOG Raises $9.5 Million in New Funding

Berkeley, Calif. -- MOG, the Berkley-based operator of a network of user-penned music blogs, said on Friday that it has raised $9.5 million in a new round of funding, led by Menlo Ventures. New investor Balderton Capital also participated in the round, which the company will use to support the development of mobile applications, partnerships with consumer electronics makers and launch activities in the U.K. Founded in 2005, MOG recently launched a subscription-based music service, MOG All Access, and said that it is seeing "an incredible 17% user conversion from the free trial" to the paid service. The company plans to launch the music service, which offers a library of 7 million songs, in the U.K. by mid-year.
http://www.mog.com
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100225007165&newsLang=en

San Francisco-Based hi5 Acquires Social Games Firm Big Six

San Francisco -- Bolstering its commerce platforms and payment processing technolog, San Francisco-based hi5, a social entertainment site focused on gaming, said that it has acquired Texas-based social gaming firm Big Six. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Big Six was founded by gaming veterans Kevin Gilner, Monty Kerr and Chad Hansing, who will relocate to San Francisco along with other Big Six employees. hi5 said that the deal will enhance its commerce for virtual goods and games, and that it will implement Big Six's payment processing, fraud detection and conversion optimization technologies, as well as its social gaming platform.
http://www.hi5.com
http://www.hi5networks.com/press/releases/0224100.html 

Facebook Awarded Patent on "News Feed" Technology

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Facebook, the Palo Alto-based online social network, has been awarded a patent on technology related to the "news feed" or "stream" concept, where a user's online activities are broadcast to a group of contacts. With the award, Facebook could now choose to pursue licenses of its technology from a raft of other social networks and services who offer similar news feeds. All Facebook reported that the patent in question does not cover "status updates," as they have come to be known.
http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/02/facebook-feed-patent/

Proposed Legislation Would Grant U.S. Visas to Entrepreneurs

Washington, DC -- A new proposal on Capital Hill would grant visas to immigrant entrepreneurs launching new companies in the U.S., provided they have commitments to secure a minimum amount of investment capital. The Startup Visa Act, sponsored by Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Richard Lugar (D-Ind.), is being supported by signatures from more than 100 U.S. venture capital and angel investors. To qualify, entrepreneurs would need to land capital from a qualified U.S. investor of at least $100,000, as part of an equity financing of not less than $250,000. A previous incarnation of the act enables investors from other countries to earn visas in exchange for starting a business in the U.S. with $1 million in capital and creating at least 10 U.S. jobs. "We applaud Senators Kerry and Lugar for recognizing the importance of foreign born entrepreneurs to U.S. economic growth," said Mark Heesen, president of the Arlington-based National Venture Capital Association. "These individuals want to build their companies in the United States, but many have been discouraged in the past by difficult immigration laws. Today entrepreneurs can build their companies and create jobs anywhere. This bill sends the right signal that we want them here."
http://startupvisa.com/2010/02/24/kerry-lugar-startup-visa-act/
http://startupvisa.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/startup-visa-act_-final-final-1.pdf
http://www.nvca.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74:nvca-public-policy&catid=38:nvca-public-policy&Itemid=91

Report: Streamlining Tech Transfer Policies Could Create Jobs

College Park, Md. -- The federal government can spur the creation of jobs and businesses by streamlining its policies for bringing new technologies to market, according to a new report from the College Park-based Association of University Research Parks (AURP). "This is not only about money -- it's also a matter of adjusting the policies and regulations that too often deter entrepreneurial researchers in our universities and federal labs from commercializing their work," said report author Brian Darmody, president of the AURP and associate vice president for research and economic development at the University of Maryland. The report offers 10 steps to fix the problem, including making federal grant policies more flexible for technology commercialization, taking better advantage of the $25 billion in R&D spent internally in federal labs and connecting federal researchers with the private sector. The complete report is available at the link below.
http://www.aurp.net/more/AURPPowerofPlace2.pdf (PDF)

Santa Clara-Based ZillionTV Lands $10 Million Investment from Qwest

Santa Clara, Calif. --  ZillionTV, the Santa Clara-based provider of a web-based video-on-demand service, has received a $10 million investment from Qwest Communications, Multichannel News reported. Founded in 2007, ZillionTV plans to launch its service commercially later this year, with partners including Qwest. The service will offer a library of over 15,000 movies, TV episodes and other videos, licensed from partners including Disney, Fox, NBC Universal, Sony and Warner Bros. Qwest counts nearly 3 million high-speed Internet subscribers in 14 states.
http://www.zilliontv.tv
http://www.multichannel.com/article/450696-Qwest_Plows_Millions_Into_ZillionTV.php

Justice Dept. Says it Won't Challenge Proposed Online News Service

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- The Justice Department said that it won't challenge a proposal by Redwood Shores-based MyWire to form a new online subscription news aggregation service. The service, to be known as the Global News Service, would link news articles, video and audio clips from different publishers that relate to the same topic. Site publishers would be able to add a "related item" box to their pages, containing linked abstracts of content from other participating sites. Users would pay a subscription fee to access all fee-based content within the network. There would be no charge to view free content. MyWire submitted its proposal to the department to gauge whether it complied with antitrust laws. The department said that the service "has the potential to benefit consumers by allowing them to access a broad network of related content without having to conduct their own online searches."
http://www.mywire.com/
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/February/10-at-190.html

Italian Court Convicts Google Executives Over YouTube Video

Mountain View, Calif. -- An Italian court has convicted three executives from Mountain View-based Google of violating the privacy of a child with Down's syndrome, after a video of the child being bullied in a schoolyard was posted to the company's YouTube video site. The executives were acquitted on charges of defamation, but received six-month suspended sentences on the privacy violation charges. Google said in a statement that it will appeal "this astonishing decision," which the company said "attacks the very principles of freedom on which the Internet is built." Google called the video in question "reprehensible," and maintains that it "took it down within hours of being notified by the Italian police." The company added that it worked with local police to identify the uploader who, along with several other classmates, was sentenced to community service. None of the Google executives convicted -- senior vice president and chief legal officer David Drummond, former Google Italy board member George De Los Reyes and global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer -- reside in Italy or were present at the court proceedings.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/serious-threat-to-web-in-italy.html

Meltwater Group Acquires Sunnyvale-Based BuzzGain

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Meltwater Group, a Norwegian provider of media monitoring services with operations in San Francisco, announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Sunnyvale-based social media monitoring firm BuzzGain. While the companies did not disclose financial terms of the deal, PaidContent pegged the purchase price at $4 million, including potential earnouts. Founded in 2001, Meltwater monitors the traditional news media for its 18,000 clients, and has more recently expanded its services to online media. The company plans to integrate BuzzGain's service into its own Meltwater Buzz social media monitoring offering. 
http://www.meltwater.com
http://buzzgain.com
http://meltwater.com/en/meltwater-group-acquires-buzzgain-and-reaches-100-million-bookings
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-meltwater-buys-social-media-monitor-buzzgain-for-4-million/

Fremont-Based Quantenna Communications Lands $15 Million

Fremont, Calif. -- Quantenna Communications, a Fremont-based developer of chipsets for Wi-Fi home entertainment networking, said on Wednesday that it has landed $15 million in its fourth round of funding. Participants included previous backers Grazia Equity, Sequoia Capital, Sigma Partners, Southern Cross, Swisscom and Venrock Associates. The company said that it will use the cash infusion to accelerate volume production of its Wi-Fi chipsets for wireless networks and devices. Quantenna said that its chipsets allow Wi-Fi home networks to deliver the same quality as wired Ethernet, including supporting full HD video with 1080p resolution, anywhere in the home. "This financing round enables us to accelerate production shipments to customers for retail deployments," said Behrooz Rezvani, Quantenna's founder and chairman.
http://www.quantenna.com/
http://www.quantenna.com/pressrelease-02_24_10.html

Mountain View-Based HyTrust Raises $10.5 Million in Second Round

Mountain View, Calif. -- HyTrust, a Mountain View-based developer of policy management and access control tools for virtual infrastructure, said on Wednesday that it has secured $10.5 million in its second round of funding. New investors Granite Ventures and Cisco Systems joined previous backers Trident Capital and Epic Ventures in the round, which the company will use to drive sales efforts and fuel its next stage of growth. Eric Chiu, the president and CEO of HyTrust, said that his company plans to deepen its relationship with Cisco's Server Access & Virtualization business unit, while also working closely with Cisco's Security unit to address the needs of joint customers. "We feel strongly that policy management is key to enabling the 'next generation data center'," said Chiu.
http://www.hytrust.com
http://www.hytrust.com/company/press-release-20100224-funding

San Francisco-Based Visage Mobile Raises $4.5 Million in Second Round

San Francisco -- Visage Mobile, a San Francisco-based developer of web-based software that helps companies keep better tabs on employees' mobile devices, said on Wednesday that it has raised $4.5 million in its second round of funding, led by new investor Qualcomm Ventures. Previous backers Worldview Technology Partners, ATA Ventures,  Vesbridge Partners and Emergence Capital Partners also participated in the round, which the company will use to bolster product development and services. Visage's tools are designed to help businesses take control of their mobile budget and inventory, as well as set policies that govern employee usage of smartphones and mobile broadband.  The company's cloud-based applications is currently used by more than 150 U.S.-based corporations.
http://www.visagemobile.com
http://www.visagemobile.com/news/blogs/2990/visage-mobile-raises-4-5-million-to-improve-mobilitycentral-and-scale-our-customer-facing-teams/

FTC Warns of Data Leaks on File-Sharing Networks

Washington, DC -- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned nearly 100 organizations -- including schools, local governments and businesses -- that personal information, including sensitive data about customers or employees, is being leaked on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. The FTC is urging recipients of the notices to "protect such information from unauthorized access, including taking steps to control the use of P2P software on your own networks and those of your service providers." The agency said that the data could potentially be used to commit identity fraud, corporate espionage or other crimes. The FTC also has released a new educational brochure, designed to explain the technology and address its potential risks.
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/02/p2palert.shtm

CEA Names Mark of Excellence Awards Finalists

Orlando, Fla. -- The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) on Wednesday announced the finalists for its 2010 Mark of Excellence Awards, which honors innovation and achievements in custom home electronics products, services and installation technologies. Winners in 28 categories will be announced at a reception on March 26 during the Electronic House Expo in Orlando, Fla. A complete list of all 93 finalists is available at the link below.
http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=11873

Study: Sweden Leads World's Information Economy; U.S. Ranks 19th

Geneva, Switzerland -- Sweden again ranks as the world's most advanced information and communications technology economy, according to a new report from the International Telecommunications Union. The list, based on factors such as access to services, number of subscribers and literacy rates, includes eight countries from Northern Europe among the top 10. The U.S. ranks 19th. The report found that while most of the world now has access to high-speed Internet services, broadband penetration in developing countries remains as low as 3.5%, compared with 23% in developed countries. Still, all 159 countries in the report improved their levels from the prior year. "The report confirms that despite the recent economic downturn, the use of [information and communication technology] services has continued to grow worldwide," said Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, director of the ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau. "At the same time, the report finds that the price of telecommunication services is falling -- a most encouraging development."
http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2010/08.html

San Francisco-Based Adura Technologies Raises $12 Million

San Francisco -- Adura Technologies, a San Francisco-based developer of wireless lighting control and energy management technology, said on Tuesday that it has raised $12 million in a new round of funding, led by NGEN Partners. Previous backers VantagePoint Venture Partners and Claremont Creek Ventures also participated. "The new funding will help Adura continue to grow through the expansion of our commercialization efforts and ongoing technology development," said Jack Bolick, the company's president and CEO. Adura said that its wireless management platform, which addresses both lighting and HVAC uses in commercial buildings, could save users up to 50% in energy costs.
http://www.aduratech.com/
http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/Adura+Technologies+Adds+$12+Million+in+Funding;+NGEN+Partners+Joins+Board/5372430.html

New Alliance to Invest $3.5B in U.S. Tech Firms, Create Jobs for Grads

Santa Clara, Calif. -- The head of Santa Clara-based computer chip giant Intel on Tuesday unveiled a multi-faceted program aimed at boosting the U.S. tech industry while also increasing jobs available to recent college graduates. The centerpiece of the Invest in America Alliance features investments totaling $3.5 billion in U.S. tech companies over the next two years, from Intel and 24 venture capital firms. The firms plan to invest in area such as clean tech, IT and biotechnology, with Intel Capital announcing a new $200 million fund as part of the effort. A second component of the plan  includes commitments from 17 companies to increase their hiring of recent college graduates, some by as much as two-fold. Tech companies making that pledge include Adobe Systems, Dell, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft and Yahoo, among others. "It would be a long-term mistake to let our future scientists and engineers sit idle after graduation," said Intel CEO Paul Otellini. "Today's announcements are both an investment in the country's innovators and a signal to the global marketplace about America’s commitment to innovation and future competitiveness."
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/2010/20100223corp.htm

San Francisco-Based ngmoco Lands $25 Million for iPhone Games

San Francisco -- ngmoco, a San Francisco-based developer of iPhone games, said on Tuesday that it has raised $25 million in a new round of funding, led by Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). Previous investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Norwest Venture Partners and Maples Investments also participated. Founded in 2008 by games industry veterans Neil Young, Bob Stevenson, Alan Yu and Joe Keene, ngmoco focuses on free-to-play games such as Eliminate Pro, Touch Pets Dogs and Epic Wars. The company, whose games have been downloaded more than 12.5 million times, said that it will use the latest backing to expand its team and development activities, as well as the use of its Plus+ player network as a development platform for partners. "We're looking forward to growing ngmoco both organically and strategically," said Young, the company's CEO.
http://www.ngmoco.com

Millennial Media Acquires San Francisco-Based TapMetrics

San Francisco -- Three months after raising $16 million in funding, Baltimore-based Millennial Media, developer of an independent mobile advertising network, said on Tuesday that it will acquire TapMetrics, a San Francisco-based mobile analytics firm, focused on application usage and behavior. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. TapMetrics, which is backed by LaunchBox Digital and also has offices in Washington, DC, makes software designed to help developers better manage the sales and revenue of their applications through a simplified dashboard. "When we raised our growth round of financing in November, we stated that we would make investments to accelerate our growth," said Michael Avon, Millennial's CFO. "We continue to actively evaluate other potential acquisitions to further expand our business." TapMetrics will continue to be based in San Francisco.
http://www.millennialmedia.com
http://www.millennialmedia.com/2010/02/millennial-media-acquires-mobile-analytics-firm/
http://www.millennialmedia.com/2010/02/millennial-media-acquires-tapmetrics/

Report: Wal-Mart to Acquire Santa Clara-Based Vudu

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Retail giant Wal-Mart has agreed to acquire Santa Clara-based online movie service Vudu, The New York Times reported, citing two people briefed on the deal. Founded in 2004, Vudu offers a web-based movie and TV episode distribution service, which can connect with televisions through set-tops and other devices. The company has raised a total of $21 million in funding to date, from backers including Benchmark Capital and Greylock Partners. The Times reported that Wal-Mart and Vudu "began informing Hollywood studios and television manufacturers of the deal on Monday." Vudu has already secured deals to embed its service in devices made by Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Toshiba, LG, Vizio and Mitsubishi.
http://www.vudu.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/technology/23video.html

USITC to Probe Nokia on Apple Smartphone Patents

Cupertino, Calif. -- The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has launched an investigation into whether cell phone giant Nokia has infringed upon 13 of Cupertino-based Apple's patents on mobile phone technology, AllThingsD reported. Apple alleges that Nokia has not given Apple fair licensing terms on patents that are included on essential smartphone technologies, such as Wi-Fi. The USITC previously announced an investigation of Apple, prompted by a complaint from Nokia, into whether Apple is infringing 10 Nokia patents. Both companies are asking the USITC to ban imports of cell phones that contain the allegedly infringing technologies. Both also have separately filed patent infringement lawsuits against one another in federal court in Delaware.
http://www.usitc.gov
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20100222/itc-investigating-nokia-over-apple-patent-complaints-and-vice-versa/

Red Cross Launches New Site to Spur Blood Donations

Washington, DC -- Hoping to ramp up blood donations, the American Red Cross on Tuesday launched redcrossblood.org, a new, integrated site for its blood program. The site, designed by San Diego-based BusinessOnLine, allows visitors to find local blood donation opportunities and view local Red Cross news upon entering their zip code. It replaces more than 30 individual Blood Region sites, as well as the national site previously hosted at givelife.org. "We wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to find a blood drive, schedule a donation and get any information they may need about giving blood," said Chris Hrouda, executive vice president of American Red Cross Biomedical Services.
http://www.redcrossblood.org/
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/BusinessOnLine-Launches-New-bw-3611370713.html?x=0&.v=1

GreenRoad Lands $10 Million from Al Gore's Generation Investment

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- GreenRoad, a Redwood Shores-based developer of technology designed to improve driving behavior, said on Monday that it has landed a new $10 million investment from Al Gore's Generation Investment Management. The company will use the proceeds to accelerate the development of its GreenRoad 360 service, which provides instant feedback and analysis of drivers' abilities, maneuvers and patterns. GreenRoad claims that typical customers save as much as 50% in crash costs and 10% in fuel within the first year. Generation, co-founded in 2004 by Gore and David Blood, targets companies focused on sustainability issues, such as climate change and the environment. The funding comes less than a year after the company -- which also counts Richard Branson's Virgin Green Fund among its backers -- raised $15 million in a round led by DAG Ventures.
http://www.greenroad.com
http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20100222/bs_prweb/prweb3632994_1

Mountain View-Based Google Completes $124.6M Acquisition of On2

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google said that it has completed its $124.6 million acquisition of New York-based video encoding firm On2 Technologies, following a vote by On2's shareholders to approve the deal. The news comes more than five months after investors of On2 filed to block the acquisition, claiming that the company was being undervalued.  Mountain View-based Google responded last month by adding about $26.5 million in cash to the otherwise all-stock offer. "We believe On2's engineering talent and technology will be an incredible asset for us as we work to improve [the Internet] platform," said Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management. Google said that it plans to repurchase an equal number of shares on the open market that it issued as part of the transaction, to be funded from available working capital.
http://www.on2.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100219005941/en/Google-Closes-On2-Technologies-Acquisition

Obama Administration Creates Chief Greening Officer within GSA

Washington, DC -- Moving forward with President Obama's push for sustainability throughout the federal government, the General Services Administration (GSA) on Monday established the new office of "chief greening officer." The position, part of the GSA's Public Buildings Service, will be tasked with incorporating greener and more energy-efficient building technologies at the GSA's 1,500 owned and 8,000 leased facilities. Scott Conner, the director of the Denver Federal Center for GSA's Rocky Mountain region, will act in the position until a permanent chief greening officer is named. Robert Peck, the GSA's commissioner of public buildings, said that the chief greening officer will "deliver our goal of becoming a 'Green Proving Ground' for the American building industry."
http://www.gsa.gov/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20100222/pl_usnw/DC58552_1

Forecast: Traditional Ad Revenue to Stagnate; Online Spending to Double

Chantilly, Va. -- Though local advertising is expected to grow at only a modest rate over the next five years, the amount spent online is expected to more than double, according to a new survey by BIA/Kelsey. The firm forecasts that spending on traditional media will decline from $115 billion to $108.2 billion by 2014. At the same time, however, spending on interactive media is projected to grow from $15.2 billion to $36.7 billion. "Even with improvements in the overall economy, we do not anticipate a rapid recovery among traditional media over the forecast period, because we believe the structural change in the local media industry has accelerated," said Neal Polachek, the president of BIA/Kelsey. Total local ad spending is expected to increase just 2.2% annually during the period, hurt by larger than previously forecast declines in newspapers and direct mail.
http://www.bia.com/pr220210.asp

NYT: Google Attacks Emanated from Schools in China

Mountain View, Calif. -- A series of cyber attacks targeting Mountain View-based Google and other U.S. companies emanated from a pair of schools in China, The New York Times reported, citing people involved in the investigation. The paper also reported that the sophisticated attacks, revealed by Google last month, may have started several months earlier than previously thought. Investigators believe that the hacks originated from Shanghai Jiaotong University and the Lanxiang Vocational School, and aimed to steal trade secrets and computer codes, as well as emails from Chinese human rights activists. Jiaotong is considered to have one of the world's foremost computer science programs, recently beating out schools such as Stanford in IBM's "Battle of the Brains" programming competition. Lanxiang, meanwhile, trains computer scientists for the Chinese military.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/technology/19china.html?ref=todayspaper

Alameda-Based Vook Lands $2.5 Million in Seed Funding

Alameda, Calif. -- Vook, an Alameda-based developer of e-book tools that allow publishers to integrate text, video, pictures, social media and links, said on Friday that it has raised $2.5 million in a new round of seed funding. Investors included Ron Conway; Kenneth Lerer, chairman of the Huffington Post; Maples Investments; Baseline Ventures and Founder Collective. The company plans to use the proceeds to accelerate growth in all areas of its business in 2010. Since its formal launch last fall, Vook has formed publishing relationships with Simon & Schuster, HarperStudio and Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., and announced titles with bestselling writers including Seth Godin and Anne Rice. "We believe we're bringing Vook to market at the exact right time to help transform an industry, drive creativity and create a whole new media experience for consumers," said Brad Inman, the founder and CEO of Vook.
http://www.vook.com
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Vook-Announces-25-Million-in-Seed-Financing-1119591.htm

Sunnyvale-Based Yahoo Sees Spikes in Olympics-Related Searches

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Excitement about the ongoing Winter Olympics in Vancouver has caused major spikes in related Internet searches this week, according to Sunnyvale-based Yahoo. Among the most popular terms, searches for "ice skating rinks" are up 607% -- particularly among teens -- "red Olympic mittens" are up 182% and the "rules of curling" are up more than 2,800%. Individual athletes also have gotten a lot of buzz, with gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn becoming the top searched athlete on Yahoo. Another popular athlete has been snowboarder Shaun White,  with searches for "Shaun White snowboarding" up more than 1,900%, and related searches for "Flying Tomato" and "Carrot Top" also seeing significant spikes. Speedskater Apolo Ohno also has piqued the interest of Internet users, who have driven searches for "Apolo Ohno girlfriend" up 1,210%.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100219005232/en/Olympics-Online-Mobile-Searches-Spiking-Mittens-Ice

Ticketmaster Settles with FTC Over Springsteen Ticket Sales

Washington, DC -- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has settled charges against Ticketmaster and affiliates over "deceptive bait-and-switch tactics" used in selling tickets to a series of Bruce Springsteen concerts last year. The FTC alleged that Ticketmaster redirected consumers seeking tickets to the shows to TicketsNow, a secondary marketplace where some were charged double, triple or quadruple the face value of tickets. The FTC said that the company also failed to tell consumers that some of these resale tickets "were being sold speculatively -- that is, they were merely offers to try to find tickets." Some Springsteen fans paid for tickets in February for a show in May in Washington, DC that never materialized, and the FTC said that Ticketmaster kept the sales proceeds for more than three months without a reasonable basis for believing it could fulfill those orders. "TicketsNow.com sold phantom tickets without letting consumers know that the tickets did not exist. Then, the company held onto consumers' money, sometimes for months, when it knew those fans weren't going to see Springsteen," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said. "Clearly consumers deserve better." Under the terms of the settlement, consumers who have not previously received a refund will get back the extra money they paid to buy higher-priced tickets from TicketsNow. The FTC is using purchase information from TicketsNow's database, and expects refunds to become available in six months.
http://ftc.gov/opa/2010/02/ticketmaster.shtm   

Palo Alto-Based Facebook Begins Accepting PayPal Payments

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Facebook, the Palo Alto-based online social network, said that it has partnered with PayPal, the online payments arm of San Jose-based eBay to enable use of the platform on Facebook's advertising and developer systems. Advertisers will now be able to use PayPal to pay for Facebook ads, and PayPal will become a payment option for Facebook Credits, which users can purchase and buy virtual goods.
http://www.paypal.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100218006007/en/PayPal-Pay-Facebook-Ads-Facebook-Credits

Milpitas-Based Ixys Completes Acquisition of San Jose-Based Zilog

Milpitas, Calif. -- Ixys, a Milpitas-based developer of chips used to control and convert electrical power, said on Thursday that it has completed its acquisition of San Jose-based Zilog, a supplier of microcontrollers and universal remote control components. The deal, worth about $62.4 million, was first announced in early December. At the time, Ixys said that the acquisition would compliment its power management technologies, allowing it to increase its penetration in the automotive electronic and electric market. The companies also plan to cut costs by pooling their resources in areas such as research and development and manufacturing.
http://www.zilog.com/  
http://www.ixys.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100218006722/en/IXYS-Closes-Acquisition-Zilog

Redwood City-Based YuMe Lands $25 Million in Funding

Redwood City, Calif. -- YuMe, the Redwood City-based developer of an online video advertising network, said that it has raised $25 million in a new round of funding, led by Menlo Ventures. Previous investors Accel Partners, Khosla Ventures, BV Capital and DAG Ventures also participated. Founded in 2004, YuMe has raised more than $45 million in venture capital, and is now profitable. The company's network includes publishers such as MSNBC, IDG Entertainment and Glam Media.
http://www.yume.com
http://www.yume.com/blog/2010/02/17/yume-raises-25-million/

Google Acquires Email Technology Firm Remail, Eyes Catch Media

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google has paid an undisclosed sum to acquire San Francisco--based Remail, a developer of email search technology, the companies announced on Thursday. Remail's technology initially had been created for Apple's iPhone, but with the acquisition the application has been removed from the App Store. Gabor Cselle, Remail's founder and CEO, will join Google as a product manager on the company's Gmail team.  Mountain View-based Google has also expressed interest in acquiring Catch Media, developer of a cloud-based service that lets consumers access music and other media across a range of platforms and devices, CNET News.com reported. Founded in 2003, Los Angeles-based Catch has already licensed tracks from all four major record labels for its service.
http://www.gaborcselle.com/blog/2010/02/remail-acquired-by-google.html
http://www.catchmedia.com
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10455535-261.html

Yahoo, Microsoft Land Regulatory Approval for Search Deal

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Yahoo and Microsoft announced on Thursday that they have received antitrust approval from both the U.S. Justice Department and European Commission for their proposed search partnership. The companies expect to close the  deal in the coming days, when Sunnyvale-based Yahoo will transition its algorithmic and paid search platforms to Microsoft. Yahoo will become the exclusive sales force for both companies' premium search advertisers globally. "This breakthrough search alliance means Yahoo can focus even more on our own innovative search experience," said Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz. The companies said they hope to complete the transition, at least in the U.S., by the end of 2010, while all global customers and partners are expected to be transitioned by early 2012.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100218006053/en/Yahoo%21-Microsoft-Implement-Search-Alliance
http://www.searchalliance.com

Worldwide Cyber Attack Strikes 75,000 Computer Systems

Herndon, Va. -- A newly discovered worldwide cyber attack has stolen login information from more than 75,000 computer systems at over 2,500 organizations, Virginia-based NetWitness announced on Thursday. The infestation, dubbed the "Kneber botnet," gathered user names and passwords to online banking sites, social networking sites and email systems, then allowed the originators of the attack to break into those accounts. NetWitness said that it first discovered the botnet in January. The company told The Washington Post that 10 government agencies were among the victims of the ring, which was based in Eastern Europe. "Conventional malware protection and signature based intrusion detection systems are by definition inadequate for addressing Kneber or most other advanced threats," said Amit Yoran, the CEO of NetWitness. "Systems compromised by this botnet provide the attackers not only user credentials and confidential information, but remote access inside the compromised networks."
http://www.netwitness.com//resources/pressreleases/feb182010.aspx
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/17/AR2010021705816.html?wpisrc=nl_tech

Palo Alto-Based VuCast Media Raises $5.5 Million in Second Round

Palo Alto, Calif. -- VuCast Media, a Palo Alto-based developer of private wireless datacast services, said on Wednesday that it has raised $5.5 million in its second round of funding, led by Artiman Ventures. The company, which now has raised more than $9 million since its inception, said that it will use the proceeds to launch a major expansion into the consumer electronics application space. VuCast is introducing game-changing wireless connectivity solutions for devices like e-readers, digital picture frames, tablets and mobile phones," said CEO Vivek Pendharkar. VuCast's networks cover six continents, serving applications ranging from streaming audio services to digital signage connectivity.
http://www.vucast.com 
http://www.vucast.com/news/press_releases/2010.02.17.php

Google Further Enhances Gmail Buzz Privacy Settings

Mountain View, Calif. -- Responding to users' complaints, Mountain View-based Google said that it has revamped the set-up process for its new Buzz social service for Gmail. The company also has ditched the "auto-follow" model of automatically choosing Gmail contacts, switching to an "auto-suggest" model where Buzz only suggests friends to follow. "We've heard your feedback loud and clear, and since we launched Google Buzz four days ago, we've been working around the clock to address the concerns you've raised," the company wrote in a blog post. "Many people just wanted to check out Buzz and see if it would be useful to them, and were not happy that they were already set up to follow people... You won't be set up to follow anyone until you have reviewed the suggestions and clicked 'Follow selected people and start using Buzz.'" The company also said that Buzz will no longer connect a user's public Picasa Web Albums and Google Reader shared items automatically.
http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/new-buzz-start-up-experience-based-on.html

Report: Apple CEO Steve Jobs Authorizes First Biography

Cupertino, Calif. -- Apple CEO Steve Jobs is collaborating with Walter Isaacson, the former managing editor of Time magazine, on his first authorized biography, The New York Times reported. People briefed on the project told the paper that the project is still in early planning stages, but is expected to cover Jobs' entire life. Isaacson also has penned biographies of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin. The Times noted that Jobs previously has reacted "angrily" to the publication of several unauthorized biographies, "and in some cases has directed Apple stores to temporarily remove other books from the same publishers from their shelves."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/technology/companies/16apple.html

IBM Acquires Menlo Park-Based Intelliden

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Technology giant IBM said on Tuesday that it has acquired Intelliden, a Menlo Park-based developer of network automation software that helps clients control, manage and scale their networks. financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. IBM said that the acquisition will bolster its service management portfolio. "The typical company is managing a more complex and ever changing infrastructure stretched across digital and physical assets," said Al Zollar, the general manager of IBM Tivoli. "Intelliden's intelligent network automation is an important addition to IBM's portfolio to extend automation across all business and IT assets." Intelliden's tools, currently in use by clients such as Cbeyond, Scotia Capital, Telecom Italia and TELUS, are designed to let users automate the configuration of thousands of manually managed network devices like hubs, routers and switches from dozens of vendors. The technology will be integrated into IBM Tivoli Software.
http://www.intelliden.com/
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/servicemanagement/index.html
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/29323.wss

Mobile Payments Firm mopay Opens U.S. Headquarters in Palo Alto

Palo Alto, Calif. -- German mobile payments firm mopay said on Tuesday that it has opened U.S. headquarters in Palo Alto, making the firm's first foray into the country. The company, whose technology allows users of gaming and social networking sites to purchase virtual goods and other digital content through their mobile phone accounts, has named Managing Director Kolja Reiss to lead the office. mopay specializes in allowing people without bank accounts or credit to purchase digital goods and services, and considers itself a strong challenger to provider such as BOKU and Zong. The company currently has nearly 100 employees and more than 500 million users, worldwide. "The U.S. market is ripe for change and primed for growth in the mobile payment market," said Reiss. "European providers have been ahead of the mobile payment curve for a number of years, successfully embracing the full potential of how easy it is to pay for goods and services via mobile."
http://www.mopay.com
http://www.mopay.com/en/company/press/

FCC Head Unveils Broadband Goal: 100 Million Households at 100 Mbps

Washington, DC -- Looking to establish America as a world leader in broadband Internet adoption, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski on Tuesday unveiled his agency's goal of 100 million U.S. households connected at ultra-high speeds of 100 megabytes per second. Speaking at a conference in Washington, DC, Genachowski said that the plan, dubbed the "100 Squared" initiative, "will set goals for the U.S. to have the world's largest market of very high-speed broadband users." Mountain View-based Google last week unveiled plans to test an ultra high-speed Internet service that the company said is more than 100 times faster than most broadband connections currently offered by cable and telecom providers. Genachowski applauded the move, while urging others to follow suit. "We must have broadband networks of such unsurpassed excellence that they will empower American entrepreneurs and innovators to build and expand businesses here in the United States," said Genachoswki.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-296262A1.pdf (PDF)

Foster City-Based AB Sciex Acquire Business from Eksigent

Foster City, Calif. -- AB Sciex, a Foster City-based developer of scientific instrumentation, software and services used in the life sciences, said on Tuesday that it has acquired the liquid chromatography business of Dublin-based Eksigent Technologies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. AB Sciex said that the acquisition "significantly strengthens" its position in liquid chromatography -- a technology used frequently in a broad range of life science applications such as protein biomarker research, drug discovery and basic research. "We expect to further develop and broaden the use of these technologies for a variety of life science applications," said Andy Boorn, the president of AB Sciex.
http://www.absciex.com/
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/AB-SCIEX-Acquires-Eksigent-bw-549062483.html?x=0&.v=1

San Jose-Based SVTC Technologies Names Founder as New CEO

San Jose, Calif. -- SVTC Technologies, a San Jose-based provider of equipment and services to semiconductor manufacturers, on Tuesday named company founder Bert Bruggeman as its new CEO. He replaces Joe Bronson, who will remain on the company's board. Bruggeman had served as SVTC's vice president of operations, and previously was the vice president of solar wafering manufacturing at MEMC and senior director of process technology development and worldwide foundry operations at Cypress Semiconductor. "Bert is the right person to lead the company into its next major growth and development phase," said Luis Arzubi, a partner at investor Tallwood Venture Capital. SVTC, originally a business of Cypress Semiconductor known as Silicon Valley Technology Center, became an independent company nearly three years ago when it was purchased by Tallwood and Oak Hill Capital.
http://www.svtc.com/
http://www.svtc.com/news-and-events/press-releases/svtc-announces-new-ceo-bert-bruggeman

Survey: U.S. Broadband Adoption Rises but Digital Divide Persists

Washington, DC -- Though Americans are now using broadband connections at higher rates than ever before, a "significant" portion of the U.S. population remains offline, according to a new report from the  Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Overall, 64% of households have broadband Internet, up 13% from two years ago. The digital divide, however, continues to persist, with low-income households, seniors, minorities, the less-educated, non-family households and the non-employed lagging behind other groups in home broadband use. The two most commonly cited reasons for not having broadband at home are that it is perceived as not needed (38%) or too expensive (26%). Americans also cite the lack of a computer as a major factor. "Broadband Internet access is critical to creating jobs in America, improving our global competitiveness, and enhancing our quality of life," said Lawrence Strickling, the NTIA's administrator. Strickling said that the survey data will be useful to "the broader research community working to address the digital divide." The complete report is available at the link below.
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/2010/NTIA_internet_use_report_Feb2010.pdf (PDF)

Mountain View-Based Google to Test Ultra High-Speed Internet Service

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google has unveiled plans to test an ultra high-speed Internet service that the company said is more than 100 times faster than most broadband connections currently offered by cable and telecom providers. The company said that it will launch the service in a small number of trial locations across the U.S., selling it at what it called a "competitive price" to as many as 500,000 people at the outset. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski hailed the project, saying that it would "provide an American testbed for the next generation of innovative, high-speed Internet apps, devices and services." As a first step, Google has begun soliciting information from local governments and private citizens in a bid to gauge interest. The company said that it plans to operate an open-access network giving users a choice of multiple service providers. The goal of the project, Google said, is to "experiment and learn." "Network providers are making real progress to expand and improve high-speed Internet access, but there's still more to be done," the company wrote in its blog. "We don't think we have all the answers -- but through our trial, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the shared goal of delivering faster and better Internet for everyone."
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/think-big-with-gig-our-experimental.html 

Milpitas-Based JDSU to Pay $165 Million for Agilent Business

Milpitas, Calif. -- JDS Uniphase (JDSU), a Milpitas-based provider of communications test and measurement equipment, said on Thursday that it will pay $165 million in cash to acquire the Network Solutions communications test business of Santa Clara-based Agilent Technologies. The deal is expected to close by the end of June. The business, which had annual revenue of $162 million last fiscal year, includes Agilent's network assurance, network protocol test and drive test products. It counts around 700 employees, with operations in Colorado, the U.K., Singapore and China. "This acquisition establishes JDSU as a market leader in wireless test instruments and systems." said Tom Waechter, the president and CEO of JDSU.
http://www.agilent.com
http://www.jdsu.com
http://www.jdsu.com/news/news-releases/jdsu-to-acquire-network-solutions-test-business-from-agilent.html

Google Reportedly Buys S.F.-Based Social Search Service Aardvark

Mountain View, Calif. -- Adding to its social networking assets, Mountain View-based Google has acquired San Francisco-based social search service Aardvark for around $50 million, TechCrunch reported, citing a source briefed on the deal. The companies had been in discussions since December. Founded in 2007 as Mechanical Zoo by several ex-Google employees, Aardvark counts more than 90,000 users for its service that lets users ask questions and receive answers from members of their social network. The company said that 56% of its users had asked or answered a question, and the median active user was asking 3.1 questions amonth.
http://vark.com
http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/11/google-acquires-aardvark-for-50-million/

San Francisco-Based 1BOG Raises $5 Million from NEA

San Francisco - One Block Off the Grid (1BOG), a San Francisco-based provider of services that help people gain group discounts on residential solar energy systems, said on Thursday that it has raised $5 million in its first round of funding from New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Launched in 2008, One Block Off the Grid organizes interested homeowners into a large solar buying group to negotiate discounted rates from pre-selected installers. "Scaling 1BOG's model will create a tipping point for mass adoption of residential solar energy," said Ravi Viswanathan, a partner at NEA, 1BOG was founded at Virgance, a business incubation group in San Francisco. So far, the company has managed the installation of around 600 residential solar electric systems.
http://1bog.org /
http://www.nea.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/One-Block-Off-the-Grid-1BOG-prnews-4289059643.html?x=0&.v=1

San Francisco-Based Zynga Acquires Serious Business

San Francisco -- Zynga, the San Francisco-based publisher of social media games such as "Mafia Wars" and "FarmVille," said on Thursday that it will acquire Serious Business, a San Francisco-based developer of social games on Facebook. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 2008, Serious Business is backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners. The company said that its flagship game, "Friends for Sale," is played by over 6 million people a month. Zynga said that employees of Serious Business will joint Zynga at its headquarters. Zynga counts over 235 million monthly active users playing its games.
http://www.seriousbusiness.com
http://www.zynga.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100211005513/en/Zynga-Acquires-Social-Game-Developer-Business