Los Angeles - Apple, AT&T, Skype and cable TV operators including Comcast and Cablevision have been sued for patent infringement by Klausner Technologies, over patents that cover certain attributes of voicemail that give users visual notification of incoming messages, and allow selective retrieval of messages. [more..]

Los Angeles - A federal judge has tossed the antitrust lawsuit filed by peer-to-peer file-sharing software distributor LimeWire against the major record labels, the Associated Press reported. [more..]

Los Angeles - News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment Group announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Beliefnet, an online religion and spirituality community site. [more..]

North Hollywood, Calif. - The Walt Disney Internet Group announced on Tuesday that it has acquired iParenting Media, a ten-year-old online network of over 40 community sites for parents and those expecting children. [more..]

Los Angeles - The Los Angeles Times Media Group nysetrb announced on Tuesday that it has taken a small equity stake in Mixx, a social news website whose user-driven news article, photo and video rankings will be integrated at LATimes.com. [more..]

New York - Major record label Universal Music Group has instituted a new policy whereby streaming of songs from Universal artists will be limited to 90-second clips on sites that have not secured a deal that compensates the company for every full-song stream, Billboard reports. [more..]

Amsterdam - Nokia has struck a deal with Universal Music Group to offer purchasers of new Nokia music phones unlimited free downloads of Universal tracks to their phones for 12 months, with consumers able to keep the songs after the "Comes With Music" promotion ends. [more..]

Los Angeles - Music delivered to mobile phones via operators' networks will grow to represent almost 30% of global recorded music retail value by 2011, when it is forecast to generate $11 billion, according to a report released on Tuesday by market research firm Understanding & Solutions. [more..]

Los Angeles - News Corp.'s MySpace online social network on Tuesday announced a new program that will offer recording artists the ability to record a live studio session and Q&A with the company, and offer the resulting video and audio content for sale or free distribution on MySpace. [more..]

Amsterdam - Nokia announced on Tuesday that it will acquire Avvenu, the provider of a service that offers mobile access to personal files stored on a PC, including users' iTunes music libraries. [more..]

Corvallis, Ore. - MyStrands, the developer of a social recommendation engine that provides real-time recommendations of products and services to Internet and mobile device users, announced that it has raised $24 million in new funding, led by Spanish bank BBVA.
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New York - Motionbox, which bills itself as a family-oriented video-sharing site, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $7 million in its second round of funding, led by new investor Constellation Ventures. [more..]

Hoofddorp, the Netherlands - Irdeto, a unit of media group Naspers that provides content security technology for digital TV, IPTV and mobile platforms, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Virginia-based Cloakware, a developer of software security technology. [more..]

San Francisco - Zipidee, a digital content marketplace where users and media companies can sell original video, audio, e-books and mobile content, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired TotalVid.com from Landmark Communications. [more..]

The New York Times has reported that a judge turned down Facebook’s request to have “unflattering documents” about Zuckerberg removed from the website of Harvard magazine 02138 [more..]

Palo Alto, Calif. - Specialty finance firm Hercules Technology Growth Capital said on Tuesday that it has provided $20 million in debt financing to Redmond, Wash.-based online gaming network WildTangent. [more..]

Los Angeles - Gemstar-TV Guide International, a provider of electronic program guides for digital TV services, announced on Tuesday that it has signed its first program guide licensing deal in China, in the form of a multi-year deal with Changzhou Broadcast & Television Information Network Co. Ltd. [more..]

San Jose, Calif. - LiveWorld, a social marketing agency, said on Tuesday that eBay and an unnamed national sports league are the first clients for SuperGroups Community, its service that lets members of an online community create their own public and private sub-communities. [more..]

New York - Muze, a provider of informational databases on music, movies and other media, said on Tuesday that its MuzeTunes service has now streamed over 7.5 billion digital song samples for the company's retail, Internet and mobile services customers. [more..]

Los Angeles - The Halcyon Company, which owns the video game rights to the "Terminator" movie franchise, has announced the formation of a new game studio, whose first title will be a companion to the forthcoming "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. [more..]