Washington - The U.S. Justice Department on Monday approved Sirius Satellite Radio's $5 billion purchase of rival XM Satellite Radio, a deal announced more than a year ago that has been held up by regulators who said today that the combined company is not likely to harm competition or consumers. [more..]

Washington - Verizon Wireless and AT&T, the nation's two largest wireless carriers, were the big winners in an auction for wireless spectrum that closed last week, according to information released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). [more..]

Washington - Google on Monday sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), urging the agency to allow unused portions of the TV spectrum -- or "white space" -- to be used to provide wireless Internet access nationwide. [more..]

Nashville, Tenn. - Guitar manufacturer Gibson has filed a second patent infringement lawsuit over guitar-replica controllers used in the video games "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," this time suing "Rock Band" makers Harmonix, Viacom's MTV Networks and Electronic Arts. [more..]

Tokyo - The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has launched an investigation into potential patent infringements of Sony Blu-ray Disc players and the products of some 30 other companies, based on a complaint from a Columbia University professor, Reuters reported. [more..]

Billerica, Mass. - Digimarc, an Oregon-based provider of digital watermarking and other technologies, announced on Monday that it will sell its ID Systems business to L-1 Identity Solutions, for about $250 million. [more..]

Redwood City, Calif. - Video game developer and publisher Electronic Arts announced on Monday that it has partnered with Liberty Media's Starz Media unit to develop an animated movie prequel to its sci-fi game "Dead Space." [more..]

Mountain View, Calif. - Mill River Labs has raised $900,000 in seed funding for TradeVibes, a database of information on start-up technology companies, from investors including Ron Conway, Dave McClure, the Kinsey Hills Group and Felicis Ventures, VentureBeat reported. [more..]

Herndon, Va. - 4DK Technologies, the developer of a platform for delivering content to wireless devices, has raised $1 million of a projected $3 million first round of venture capital, Tech Journal South reported, citing a regulatory filing. [more..]

Madrid - Spain-based mobile entertainment distributor mmChannel announced on Monday that Savia Capital Innovacion has acquired a minority stake in the company for an undisclosed sum. [more..]

I love Sk*rt. You can think of it as "Digg for chicks" (in the words of QueenofSpain), and it features the user-selected stories in topic such as Arts & Entertainment, Design & Crafts, Family & Parenting, and Food & Home. [more..]

Redwood City, Calif. - In the wake of the company's hostile takeover bid for rival Take-Two Interactive, Electronic Arts said on Monday that Warren Jenson is stepping down as its chief financial officer. [more..]

New York - Financial news publisher Forbes.com on Monday announced the creation of an online ad network that will cover some 400 business and finance-related blogs. [more..]

Los Angeles - Gemstar-TV Guide International said on Monday that set-top box manufacturer Humax has signed a license agreement allowing the company to use Gemstar's interactive program guides in set-top boxes distributed throughout Europe. [more..]

Palo Alto, Calif. - Mytopia, an online social gaming community, on Monday announced a public beta launch of its service, which allows users to play casual online games with one another through their social network accounts on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and other sites. [more..]

Los Angeles - Vivendi Games' Sierra Entertainment announced on Monday that it partnered with Yahoo to host a world premiere concert of the Paul Oakenfold-composed score to its upcoming game "The Bourne Conspiracy" at the 2008 Winter Music Conference. [more..]

New York - Mobile entertainment content distributor Thumbplay announced on Monday that it will create customized mobile content stores for the websites of more than 650 local Clear Channel Radio stations. [more..]