New York - A federal judge in New York has ruled that a user's "making available" of songs or other copyrighted files using file-sharing software does not in and of itself construe infringement, in what could prove to be a setback in the record industry's legal campaign against such activities, CNET News.com reported. [more..]

Seattle - Online retail giant Amazon.com on Wednesday announced the launch of a new feature that lets consumers use text messages to find and buy products. [more..]

Las Vegas - Vlingo, a provider of voice-powered mobile phone applications, announced on Wednesday that it has raised a $20 million second round of financing, led by Yahoo, which will also offer Vlingo's voice-powered technology on its mobile oneSearch service. [more..]

San Francisco - Creative Commons, the non-profit set up to promote a less-restrictive copyright licensing scheme, announced on Wednesday that it has received a new $4 million grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and said founder and CEO Lawrence Lessig is stepping down to focus on his new Change Congress project. [more..]

Redwood City, Calif. - Attributor, a provider of content-tracking and programming services for publishers, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $12 million in its third round of venture capital financing, led by JAFCO Ventures and previous investor Sigma Partners. [more..]

Santa Clara, Calif. - California continues to lead the nation in terms of number of high-tech workers (940,700), venture capital investments ($13.8 billion) and research and development expenditures ($60.5 billion), according to the 11th annual Cyberstates report released on Tuesday by high-tech trade association AeA. [more..]

Agoura Hills, Calif. - Video game publisher THQ announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Elephant Entertainment, a developer of casual and online games. [more..]

San Francisco - Loomia, a provider of personal recommendation technology and the "SeenThis?" application on Facebook, announced on Wednesday that it has closed a $5 million first round of funding, led by Asset Management Company. [more..]

Arlington, Va. - The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) on Wednesday unveiled the 12 new inductees who will be enshrined in its CE Hall of Fame. [more..]

n/a

London - Major record label EMI announced on Wednesday that it has named former Google chief information officer Douglas Merrill to lead its digital music business. [more..]

Los Angeles - Gossip blogger Perez Hilton, who recently made a deal to help run a record label imprint with Warner Music, has announced a boycott of Sony BMG, in light of that label's pending copyright infringement lawsuit against him, Wired.com reports. [more..]

Washington - An information hearing on virtual worlds before a U.S. House subcommittee was attended by both "Second Life" founder Philip Rosedale and a number of avatars who appeared on a video screen in the hearing room, Reuters reported. [more..]

Los Angeles - Digital media financing and syndication firm 60Frames Entertainment said on Wednesday it has wrapped production on "Blood Cell," a new 18-episode Web series that will star Jessica Rose, of "Lonelygirl15" fame. [more..]

San Francisco - Blinkx, a searchable index of Web video, announced on Wednesday the launch of blinkx BBTV, a downloadable application that delivers a library of independent films and other programming from existing partners. [more..]

New York - Viacom's MTV Networks said on Wednesday that it streamed more than 57 million mobile videos over the past year across all of its brands, representing 94% year-over-year growth. [more..]

Dublin, Ireland - Nokia on Wednesday launched its Nokia Music Store in Ireland, offering 2.5 million tracks that can be browsed and purchased either via PC or a mobile device. [more..]

San Jose, Calif. - Pinger on Tuesday released a beta of its Pingercast messaging service, which lets bands, bloggers, comedians and other entertainers connect with fans by sending audio broadcasts directly to their mobile phones. [more..]