San Jose, Calif. - Google will use technology developed by Audible Magic to filter out copyrighted videos on its YouTube service, The San Jose Mercury News reported, citing two sources familiar with the deal. [more..]

Washington - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has asked a federal court to reconsider the more than $50,000 in attorneys' fees it awarded a woman the group's member record labels unsuccessfully sued for copyright infringement on file-sharing networks, Ars Technica reported. [more..]

London - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) said on Friday that the version of its PlayStation 3 that it will release in Europe and other regions on March 23 will not play as many old PlayStation 2 titles as the U.S. and Japanese versions of the console. [more..]

London - The U.K.'s finance minister plans next month to propose awarding offshore Internet gambling firms a British license in return for a tax as low as 2% or 3% on their revenues, London's Daily Telegraph reported on Friday. [more..]

London - LaNetro Zed, a Spain-based distributor of entertainment content on digital and mobile platforms, announced on Friday that it has paid $66.7 million for a 52% stake in U.K.-based mobile entertainment publisher MonsterMob. [more..]

New York - Publisher Ziff Davis has raised $20 million in debt financing, according to a filing the company made with the SEC. [more..]

Amsterdam - Spotzer Media Group, a provider of online advertising technology and services, announced that it has raised an undisclosed sum in its second round of venture capital financing, led by DutchView, Holland's largest post production company. [more..]

White Plains, N.Y. - Westin Hotels & Resorts announced on Friday that it has implemented a music program powered by independent music retailer eMusic across its 127 hotels worldwide. Music programmed by New York-based eMusic from its library of over 2 million tracks will be played in Westin lobbies and offered on guest room entertainment systems. A companion Westin Music website will allow guests to sample the custom playlists and download tracks; the site will also initially offer 50 free tracks from eMusic's own service. [more..]

Fort Worth, Texas - AnimeOnline has announced the beta launch of its social networking site and news resource for fans of anime, manga and Japanese entertainment. The site is headed by Rob Bricken, the former editor of anime industry publication Anime Insider, and backed by FUNimation, a top distributor of Japanese anime in the U.S. News articles on AnimeOnline will cover anime, manga, videogames, music and all Japanese culture, while the social network will allow users to present their favorite anime series on their personal pages. [more..]

Santa Monica, Calif. - RingTales, a company that creates animated versions of print cartoons for Internet, mobile, broadcast and portable devices, announced that it has signed an agreement with publisher Conde Nast to create an ad-supported, video podcast of animated cartoons from The New Yorker. The free podcast, available through iTunes, will send subscribers three new animations -- or "RingTales" -- of New Yorker cartoons each week. The animations will also be available on The New Yorker's website beginning next month. [more..]

Belmont, Calif. - Collaboration software developer Raveta this week released Audio Fabric, a free application that lets musicians play together live over the Internet using any type of instrument, be it acoustic, electric, MIDI or voice. The software also enables musicians to find one another, record their sessions and store them online, and post their compositions for public listening. A premium version of Audio Fabric available for a monthly subscription fee allows more collaborators and provides better sound quality. [more..]

Arlington, Va. - Pickle, which operates a video and photo sharing service, said that it has launched a new feature that allows users to broadcast media directly from their camera phones to virtually any website. Users set up a portable media gallery, or channel, fill it with videos and photos, then embed the entire channel on social network profiles, blogs or other sites. Each channel has a unique e-mail address, allowing others to add new items. [more..]

Los Angeles - Sierra Online, a unit of Vivendi Games, announced on Friday that it has signed a producer and a number of artists from Vivendi's Universal Music Group to create an exclusive in-game soundtrack for its "FreeStyle Street Basketball" massively multiplayer online PC game. G-Unit's Lloyd Banks will create the game's official theme song, while Young Hot Rod and Sha Money XL will contribute original tracks. The game will initially be available for a free public preview in the spring, and then later offered at retail and via digital distribution. [more..]

Redwood City, Calif. - Electronic Arts on Friday provided details on the soundtrack for its upcoming racing game, "Burnout Dominator," which is set for release on March 6 for the PlayStation 2 and PSP. In addition to the world premiere of Avril Lavigne's new track "Girlfriend," the game will feature songs from 33 artists, including LCD Soundsystem, Filter, The Fratellis and The Sword. Separately, EA announced that it has partnered with Gaia Industries to develop a multiplayer version of its "Wing Commander" franchise for the Xbox Live Arcade. "Wing Commander Arena" will figure as the largest multiplayer title on Xbox Live Arcade when it is made available for download later this summer. [more..]

Los Angeles - Vivendi Games' Sierra Entertainment announced on Friday that it is currently at work on the third installment in its multi-million unit selling real-time strategy franchise, "Empire Earth." Developed by Mad Doc Software, "Empire Earth III" for PC is slated for release in the fall of 2007. [more..]