Washington - Google and Yahoo are engaged in discussions with the U.S. Justice Dept. on their proposed online advertising partnership, with the aim of overcoming any potential antitrust issues, The Wall Street Journal reported. [more..]

Washington - President Bush on Monday signed into law the PRO-IP Act, which will increase penalties and law enforcement resources for copyright crimes, and also create a Cabinet-level "piracy czar" to coordinate anti-piracy efforts worldwide, Reuters reported. [more..]

Hamburg, Germany - Google has lost two copyright lawsuits in Germany, where courts have ruled that the thumbnails of larger images the company creates for its Image Search engine violate copyrights, Bloomberg reported. [more..]

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. - Redbox, the operator of a network of in-store DVD rental kiosks, announced on Tuesday that it has sued Universal Studios Home Entertainment and three of its affiliates in federal court, alleging violation of antitrust laws and misuse of copyrights. [more..]

Santa Clara, Calif. - Macrovision announced on Monday that it has sold its TV Guide magazine property to private equity firm OpenGate Capital for an undisclosed sum. [more..]

Santa Monica, Calif. - DECA, a digital entertainment company that bills itself as bridging the gap between Hollywood, Madison Avenue and Silicon Valley, announced on Tuesday that it has invested an undisclosed sum in Smosh, the operators of a comedy site and teen-oriented YouTube channel that claims over 555,000 subscribers. [more..]

San Francisco - Blurb, a provider of Web-based self-publishing software and services, has raised around $5 million in its third round of venture capital, PEHub.com reported, citing a regulatory filing. [more..]

San Francisco - Booyah, a stealth-mode mobile and Web content developer founded by a trio of game industry veterans, has raised $4.5 million in funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, PEHub.com reports. [more..]

Los Angeles - JS-Kit, a developer of social media widgets that enable features like comments, reviews, ratings and polls on websites, has raised a $3.6 million second round of funding, led by Altos Ventures. [more..]

London - MirriAd, a provider of embedded advertising technology for video, announced that it has raised $3.5 million in its second round of venture capital financing, led by Oxford Technology Enterprise Capital Fund. [more..]

Midlothian, Va. - Video game publisher SouthPeak Interactive announced on Tuesday that it will acquire Austin-based Gamecock Media Group. [more..]

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San Francisco - Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's campaign has begun placing ads within video games including Electronic Arts' "Burnout Paradise," GigaOM reports. [more..]

Los Angeles - News Corp.'s MySpace has launched a domestic beta test of a new advertising platform that allows individuals and small businesses to create and deliver targeted ads to MySpace users. [more..]

Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft has announced the release of Silverlight 2, the first major update to its new platform that can be used to create and deliver media through a Web browser. [more..]

Foster City, Calif. - Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that upcoming system software updates for its PlayStation 3 and PSP game devices coming later this month will bring advanced voice chat, in-game screenshot captures and easier game downloads. [more..]

Dallas - Expanding distribution for its nascent broadband and digital TV service, AT&T announced on Tuesday that it will begin offering U-verse at more than 600 Circuit City and Wal-Mart retail locations this month. [more..]

New York - NBC will debut the season premiere episode of its "30 Rock" on the network's website, as well as on Hulu, for a week before its first on-air broadcast, Mediapost reported. [more..]

Los Angeles - Sony Electronics said on Tuesday that its Digital Cinema Solutions and Services group has signed a deal to equip movie theater owner Muvico Entertainment's existing and new complexes with Sony's 4K digital cinema projection systems. [more..]

London - The BBC plans to update its iPlayer TV catch-up download service with a new feature that allows downloads to mobile devices, MocoNews reported. [more..]

New York - ReverbNation, an online marketing and promotions platform for musicians and labels, on Tuesday announced that it has added a service that distributes digital music from its users to iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster and eMusic for a flat fee of $34.95. [more..]