San Francisco - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has reportedly recruited Internet service providers AT&T and Comcast to participate in a new anti-piracy campaign, which would see the companies send warning notices to repeat file-swappers, eventually suspending or even terminating their accounts, according to CNET News.com. [more..]

Atherton, Calif. - Michael Arrington, the founder and co-editor of TechCrunch, a popular blog focused on Internet products and companies, said on Wednesday that he plans to take off most of February to reassess his future following an incident on Tuesday in which someone deliberately spat in his face at an event in Germany [more..]

New York - Comic book giant Marvel Entertainment and its iconic leader Stan Lee have been sued for $750 million by former shareholders in Stan Lee Media Inc. (SLMI), who allege that they were cheated out of a share of profits from Stan Lee's creations during the company's bankruptcy proceedings. [more..]

New York - The New York Times Company announced on Wednesday that it has retained Goldman Sachs as financial advisor to explore the possible sale of its stake in New England Sports Ventures, which includes the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park and 80% of New England Sports Network. [more..]

Washington - The share of adult U.S. Internet users who maintain a profile on an online social network has more than quadrupled in the past four years, from 8% in 2005 to 35% now, according to a report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. [more..]

Washington - Barack Obama has agreed to a security compromise that will allow him to continue using his BlackBerry, the Associated Press reported. [more..]

New York - While newspapers universally have been suffering from declining print readership, their fortunes on the web have been somewhat different, according to new figures from Nielsen Online. [more..]

Washington - The Entertainment Software Association, a trade group of U.S. video game developers and publishers, spent a record $4.2 million in 2008 on federal lobbying, Gamasutra reported, citing lobbyist disclosure data from the U.S. House Clerk. [more..]

London - Betfair, a U.K.-based online gambling firm focused on horseracing, has acquired Macrovision's TV Games Network interactive TV horserace wagering service for $50 million in cash. [more..]

San Diego - Slacker, the developer of a desktop streaming music player and Wi-Fi-enabled portable music player device, has raised $5 million in new bridge financing, VentureWire reported, citing a regulatory filing. [more..]

Boston - WordStream, a provider of search engine marketing services, on Wednesday announced its launch with $4 million in first round funding from Sigma Partners. [more..]

Los Angeles - Muxtape, a popular playlist-sharing service that shut down its original offering after complaints from the major record labels, has re-launched as a free platform that enables bands to post songs, photos and calendars to any website. [more..]

New York - Studio 3 Networks, the pay-TV movie channel joint venture between MGM, Paramount Pictures and Lionsgate, will first launch the service as a subscription-only website in May before coming to TV systems in October, The Wall Street Journal reported. [more..]

Brussels - Some 10 million European youth are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged listening on MP3 players at high volumes, according to a study by the EU Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks, Reuters reported. [more..]

Seattle - Amazon.com may be set to introduce a new version of its Kindle e-book reader next month, Wired.com reported, citing a media event the company is hosting on Feb. 9 at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. [more..]

Denver - Viacom's MTV Networks hopes to expand the 500-song catalog available for its "Rock Band" music game franchise to as many as 5,000 by year's end, Billboard reports. [more..]