Las Vegas - Google will soon implement a filter on its YouTube video-sharing site to prevent the uploading of copyrighted material, according to comments made by CEO Eric Schmidt at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference on Monday, CNET News.com reported. [more..]

Tokyo - Days after announcing it would discontinue the 20GB PlayStation 3 in North America, Sony said on Tuesday that it is considering the release of a model with a larger hard drive than even the 60GB version, Reuters reported. [more..]

Washington - At a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin reiterated that his company's proposed merger with XM Satellite Radio will result in lower prices and more options for customers. [more..]

London - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe may lay off up to 160 of its 1,900 or so employees, as part of a cost-cutting initiative, GamesIndustry.biz reported. [more..]

Las Vegas - Nine major broadcast TV station groups have formed a coalition aimed at speeding the development of mobile digital TV. [more..]

San Francisco – Google CEO Eric Schmidt told John Battelle today at the Web 2.0 Expo that a presentation application for the “Office” suite is nearly completed.  Essentially a version of PowerPoint, speculation of the application has circled for months.

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Dulles, Va. - As part of a major strategy push toward online video, AOL on Tuesday announced five new Web-based programs that it will produce in partnership with production companies such as Mark Burnett, DreamWorks Animation and Telepictures. [more..]

Oslo, Norway - The Liberal Party of Norway has unanimously passed a resolution that advocates the legalization of free file-sharing, taking a similar stance to The Pirate Party formed in neighboring Sweden, Wired reported. [more..]

London - Video game publisher Eidos announced that it has acquired mobile and casual games developer Morpheme. [more..]

San Bruno, Calif. - Adify, a provider of technology that powers online vertical advertising networks, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $19 million in its second round of venture capital financing, led by US Venture Partners. [more..]

Las Vegas - Video game publisher Electronic Arts announced on Tuesday that it is making the musical scores from titles including "The Sims" and "Medal of Honor" available for use in TV, film and other media productions through an agreement with APM Music. [more..]

Portland, Ore. - Chockstone, a provider of customer loyalty marketing programs, announced that it has acquired Peppercoin, the developer of an online micropayments system and provider of card-based merchant loyalty programs. [more..]

Sunnyvale, Calif. - Avega Systems, a developer of networked home entertainment technology platforms, said on Tuesday that it has raised $7 million in its second round of funding, receiving investments from Cisco Systems, JAFCO Asia and Technology Venture Partners. [more..]

London - Osoyou.com, a U.K.-based fashion and shopping-focused online social network set to launch this summer, has received a $2 million investment from Brightstation Ventures, PaidContent.org reported. [more..]

New York - Digital music service eMusic announced on Tuesday that its subscriber base has now topped 300,000, four months after the company passed the 250,000 subscriber mark. New York-based eMusic, the second-largest digital music retailer behind Apple's iTunes Store, added that its library now offers 2.5 million tracks from more than 13,000 independent labels. [more..]

New York - Sony/ATV Music Publishing announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the catalogue of songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, which includes more than forty Top 40 hits, such as "Stand By Me," "Hound Dog" and "Love Potion #9." Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. [more..]

Vancouver, Canada - Former staffers at Electronic Arts Canada on Tuesday announced the formation of a new games studio, Jet Black Games. Based in Vancouver, the company will focus on developing original and licensed titles for Nintendo platforms, including the DS and Wii. The company's founders, who include co-founder and CEO Roger Freddi, have worked on EA franchises including "Need for Speed," "FIFA Soccer" and "James Bond 007." [more..]

Karlskrona, Sweden - Mobile entertainment developer and publisher GlobalFun announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the mobile games unit of Italy-based distributor Bryo. Financial terms were not disclosed. Sweden-based GlobalFun said the deal will give it a foothold in what it considers to be a key mobile games market in Europe. [more..]

New York - Viacom's Comedy Central on Tuesday announced the launch of an online stand-up comedy competition, "Open Mic Fight," that Burger King has signed on to sponsor. Seventy-two regional finalists will be chosen from videos submitted online, who will be narrowed down through a mix of online voting and live regional stand-up competitions to three contestants, from which online voters will choose a winner. The grand prize includes an appearance on a Comedy Central stand-up show; exposure on ComedyCentral.com, iTunes and mobile platforms; a slot opening on a Comedy Central Live Tour; talent representation and $10,000 cash. [more..]

New York - Mindshare Entertainment announced on Tuesday that it will produce an original Web series on motherhood, starring Leah Remini of "The King of Queens," that will incorporate storylines generated by moms. Debuting on May 11 on MSN, the five-episode "In the Motherhood" series will be directed by Peter Lauer. The webisodes will also be viewable on the websites of Sprint and Suave, the series' two sponsors, and promoted on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and in People magazine. [more..]

Milpitas, Calif. - SanDisk, a manufacturer of storage media products and MP3 players, on Tuesday introduced a new MP3 player model designed for kids and families. Slated for release later this month, the $39 Sansa Shaker features 512MB of memory, a built-in speaker and a feature that jumps to another song when the device is shaken. [more..]

Salt Lake City, Utah - Mediaport Entertainment, a maker of digital music download kiosks, announced on Tuesday a partnership with Power Music, a provider of music to fitness professionals. Under the deal, Mediaport will install its MediaATMs in several gyms in Utah next month, eventually expanding to around 300 U.S. locations over the next year. In addition to music, the kiosks will offer personal fitness workouts produced by various fitness experts that can be downloaded directly to portable players. [more..]