Beijing - Three of the major record labels have launched new copyright infringement lawsuits against Chinese search providers Baidu (NASD: BIDU), Sohu.com and Yahoo China (NASD: YHOO), following what record label trade group the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) called "months of fruitless negotiations." Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Hong Kong) (NYSE: SNE), and Warner Music Hong Kong (NYSE: WMG) filed claims in a Beijing court asking the search firms to remove links to unauthorized music files hosted on third-party sites.

Montreal - Dynasty Gaming, a publisher of online games for an Asian audience, said on Monday that it has signed a deal with Beijing Sohu New Era Information Technology, a unit of Chinese online portal Sohu.com, to distribute and market its online Mahjong game. The Mahjong title and other Asian online games from Montreal-based Dynasty will be offered on Sohu's casual games area.