ONLINE PRIVACY
Google-Safari deal OK likely
A federal judge said Friday that she may approve Google's $22.5 million agreement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over claims the company improperly planted cookies on Apple's Safari Internet browser.
Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog opposes the accord, saying it lets Google off too easily and suggests that a separate government antitrust enforcement action against the world's largest search engine company may lack teeth.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said at a hearing in San Francisco that her "preliminary view" is to approve the proposed settlement, under which Google would pay a fine and expire the cookies without admitting wrongdoing.
The record $22.5 million fine is the FTC's first for an alleged violation of Internet privacy.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Visa to give FTC documents
Visa, the world's largest payments network, said it will provide documents to the Federal Trade Commission after the agency asked for information on a debit card service that may have violated the Durbin amendment.
U.S. antitrust regulators asked Visa in a Sept. 21 letter to voluntarily hand over documents related to its PIN Debit Gateway Service, the Foster City company said Friday. Visa said it is cooperating with the government and responding to its requests for information, and that the revenue in question isn't material.
The Durbin amendment is a provision of the Dodd-Frank Act that limits the amount of swipe fees, or interchange, Visa and MasterCard can charge on debit-card transactions. The commission's request is another in a line of lawsuits and document requests faced by Visa and newly named Chief Executive Officer Charles Scharf as the firm seeks to defend its leading market share in worldwide payments.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter picks Hollywood exec
Twitter has added Hollywood executive Peter Chernin to its board of directors, giving the San Francisco microblogging service a key link to the entertainment industry.
Chernin, a longtime News Corp. executive, fills the vacancy created when Flipboard's Mike McCue left the board.
The Chernin Group includes the production company behind the recent "Planet of the Apes" movie remakes and Fox TV series "New Girl" and "Ben and Kate."
Chernin founded the company in 2009 after leaving News Corp., where he held a variety of top positions, heading the media conglomerate's movie studio and television network operations. He has a local tie as well - Chernin graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in English literature.
PATENTS
Apple in talks over Motorola
Apple and Google's Motorola Mobility unit are talking about a way to resolve part of their dispute over patents related to critical smartphone technology, according to a court filing.
The companies have been exchanging proposals on using binding arbitration to reach a licensing agreement over patents that are essential to comply with industry standards on how phones operate. Such an agreement could lead to a global settlement of all of their patent disputes, Apple said in a new filing.
"Apple is also interested in resolving its dispute with Motorola completely and agrees that arbitration may be the best vehicle to resolve the parties' dispute," Apple said in the filing.
Motorola Mobility first raised the issue of arbitration on Nov. 5, before a federal judge in Madison, Wis., threw out a breach-of-contract case that Apple had filed. The Cupertino maker of the iPhone claimed its mobile-phone competitor was misusing standard-essential patents to demand unreasonable royalties.
MICROCHIPS
Applied Materials falls
Applied Materials, the world's largest producer of computer chip making equipment, forecast fiscal first-quarter sales and profit that fell short of estimates, a sign that some customers are holding off on expansion plans.
Sales in the current period will decline as much as 15 percent from the prior quarter, the company said late Thursday, a fifth straight yearly drop. That indicates revenue of $1.4 billion to $1.65 billion. Analysts on average estimated sales of $1.77 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Shares of Santa Clara's Applied Materials fell 6 cents to $10.30 Friday. The stock has declined 3.8 percent this year.
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