Trademarks in ads
Google said it will let most U.S. advertisers use trademarked terms they don’t own rights to, such as brand names, in ad text on search-results pages, allowing companies to create “narrowly targeted” messages that highlight specific inventory. The change, set for June 15, comes as Google, owner of the most-used Internet search engine, seeks to expand its share of the $45.7 billion online advertising market hurt by the global recession. Some companies have complained that the use of their terms in Google’s “Sponsored Link” ads is a trademark violation. “Under our old policy, a site that sells several brands of athletic shoes may not have been able to highlight the actual brands that they sell in their ad text,” Google said this month in its Web site. “Under our new policy, that advertiser can create specific ads for each of the brands that they sell.”
— Bloomberg News
Microsoft
Windows 7 upgrade
Microsoft plans to remove a restriction on the basic version of Windows 7 that would have limited users to running only three programs at a time. The announcement eliminates one of the most significant differences between Windows 7 Starter Edition and pricier version of the operating system. Windows 7 Starter is designed for cheaper PCs, especially small notebooks or so-called netbooks. “These changes will make Windows 7 Starter an even more attractive option for customers who want a small notebook PC for very basic tasks, like browsing the Web, checking e-mail and personal productivity,” Microsoft said.
— Bloomberg News
Cisco
Lowers Q4 outlook
Computer networking gear maker Cisco Systems on Friday said current fourth-quarter earnings per share will be 2 cents to 3 cents lower due to a tax-related charge. San Jose-based Cisco said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit changes the company’s tax treatment of certain stock option expenses before 2005. The court’s decision overturns a 2005 ruling in U.S. Tax Court that said Cisco did not have to share stock option costs with Xilinx, a San Jose chip maker, related to the companies’ research and development and cost-sharing arrangement.
— Associated Press
