Google is making changes to its AdWords program that will limit the number of sponsored links on results pages that point to the same URL, a move which will have the most significant impact on online merchants and their affiliates.

Video-on-demand (VOD) has been a promise for so long that many have written it off as vaporware, but tech companies are stalking the wild couch potatoes at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Microsoft on Thursday introduced a beta version of its Windows AntiSpyware application, making the software available for download via the company's Web site. The product is designed to help protect users of Windows products from spyware--software that's secretly installed on people's computers for a variety of purposes, such as bombarding them with pop-ups and tracking their Internet usage. The company claims the anti-spyware tools will help people keep their computers running faster and with fewer Web-related glitches.

Searching the internet for images or videos often leads down a blind alley or worse -- to deceitful advertisers or unsuitable content. Researchers are developing visualization technologies that can "see" inside images, reducing search engines' reliance on text-based image tags that are easily manipulated. Search companies testing the waters of image retrieval see it as a lucrative method of connecting advertisers with customers, according to Chris Sherman, editor of the SearchDay newsletter. Yahoo, Google and MSN, as well as AOL's Singingfish have launched websites for searching static images and video.

Apple Computer has sued a popular Macintosh rumour Web site for allegedly distributing trade secrets, the latest in a string of lawsuits the company has filed to stop Internet leaks of details of upcoming products. The latest suit also lends credibility to recent rumours about a Macintosh computer without a display and an office productivity software suite that surfaced in the run-up to Apple's annual trade show held here next week, where CEO Steve Jobs typically unveils new products.

It looks like Intel's $300 million advertising account, including interactive duties, will be snatched out of incumbent Havas' hands. According to an Adweek report citing unnamed sources, Havas and Publicis Group have been dropped from the ongoing global ad account review. Euro RSCG and sister agency Media Planning Group have long handled the Intel account, including interactive work.

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. said on Wednesday it plans to sell a video service beginning in the second half of 2006 and will use software from Microsoft Corp. for the service. Its shares rose 21 cents or almost 3 percent to $7.72 in early trade on the INET electronic brokerage system after the news.

As rumors persist that Google is seeking an ad agency for a traditional marketing campaign, it appears that hot creative shop Crispin Porter + Bogusky may have the inside track. Despite reports that Google has handled its marketing efforts in-house, it turns out that Madison Avenue outsider Crispin has already done some work for the company.

A year after it went into effect, the federal CAN-SPAM Act is a "miserable" failure, a messaging security firm that monitors compliance with the anti-spam legislation says.

Vonage, the U.S. pioneer of low-cost phone service over Internet broadband connections, on Tuesday said it was working with a phone maker to offer a "Wi-Fi" handset for subscribers to use at home or around town. The Edison, New Jersey-based company said it had partnered with UTStarcom, a diversified maker of telecommunications equipment based in Alameda, California, to introduce a portable Wi-Fi handset in the spring or summer.