Apple Computer's iPod is going to become more podcast-friendly. Chairman Steve Jobs said Sunday night that support for the radio-like programs downloaded from the Internet will be included in the next version of the iPod software, iTunes, due within 60 days.

The European Union has given Microsoft Corp. until the end of the month to comply with its antitrust order or face punitive sanctions, the software producer and an EU official said Monday.

Internet research firm NetRatings says it's filed patent infringement lawsuits against two Web analytics firms, Coremetrics and Omniture.

Netscape on Thursday launched version 8.0 of its Web browser, promising better security and the ability to switch between rival browsers Internet Explorer and Firefox. Netscape was once the dominant browser but is a shadow of its former self, in terms of market share. It is owned by America Online, a division of Time Warner Inc.

Unilever is rolling out a free online "seduction skills" digital game that is to be the centerpiece of the campaign to introduce Axe's new scent, Unlimited, this summer.

Gamers, advertisers know who you are and they're coming after you. Lost in the talk this week of the new videogames from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo is that these consoles will provide an ideal platform for advertisers. Advertising within videogames is not a huge business today--about $50 million to date by one estimate--but is expected to grow tenfold in the coming years.

The Federal Trade Commission is proposing five changes to the CAN-SPAM Act and is seeking comment on these proposals by June 27. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) establishes requirements for those who send commercial e-mail, spells out penalties for spammers and companies whose products are advertised with spam if they violate the law, and gives consumers the right to ask e-mailers to stop spamming them.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, on Thursday said it was closing its online DVD rental business and would direct customers to Netflix Inc., the company that pioneered online rentals.

Online auctioneer eBay has struck a deal with Time Warner Cable to let cable customers make Internet bids through their televisions. Time Warner Cable digital subscribers in the Austin, Texas, area will take part in a one-year test of new technology designed to make cable TV more Internet-like.

Researchers in Los Angeles are developing a new form of piracy protection for DVDs that could make common practices like loaning a movie to a friend impossible. University of California at Los Angeles engineering professor Rajit Gadh is leading research to turn radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags into an extremely restrictive form of digital rights management to protect DVD movies.