If Apple's new video iPod is as successful as expected in delivering paid programing over the Internet, Hollywood's unions want their share and are worried about being shortchanged on residuals. Writers Guild of America West president Patric Verrone was the latest to voice these fears, issuing a letter to members Friday that said WGAW and its sister guilds are unwilling to accept the DVD residuals formula, which takes most of the money off the table before sharing a set percentage of gross revenue.

A survey from California security company Trend Micro last week revealed that more than 87 percent of corporate end users are now familiar with the spyware threat -- 40 percent through personal experience. But a little more than half say they still don't know enough, and they'd like their IT departments to educate them. Here's what you need to know.

A big campaign for a new venture from Time Warner demonstrates again the growing importance of computer gaming for Madison Avenue. GameTap, being sold by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner, is available to subscribers who download and install software from a Web site (gametap.com). The site also features free original content like video clips and e-mail cards. Turner Broadcasting is offering a two-week free trial of GameTap, after which most subscribers will pay $14.95 a month. The budget for the campaign, carrying the theme "Expand your playground," is estimated at more than $50 million.

At a recent industry conference in San Francisco, America Online CEO Jonathan Miller called his company the "largest swing voter" in a four-way battle to dominate the Internet: "It's a significant swing vote that could go many different ways, and people are aware of that." Are they ever. AOL now is in play, with chief rivals Microsoft, Google and Yahoo all talking to parent Time Warner about a stake - for a price tag that reportedly starts at $10 billion. Google has discussed both a solo bid and one in partnership with cable giant Comcast.

Google has reeled in another prominent programmer, this time the lead developer on the open-source Gaim instant messaging project.

There aren't yet enough quality pages to satisfy advertisers' hunger for a blog presence.

A federal judge ordered a tentative stay in Google Inc.'s suit against Microsoft Corp., according to a court Web site, dealing a blow to the Internet company's legal fight over its hiring of a former Microsoft executive. The parties are scheduled to appear before Judge Ronald Whyte in U.S. District Court in San Jose, California, today in connection with the suit. That suit is separate from a related action Microsoft brought in Washington state accusing Google and Kai-Fu Lee of violating a noncompete agreement that Lee had signed with Microsoft.

Podcasting is on the verge of setting off a video revolution and users of Apple Computer Inc.'s new video iPod can expect a deluge of outspoken commentary, religious sermons and pornography.

A ton has been written about the first seasons of "The Apprentice"; how a number of advertisers linked with the show's producers and Yahoo! to create genuine cross-media experiences. ClickZ asked some of the product marketers to share their results.

Asking advertisers: What's the right amount to spend?