Analysts, reacting to yesterday's announcement that Google has significantly expanded its partnership with AOL, say the stakes were significantly higher for Google to secure its partnership with AOL than it was for Microsoft, the rejected suitor in the negotiations. "For Microsoft it was kind of nice to have," one said. "For Google it was a must have." In the end, Microsoft was unwilling to place a cash investment in AOL, sources involved in the discussions said, and that could have been the difference. As part of the deal, Google has invested $1 billion in the Time Warner company. The news …

In a report to Congress, the Federal Trade Commission called the CAN-SPAM Act a crucial weapon in the fight against spam, but said that going forward, technology will be more important. However, in two years there have been just 20 prosecutions, which essentially confirms marketers' belief that the law is more of a guide for legitimate businesses rather than a deterrent for spammers. The FTC acknowledged that the problem is far from solved, but said the law serves as a guide for ISPs and e-mail providers to help find spammers and bring them to justice. Technology is the crucial element …

Apple has superseded Google and Amazon as the fastest growing Web site among the 10 top Internet brands, according to traffic measurement firm Nielsen/NetRatings. The number of visitors to Apple.com rose 57 percent from its November 2004 total of 19.6 million to 30.8 million last month. Google's traffic rose 29 percent in the same period, while Amazon grew 16 percent. MapQuest, an online mapping service, was the fourth strongest traffic gainer at 13 percent. Analysts noted that robust growth is often the result of a company frequently releasing new products. Both Google and Apple have released a slew of new …

At first glance, a help-wanted ad posted on online job boards last week for a New York-based media buyer looked like thousands of others placed by Madison Avenue each year: "Requirements. 3+ years experience in media buying for a large advertiser or agency. Strong negotiation and analytical skills. Proven track record of exceeding goals." What made it remarkable was its sponsor--Google--and its timing, coming just months into a "test" the Internet search engine has been conducting, in which it buys and resells advertising space in offline media. To date, Google executives say it has been just that: a test. They …

Research In Motion Chairman James L. Balsillie's spirits have lifted slightly on the news that the U.S. patent office is moving a bit faster than usual in reexamining the patents at the crux of his company's exhausting legal dispute over its BlackBerry wireless e-mail service. RIM has accused NTP, a tiny firm that holds the patents over the technology the BlackBerry service utilizes, of abusing the patent system and damaging its brand by publicly threatening to shut down the Blackberry service, which has millions of subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. NTP's business doesn't utilize the patents it holds--in fact …

We love Google Earth, Google's free aerial satellite mapping program, because we believe its marriage to local search functionality could one day prove to be an advertising bonanza for marketers looking to reach local users. But government officials in some countries are wary that the maps of their major cities, which can show detailed overhead images of government buildings and military structures, could too easily fall into the wrong hands. India, whose laws strictly forbid satellite and aerial photography, warned that the program "could severely compromise" its and other countries' security. An irate Russian security agent said of Google Earth: …

Display advertising is coming soon to Google, Inc.'s spartan Web site as part of its deal with AOL, which is expected to be announced later today. For the first time, ads with graphics and logos will appear on the search engine as per a change in policy agreed upon by both parties. Advertisers will not be limited to AOL, although the company will receive $300 million in advertising on Google's sites on top of the $1 billion in cash Google is investing in the Time Warner company, according to The New York Times. Like other advertisers, AOL will have …

Media buyers tell ClickZ that the most interesting aspects of the enhanced Google-AOL deal is the potential for AOL's sales force to sell display ads on Google's AdSense network, as well as the expected audience growth the deal will bring to AOL.com. A managing director from Starcom IP noted that a request for proposal coming from AOL that included Advertising.com and Google's AdSense would be very appealing. Further, he said that the prospect of combining Google's user data with AOL's display network could make for an extraordinarily powerful behavioral targeting tool. Media buyers note that it's a bad loss for …

The Internet Advertising Bureau is laying out new rules about audience attribution in an attempt to make counting traffic, a crucial Internet advertising metric, a more uniform process. Under the new rules, ESPN.com's 15 million monthly unique visitors, as measured by audience measurement firm Nielsen/NetRatings, could be scrutinized, because an estimated 1.2 million unique visitors are included in its total traffic that are now classified as coming from Active.com, a content partner which display's ESPN's logo in the upper right-hand corner of its pages. The IAB says ESPN must clearly be the dominant brand on a page or make up …

Reuters.com, one of the world's most extensive international news agencies, is now allowing other news organizations, including blogs, to show its broadband video news clips on their Web sites. The company calls the new initiative the video affiliate network program; it enables Web site operator to place a video player on their sites and show up to 20 breaking news stories per day that will be updated automatically. The video player is embedded in affiliates' Web pages and doesn't require viewers to install software. During its launch period, from now to the first half of 2006, the video player will …