A patent lawsuit filed by Qualcomm against Apple was thrown out by a German court, in a reversal for the US chipmaker after it won a recent court ban on the sale of some iPhones in the country.

A $42bn (€36.3bn) merger to create what would become the world’s largest gas producer is facing an unexpected hurdle from the US competition regulator that could derail the deal.

A young academic is challenging the effectiveness of US competition law in controlling the rise of a new generation of corporations, writes Kyran Fitzgerald.

The US House of Representatives has voted to block online privacy regulations issued during the final months of the Obama administration, a first step towards allowing internet providers to sell the browsing habits of their customers.

Volkswagen will pay owners of its polluting diesel cars up to $7,000 (€6,160) and agree to fund a grant program to offset air pollution, under a $10bn settlement being negotiated for submission to a federal judge next week, people familiar with the talks said.

Ever more complex tracking programmes are being used to analyse consumers’ internet habits. And the information gathered is not to your benefit. John Hearne investigates.

The EU and United States should reach agreement next month on a new framework to replace the Safe Harbour pact enabling data transfers from Europe to the United States, European Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova told a newspaper.

Google is back under US antitrust scrutiny as officials ask whether the tech giant stifled competitors’ access to its Android mobile-operating system, said two people familiar with the matter.

A Tennessee man and his family used much of the $187m (€168m) it collected for cancer patients to buy themselves cars, and take luxury cruise holidays, pay for college tuition and employ family members with six-figure salaries, federal officials have alleged in one of the largest charity fraud cases ever, involving all 50 states.

Holcim and Lafarge will divest plants, terminals and an Iowa quarry to win US regulatory approval for a merger between the European cement makers that will form the industry’s biggest producer.

AstraZeneca and Ranbaxy Laboratories failed to derail a landmark trial in the US accusing the companies of colluding to delay the release of a cheaper version of the top-selling heartburn pill Nexium.

USA:Officers in western Oregon say a suspect they tried to collar at a traffic stop drove too fast for pursuing officers, but eventually he proved just too fragrant for freedom.

A dating site has admitted "experimenting" on unsuspecting love-seekers by setting them up with "bad matches" to test technology.

Google has agreed to make concessions on how it displays competitors’ links in a deal with the EU regulator that ended a three-year antitrust probe and avoided a fine.

Google is close to settling a three-year EU competition probe with “much better” concessions to allay concerns over blocking rivals such as Microsoft from internet search results, according to sources.

A man who went missing on New Year’s Day has been reunited with his family after his parents saw a newspaper picture of him warming himself on a steam grate in freezing Washington DC.

The US decision to overturn an import ban on Apple’s older iPhones and iPads may help short-term sales and hobble Samsung Electronics in any settlement talks in the companies’ patent fight.

US regulators have stalled a €1.3bn takeover planned by Irish glass and packaging group Ardagh, claiming the proposed move is “anti-competitive”.

Google is offering major concessions on how it displays search results in Europe to meet concerns it might be abusing its dominant market position, the European Union’s competition body said today.

Google has been found not guilty of skewing search results against competitors, ending a 20-month US inquiry into the firm's business practices.

An investigation into a flood of illegal anti-abortion robocalls to thousands of homes in Ireland could stall — because of free speech protections in the US.

A US federal judge has said she is leaning toward approving a government settlement that will require Google to pay a US$22.5 million dollar (€17.6 million) fine to resolve allegations that it duped web surfers using the Safari browser in order to track their online activities.

There are skeletons aplenty cluttering up one family’s closet in Alex Kurtzman’s semi-autobiographical drama.

Computer owners in Ireland are among potentially thousands targeted by scammers who told them that their machines were infected by viruses and saying they would fix the problem for as much as €350.

Coldplay, Kylie Minogue, David Bowie and other prestigious artists are set to leave EMI after Universal’s £1.2bn takeover was approved today on condition it sells several of the recording company’s labels.

Google is creating an information bridge between its search engine and its Gmail service in its latest attempt to deliver more personal responses more quickly.

Google is paying a record £14.4m (€18.18m) fine to settle allegations that it broke a privacy promise by secretly tracking millions of web surfers who use Apple’s Safari browser.

Google has agreed to pay a US $22.5 million (€18.3 million) fine to settle allegations that it broke a privacy promise by secretly tracking the online activities of millions of people who use Apple’s Safari web browser, sources said.

The popular daytime TV host hawks his son’s diet books on his show. Inside the McGraws’ cosy clan. Pat Wingert and Aram Roston report

Universal Music Group has won the qualified support of two North American artists' unions for its proposed $1.9bn (€1.44bn) acquisition of the recorded music division of the UK's EMI Group Ltd.

The US government still believes a proposal to give Google the digital rights to millions of hard-to-find books threatens to stifle competition and undermine copyright laws, it emerged today.

SOUTH Korean intelligence officials believe North Korea or pro-Pyongyang forces committed cyber attacks that paralysed major South Korean and US government websites, aides to two lawmakers said yesterday.

North Korea was today blamed for sophisticated cyber attacks that paralysed major US government websites.

A widespread and unusually resilient computer attack that began on July 4 knocked out the websites of several US government agencies - including some responsible for fighting cyber crime, it emerged today.

The LexisNexis online information service told 32,000 people last night that their personal information may have been improperly accessed by former customers in a credit card fraud scheme that postal officials said had hit hundreds.

Ticket agency Ticketmaster apologised to rocker Bruce Springsteen today for redirecting his fans to a website charging hugely inflated prices.

Democrats in the United States today accused the Republican-led Congress of providing tax cuts to oil companies at a time when the industry enjoys record profits and many motorists struggle to deal with rising petrol prices.

President George Bush today ordered a temporary suspension of environmental rules for fuel, making it easier for refiners to meet demand and possibly dampen prices at the petrol pumps.

Wall Street ended a erratic quarter with a modest advance today as falling oil prices helped ease concerns about a weakening consumer environment following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Drinks giant Allied Domecq was today closer to being swallowed by rival Pernod Ricard after regulators in the United States gave the deal the green light.

Internet users at home are not nearly as safe online as they believe, according to a shock report published today.

Wall Street rallied late today for the second day in a row, but the pattern of trading left market-watchers doubtful that the advance would hold ahead of a key Federal Reserve meeting and the handover of power in Iraq next week.

Tobacco stocks provided the spark for the FTSE Index 100 Index to press back towards the 4500 barrier today.

The US government may try to block RJ Reynolds Tobacco Holdings proposed $3 billion acquisition of Brown & Williamson Tobacco, after antitrust enforcers concluded the combination would stifle competition, analysts said.