Articles by Robert Conlin

A report that the Chinese Government is considering a ban on foreign investment in Web companies sent shares of China.com (Nasdaq: CHINA) plummeting sharply Wednesday and caused jitters throughout the region The head of the Ministry of Information Industries told the Asian Wall Street Journal that the government - which has relaxed many investment ...

Softbank Corp., one of the world's largest Internet investors, is teaming up with a Japanese home appliance retailer to launch a new shopping site for the growing Japanese market Called eBEST Corp., the joint venture between Softbank and Best Denki Corp. will sell computer hardware and software, household electronics, furniture, books, sporting goo...

Leading office superstore Staples, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLS) announced today that it is forming a new class of common stock to track the company's e-commerce performance The Framingham, Massachusetts-based company believes that a stock called Staples.com will allow it to "aggressively pursue electronic commerce." The move, which was approved by the compa...

With the issue of Internet regulation shifting front and center on the global agenda, the 19-member National Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce reconvened Tuesday for a two-day meeting in New York The commission -- made up of Internet industry executives, trade lobbying groups and local, state and federal officials -- will once gain grapple...

The first annual Offshore E-Commerce Conference gathers at New York City's Millennium Center today for a three-day event that will explore the benefits of establishing e-commerce ventures or payment solutions offshore Co-sponsored by First Atlantic Commerce Ltd., a Hamilton, Bermuda-based developer and provider of e-commerce payment solutions, the ...

International accounting, tax and consulting firm KPMG LLP announced today that it has formed a new e-commerce tax services practice. The company believes that the rise of e-commerce is causing a demand for new tax models and other related services One of the world's largest consulting firms, KPMG said that its new service will offer end-to-end sol...

Lycos, Inc. (Nasdaq: LCOS) announced today that it has formed a $50 million (US$) joint venture with Singapore's national telecommunications company to develop local portal sites in 10 Asian markets. The move is the latest in an aggressive international expansion plan The Waltham, Massachusetts-based company said that it expects to roll out sites i...

OnHealth Network Company (Nasdaq: (ONHN), a Seattle, Washington-based healthcare site, announced Monday that it paid nearly $5 million (US$) in stock to acquire BabyData.com, a site aimed at pregnant couples and those trying to conceive OnHealth said that it issued over 681,000 shares of common stock for BabyData.com. The company's stock price clos...

Flooz.com announced Monday that it is the recipient of $16.5 million (US$) in first-round capital financing from a group of well-known Internet venture capital firms. Flooz has been described as the first service to provide online gift-giving currency The New York-based company, which provides coupons for more than 200,000 e-commerce products, said...

Facing pressure from competitors and the stock market, Priceline.com announced that it set a single-day sales record by selling more than 10,000 airline tickets Thursday The Stanford, Connecticut-based online pricing system -- which allows customers to name their own price for plane tickets, hotels and rental cars -- was selling 1,000 tickets on av...

Embattled French bank Paribas announced Friday that it will launch Europe's first cross-border Internet brokerage by the end of the month and will team up with American online brokerage firm Ameritrade to sell European stocks to U.S. investors by year's end The Paris-based bank, which is currently embroiled in a takeover bid by rival Banque Nationa...

Two months after forging a four year, $89 million (US$) strategic marketing agreement, America Online and drkoop.com (Nasdaq: KOOP) unveiled the healthcare network's exclusive content on AOL's Health Channel One of the larger Internet alliances to date, the agreement between the two companies signaled a major commitment by the Austin, Texas-based h...

Blending what they believe to be the right mix of Internet technology, financial resources and traditional design sense, GoodHome.com and nHabit.com announced a merger Thursday. Under the terms of the agreement, nHabit.com will be folded into the GoodHome.com name GoodHome.com will now become one of the largest Internet home furnishings companies, ...

American electronic media giants AOL (NYSE: AOL) and TV Guide Online announced an agreement Wednesday that will bring TV Guide's listings and content into AOL's network. The financial terms of the pact were not disclosed Under the agreement, TV Guide Online will become the premier provider of television listings and content across four AOL brands -...

Claiming that rapid growth over the last few months has pushed up customer demand, Pets.com announced Wednesday that it is opening a 140,000 square-foot distribution center in Union City, California The San Francisco, California-based pet supply online retailer said that it opened a 75,000 square-foot section of the distribution center Wednesday an...

Despite being overshadowed by Tuesday's announcement that Viacom will buy CBS for $37 billion in stock, SportsLine Europe -- the subsidiary of an Internet sports content provider with a strong CBS connection -- announced the launch of its first country-specific site, France.sports.com The Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based parent company of the new Eur...

Leading online retailer Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) has extended its string of key executive appointments by installing a former Delta Airlines executive as its new chief financial officer The Seattle, Washington-based book and music retailer named Warren C. Jenson to the post. He replaces Joy Covey, who was appointed as the company's chief strategy ...

GoodHome.com continued its strong build-up today by announcing an anchor tenant marketing agreement with America Online and a premier sponsorship agreement with Women.com. The company plans to launch its Web site by the end of the year The San Rafael, California-based home furnishings company said that it signed the multi-million deal with AOL to g...

Capitalizing on an industry shift toward digital music distribution, Internet digital music software provider, Liquid Audio, Inc. (Nasdaq: LQID), said Friday that it has added new releases from virtually every large record label and also expanded its distribution network The Redwood City, California-based company said it has significantly expanded ...

Enlarging a time-honored concept that has turned unknowns into sensations, the digital music site MP3.com (Nasdaq: MPPP) announced Friday that it is embarking on a tour of 28 college campuses across the U.S. to feature its music and technology offerings The San Diego, California-based company has hired the Goo Goo Dolls -- a once popular band that ...