Articles by Robert Conlin

BuyItNow.com's command was apparently Snap.com and XOOM.com's wish, as the two popular Web sites announced Monday that they have entered into partnership agreements with the e-commerce retail site Snap.com, the Internet portal company from NBC television and CNET, will take a 3.6 percent stake in the company, in exchange for providing BuyItNow.com ...

Moving to strengthen its presence in the Asian market, America Online announced Friday that it has acquired a 10 percent stake in Internet company China.com The agreement also gives AOL the right to exercise an option to acquire an additional 15 percent stake in the company in the future. China.com has filed a registration statement with the SEC to...

E*Offering, the online investment bank partially owned by E*Trade, is reporting that its public offering as a lead underwriter raised $73 million (US$) for e-commerce technology and service provider, First Sierra Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq:BTOB) In a secondary offering last week, E*Trade's asterisk twin sold 4 million shares of First Sierra Financial ...

While the issue of potential e-commerce taxes loomed over the first session of the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce, the commission grappled with political issues after its chairman recommended that it hire a woman with potential conflicts to be its executive director Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore, chairman of the 19-member commission, pu...

They've just begun their work in Williamsburg, Virginia this week -- and surely the 19-member Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce is aware of the stakes as they set to lay out a legislative proposal on Internet taxation The commission has already been lobbied hard -- by opponents of Internet commerce taxation who say that it would stymie gro...

Shareholders of Go2Net, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNET), a network of technology and community-driven Web Sites, voted Thursday to accept Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's purchase of preferred shares for $133 million (US$), complimenting Allen's purchase in March of $167 million in stock In addition, shareholders also approved the sale of $126 million in comp...

True, Rome wasn't built in a day -- and neither was Digital City -- but Internet network start-up Akamai Technologies is laying the foundation for a distant-future discovery in an awfully short period of time The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company announced Wednesday that an impressive range of Internet stars have signed on to its fault-toleran...

Recognized as one of the Internet's leading automotive sales and service companies, Autobytel.com (Nasdaq: ABTL) announced Thursday that it is taking its high-flying e-commerce act to car-crazed Japan The Irvine, California-based company signed a joint-venture agreement with six Japanese companies to begin selling pre-owned vehicles and financing a...

GE Capital, Global Commerce Systems, Inc., Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW), and Total System Services, Inc. (NYSE:TSS) have set their aim high in announcing Wednesday the formation of a global e-commerce alliance "Any $1 billion-plus (US$) company looking to 'dot-com' their business will be interested in this solution, particularly when the are loo...

Like many invading armies before it, Tripod -- a Williamstown, Massachusetts-based Web community owned by Lycos -- has set its sights on Europe, and apparently will not be content until its presence stretches from the Mediterranean to the English Channel Wednesday, the company announced that German media giant, Bertelsmann AG, its joint-partner in ...

Already established online with an informational Web site about its thousands of electronic, computer and appliance items, superstore chain Circuit City (NYSE: CC) has finally decided to take the next logical step...Sell its products online The Richmond, Virginia-based company announced Tuesday that it would be adding e-commerce capabilities to its...

They walked down the aisle together last year. So, Tuesday's announcement that online bridal registry WeddingNetwork.com and Modern Bride magazine had decided to merge online content and advertising was like hearing that the married couple decided to move into together Still, the reaffirmation of their vows does form a significant e-commerce union ...

The dog days of summer might be fast approaching, but for Pets.com, the prelude to summer has been an invigorating walk in the park -- so far The San Francisco-based online pet supplies retailer announced Monday that majority-shareholder Amazon.com and two venture capital companies have invested $50 million (US$) in the company in a second round of...

One of the partners behind Buy.com, E*Trade, GeoCities,Yahoo! and a host of other prominent Internet properties has apparently taken a liking to Global Sports (Nasdaq: GSPT), an e-commerce provider for a number of sporting goods retailers Global Sports said Friday that SOFTBANK Corp., a Tokyo-based provider of technology information, with stakes in...

Much as we Americans like to think that we have a firm command on all things Internet, it's clear that the rest of the world is catching on to the global reach of the Web A report released today by StatMarket, an Internet data source, shows that foreign domain Internet access is ratcheting up gradually and now stands at nearly 44 percent of all Web...

German automaker Porsche lost a round of its battle against 138 Internet domain names it says infringes on its trademark, when a U.S. District Court in Virginia dismissed the company's attempt to sue the domain names rather than the individuals who registered the names In a ruling handed down Tuesday, the court said it could not allow Porsche to su...

Having assisted in pioneering the booming online investing industry in the U.S., DLJdirect (NYSE: DIR), the online brokerage service of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc., has crossed the Pacific and is preparing to launch its new trading service aimed at the Japanese market DLJdirect SFG Securities, Inc. (DLJdirect SFG), a joint venture between th...

Apparently not batting an eye at the swirling winds of controversy that whistle around the Web music site MP3.com, Cox Interactive Media, Inc. announced Wednesday that it would invest $45 million (US$) in the company and form a joint-venture to create music-related Web sites The Atlanta, Georgia-based subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc., a media co...

In an effort to expand its network beyond the village's frontiers, iVillage (Nasdaq: IVIL), one of the most popular online networks for women, is pushing the e-commerce buttons of expectant mothers The company announced Monday that it signed an e-commerce agreement with Dan Howard Industries to launch a new Web site at iMaternity.com. The deal with...

Newly-minted DriveOff.com, Inc., a subsidiary of Navidec, Inc.(Nasdaq: NVDC) announced Friday that it has signed an agreement with Westar Financial Services -- and a letter of intent with First Union Capital Markets Group -- that will provide up to $1 billion (US$) in funding annually for auto sales that originate on DriveOff.com and its affiliated sites...