On Feb. 7, 2007, Stephanie Lenz did something completely unmiraculous. She posted a 29-second video of her 14-month-old son dancing around the house with a push toy while enjoying Prince’s Let’s Go Crazy. Cute, right?

Universal Music's lawyers were less than charmed — and a six-year legal battle ensued between the music giant and Google, the parent company of YouTube. While more than 1.2 million people have heard Prince do his thing on the video since its posting, Universal has been trying to get Lenz to take it down, citing copyright infringement.

But Lenz and lawyers with the Electronic Frontier Foundation have been fighting to keep it up — and will now have have their case heard before a jury. At issue is whether Universal considered the definition of “fair use” before sending the takedown message, The Hollywood Reporter notes.Continue reading...

The United States Postal Service is on the brink of financial collapse, reports the New York Times.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz hosts political town hall on Tuesday.

Amazon.com tests a site redesign as founder Jeff Bezos sees spaceship misfire.

American Apparel is in talks to raise up to $160 million in financing.

Apple retains appeal without Steve Jobs, while iconic designer Jonathan Ive stays on.

Baidu launches app store.

China’s Bright Foods looks to Australia for growth.

Cisco is accused of abetting Chinese government in Falun Gong crackdown.

CW marketer Rick Haskins attracts attention with provocative campaigns.

Domino's Pizza wants to be the first fast food joint on the moon (offer only good in Japan).

Glee star Heather Morris criticized for domestic violence-themed photo shoot.

Google Doodle pays tribute to Queen's Freddy Mercury.Continue reading...

Pearl Jam signed up with Target. So did Christina Aguilera. U2 and BlackBerry have a closer relationship than Bono and sunglasses. Selling out is the modern rebellious act for rock and pop stars. And it pays well. Very well.

Recording artists are tossing aside rock 'n' roll taboos, and aligning with corporate sponsors such as Bacardi and retail distributors like Wal-Mart. Struggling record labels can’t compete with the allure of mega-brands and retailers dangling behemoth amounts of money and exposure. According to Bloomberg, “Record labels have cut marketing budgets as they contend with dwindling revenue from CD sales and piracy rates as high as 95 percent for downloaded music.”Continue reading...