Q&As

The Federal Trade Commission levied a $10 million fine

America Online has won a $5.6 million award against a Minnesota man who sent billions of spam e-mails in 2003 selling everything from Viagra to online college degrees.

A laptop containing names and internal Ameriprise Financial Inc. account identification numbers for 158,000 clients was stolen from an Ameriprise employee

The Reader’s Digest Association Inc. reported a net loss of $122.4 million for the second quarter, down from net income of $57.8 million the previous year.

Deluxe Corp. reported net income of $39 million for the fourth quarter, down from net income of $47 million the year before

Advo Inc. reported net income of $12 million for the first quarter, up from net income of $8.1 million the year before.

Retailers are shifting their focus back to growth. That means looking within themselves for sources of sustainable, cost-effective comp-store improvement. A recent NRF/BearingPoint survey listed comp-store sales growth as the top priority of 71% of retail executives in 2006.

The Walt Disney Co. will acquire Pixar Animation Studio for $7.4 billion to combine the two animation studios, which gives Disney greater access to Pixar characters for marketing deals.

Online music service Napster is hoping that a partnership with snowboarding champion Gretchen Bleiler and some marketing muscle at the Winter X Games will help its branding efforts. The music subscription company has erected a 144 square-foot lodge at …

Frito-Lay has begun a yearlong campaign supporting SunChips’ sponsorship of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. SunChips has signed as the official sponsor of Komen’s Race for the Cure Series National Volunteer Recognition Program. The brand …