The U.S. federal government still defines the act of marriage as one taking place between a man and a woman even though a number of states have made gay marriage legal and President Obama made it clear in his Inauguration speech (and other speeches since) that gay marriage is something he firmly believes in. “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law—for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” Obama said after being sworn in on Jan. 21 by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

Roberts will have a lot to do with possibly making a change to the way the federal government defines marriage when his Court hears two gay-marriage-related cases on March 26 and 27. Nearly 300 companies came out Wednesday to “urge the U.S. Supreme Court … to strike down a federal law that restricts the definition of marriage to heterosexual unions,” Reuters reports.

Considering the size and number of brands taking part, it will be hard for conservatives who have long opposed gay marriage to try and boycott everyone involved.Continue reading...

AIG plunges back into U.S. real-estate investing.

Alcoa posts surprise profit after aluminum orders climb.

Amazon adds in-app purchases to woo developers away from Apple.

BJ's Wholesale Club grows locally produced program.

Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn quits amid "personal-conduct" probe.

Coty explores U.S. IPO potential.

Cracker Barrel adopts poison pill.

Denny's rolls up Millennial views with "Always Open" web series. Continue reading...

Apple reportedly plans in-store branded boutiques at Target, while the iPhone's new Siri feature is said to double mobile data usage.

Porsche and Volkswagen compensation claims increase, while VW closes market cap gap with Toyota and looks to expand in China and India.

Dunkin' Donuts gears up to double number of U.S. locations.

Alcoa is scaling back.

Audi is adding models to win more U.S. market share.

Baskin-Robbins to expand to Vietnam.Continue reading...

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose named NBA MVP.

Pac-10 signs $3 billion, 12-year deal with FOX and ESPN, the richest ever for a college conference, and plans its own TV network under looming Pac-12 name.

Pfizer weighs break-up.

Apple revamps iMac line.

BlackBerry and Microsoft team up to battle Google search.

BP to pay $85 million for 2006 Alaska oil spill.

CBS picks 60 Minutes reporter Scott Pelley as Katie Couric replacement.Continue reading...

Hillary Clinton was less awed than "relieved" at the sight of the brand-centric U.S. pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo over the weekend.

According to the New York Times account of her visit, the U.S. Secretary of State (and future Secretary of Defense?) toured the pavilion's "Citibank- and Pfizer-sponsored theaters, gauzy eight-minute videos featuring representatives from Chevron, General Electric, and Johnson & Johnson, environmentally friendly features sponsored by Alcoa, and a gift shop with licensed merchandise from Disney."

Asked by a reporter what she thought, Clinton replied, “It’s fine. Can you imagine if we had not been here?” She also met with Indra K. Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo, and dined with other major sponsors.

America’s participation in the 2010 World Expo had been "in jeopardy because Congress restricts the spending of public money on world’s fairs," until major brand sponsors stepped up to the plate.

Florida starts ad campaign (above) to reassure tourists as BP admits it's siphoning less oil than estimated (and may be pushed aside by US gov't on Gulf Oil clean-up operation). A fake Twitter feed for BP Global PR isn't helping the oil giant's cause.

British Airways crew begin a five-day strike, leading to cancelled flights. BA, meanwhile, sponsors mobile news app.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledges easier privacy in a Washington Post column as rivals see opportunity.

Hollywood eyes quicker TV premieres via Time Warner Cable and other US operators.

Google TV gets a warm welcome from advertisers.

Zappos-owned 6pm.com posts wrong prices but honors them, losing $1.6 million as a result.Continue reading...

UK antitrust regulators oppose Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger. [NY Times]

Alcoa reports first profit in 9 months, lifts Asian and European markets. [NY Times]

With no new cars to promote until mid-2010, new Ford ads (aimed at policymakers) tout innovation. [LA Times]

As Versace abandons market, analysts signal the end of luxury in Japan. [Times of London]

Hermes thrives in a "booming" Chinese market; US market is "slightly positive." [Bloomberg]

Kraft renames iSnack2.0 Vegemite "Cheesybite" after complaints. [Bloomberg]

Music industry relies on brand partnerships to finance marketing campaigns. [Bloomberg]

(More headlines: Starbucks sues Dunkin' exec; Wendy's, Estee Lauder campaigns.)Continue reading...