PepsiCo wins fight with Coca-Cola in German court over bottle design.

Foxconn sees arrests after unrest at Apple plant in China.

Samsung names new CEO.

Alibaba foresees strong growth.

ASKY pan-African airline faces tough take-off.

Baker & Taylor signs e-books distribution deal with Harry Potter-based Pottermore site.

Bob Evans looks to restaraunt remodels and value pricing for sales traction.

Facebook faces scrutiny as it goes for younger kids as NASDAQ chief apologizes for stock exchange's role in IPO debacle.

Fanatics.com sports-apparel site valued at $1.5 billion.Continue reading...

Amazon buys publisher of romance and mystery books and cools down its warehouses.

Bona Film Group of China talks with Hollywood outfits.

Coca-Cola's Australian JV says cheers to beer.

Cosi tries for dramatic turnaround under new CEO.

Disney to restrict junk-food advertising on its shows.

EA offers much of new Star Wars game for free.

Goldman Sachs outlook dims.

Google buys Meebo to bolster Google+ as its battle with Apple expands to mobile maps.

Groupe Danone fails Chinese entry inspection for Evian water.Continue reading...

Buddy Media now has a very special buddy: Salesforce, which has signed an agreement to purchase the social marketing agency for $689 million (up to $745 million, according to the SEC filing.) It’s the largest deal ever done by Salesforce.com and the largest acquisition of a New York City tech company in the last five years.

The acquisition will result in a hybrid company, combining Salesforce's Radian6 social media listening platform to create an all in one platform for businesses marketing themselves over social networks, i.e., the first “comprehensive Marketing Cloud.”

“Salesforce.com now has the number one players in social listening and marketing – Radian6 and Buddy Media,” said Salesforce chairman and CEO Marc Benioff. “With CMOs surpassing CIOs in spend on technology within the next five years, our Marketing Cloud leadership will allow us to capitalize on this massive opportunity.”

"Buddy Media's mission is to eliminate the current state of anarchy in social marketing," said Michael Lazerow, co-founder and CEO, Buddy Media. "With the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, marketers will be able to unify their efforts to better organize their teams, optimize their social programs and deliver real business results."Continue reading...

BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion saw its shares slump today after warning Wall Street that it's forecasting an operating loss for the first quarter. With the company hiring bankers at JPMorgan and RBC to explore a sale, investors worried and layoffs looming, the Canadian government dismissed rumors of a possible takeover.

Other brand news:

Best Buy store closures spur Walmart ads.

NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg bans sale of large sodas and sugary drinks.

GM is shifting Chevrolet ad budget from Super Bowl to sponsoring the popular Manchester United soccer team.

Disney Channel joins the TV Everywhere brigade.

Exxon Mobil shareholders approve executive pay.Continue reading...

Air France plans to streamline operations and reduce staff.

AOL surprised by teen startup squatter.

Butterfinger launches mock conspiracy-hunting mobile tour.

Dish Network squares off with TV programmers over ad-skipping DVR.

Facebook impresses with photo app, while Mark Zuckerberg makes the cover of People and investors hope for refunds as legal challenges to IPO loom.

Ferrari deaths fuel anti-foreigner sentiment in Singapore.

FIFA tests goal line technology.

Jersey Shore's Snooki embroiled in $100M battle with merchandising firm.Continue reading...

Abbott Laboratories to pay $1.6 billion over labelilng of antiseizure drug.

Amazon takes on high-end clothing.

Angry Birds gets embeddable, and bumps Rovio to pre-IPO valuation of $9 billion.

Apple sees iPad trademark settlement rejected by China's Proview.

Aviva sees CEO resign over shareholdre-pay revolt.

The Avengers offends Indian viewers with slum depiction.

Barneys New York skirts bankruptcy.

Costco seeks to grow online sales.Continue reading...

Adobe pivots to target marketing departments.

Amazon adds lab and industrial goods to offerings.

American Airlines cites progress in labor talks.

Apple may be losing to Proview in China iPad trademark battle.

AT&T earnings rise as new wireless subscriptions stall.

Facebook sees revenue soar and passes 900M active monthly users, though growth slows right before IPO.Continue reading...

Amazon plans to republish James Bond novel series.

Apple and Samsung are ordered into a patent-settlement conference, while Apple pressures Beijing with iPad snub.

Eatzi's expands into new locations.

Berkshire Hathaway will remain firmly under Warren Buffett's control as he undergoes prostate-cancer treatment.

Best Buy sees CEO search influenced by founder.

Bristol-Myers Squibb tops Corporate Responsibility Magazine's Best Corporate Citizens 2012 ranking.

Chevrolet touts Volt with Klout.

Citicorp sees executive pay plan ovewhelmingly rejected by shareholders.Continue reading...