“Shareholders of Google Inc. on Thursday rejected a proposal that could have threatened the online giant’s China operation. The Office of the Comptroller of New York City, which owns about 500,000 Google shares, had asked the Mountain View-based company to pull out of China and other countries where its search results are censored. Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, speaking at a shareholders’ meeting in San Francisco, said the company has already taken action such as letting users know which of their results were censored. After the vote, Schmidt told the group the company was comfortable with the decision. ‘It preserves our mission, and helps the Chinese citizens,’ he said.”

“Internet giant Google announced last week that it will open offices in Buenos Aires, reports Spanish news service EFE in Spanish-language newspaper El Diario/La Prensa. The Buenos Aires offices will serve as headquarters for all of Google’s Latin American operations. Latin America is the fastest growing market for the search engine giant, according to the report. Previously, Google’s only offices were in the United States and Ireland. The company made a foray into Latin America by opening offices in Mexico and Brazil, but now it will center its operations in Argentina. ‘Latin America is the fastest growing Internet business region in the world,’ said Google executive director Eric Schmidt. ‘It is growing faster than Asia, the U.S. and Europe.’ Schmidt said Buenos Aires was selected because it had the right ingredients for Google’s launch in the region.”

Yahoo Inc. will provide exclusive sponsored search and contextual ads to all of Viacom Inc.’s 33 broadband sites, the companies recently announced. Yahoo’s newly launched search marketing system, code-named “Panama,” will provide search on ads on sites that include MTV.com, VH1.com, Nickelodeon.com, comedycentral.com and BET.com, with potential expansion to more than 140 additional Viacom Web sites. The deal is thought to be both a coop for Yahoo and a slap at Google. New York-based Viacom recently sued Google and its video-sharing site YouTube for more than $1 billion over unauthorized use of its programming claiming that there were more than 160,000 unauthorized clips on that site. Analysts said the agreement could also mean more non-search deals for Yahoo, which can now offer contextually-based display ads on Internet sites. Viacom is the parent company of Los Angeles-based Paramount Pictures Corp. and Glendale-based Dreamworks SKG.

“Youbet.com, Inc. signed a co-promotion agreement with a racetrack in Louisiana, the company announced Tuesday. Woodland Hills-based Youbet will feature Delta Downs Racetrack content on its online advance deposit wagering website and use its e-direct marketing and customer incentive programs to develop national wagering for the track. Delta Downs will promote online wagering at Youbet.com with on-track signage, print advertising, simulcast TV spots, and Delta Downs home page banner ads.”

Palo Alto based LinkedIn has hired Dan Nye, previously an Executive Vice President at Advent Software, as its new CEO. Linkedin is a business and social network that uses the “six degrees of separation” model to allow members to make connections with other professionals. Nye replaces Reid Hoffman, who founded LinkedIn and who will remain as Chairman and President, Products. LinkedIn is well funded with backing by Sequoia Capital, Greylock, Bessemer Venture Partners, and the European Founders Fund.

“Viacom Inc. said Friday it has demanded that YouTube Inc. remove more than 100,000 videos from its site. New York-based Viacom has started a competing service, and said the videos on San Bruno-based YouTube are mostly clips that represent more than 1.2 billion video streams and come from Viacom-owned properties including MTV Networks and BET. In a press release, Viacom sad that ‘After months of ongoing discussions with YouTube and Google, it has become clear that YouTube is unwilling to come to a fair market agreement that would make Viacom content available to YouTube users.’ The video-sharing service is owned by Mountain View-based Google Inc.”

MySpace Launches French Site
MySpace, a popular social network among young adults launched a French version of its site (fr.myspace.com) today. Myspace has already launched versions in the United Kingdom and Italy, and is currently beta testing in Germany. Myspace is based in Los Angeles. In 2005, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. bought Intermix Media Inc., which held MySpace.com for $580 million USD.
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