Software, biotech firms and others who develop new ways to do business will be watching closely Monday as the Supreme Court hears a case that could determine if such innovations can be patented.

EBay said Friday that private investors looking to buy Skype had agreed to settle litigation with Skype's founders, who will get a 14-percent stake in the Internet phone service in the transaction.

Wal-Mart Stores is upping the ante heading into the holiday season, trimming the online preorder prices of some upcoming DVDs following last month's price cut on books.

Even amid the contraction of the venture capital industry, which fertilizes the seeds of new technology start-ups, some firms are expanding.

Best Buy plans to start an online service that allows consumers to buy, rent and download movies and television shows, the electronics retailer said Tuesday.

Cisco Systems Inc.'s  quarterly results this week are expected to reflect some recovery in tech spending, but it may be hard to get investors to commit more money to a stock that is already up 40 percent this year.

Motorola Corp. shares gained Monday and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. declined after Citi Investments Research predicted that Motorola and others could break the BlackBerry's grip on the corporate cell phone market.

The UK government's tax department took to social networking for the first time to warn people to come clean about offshore bank accounts by November 30 2009 to avoid penalty charges or even prison.

Church volunteers greet visitors entering the lobby. The worship band begins its set and a pastor offers to pray privately with anyone during the service.

Google announced a free navigation service for mobile phones on Wednesday that will offer turn-by-turn directions, live traffic updates and the ability to recognize voice commands.

Verizon Wireless will start selling its answer to the iPhone — the Droid — for $200 next week as the company taps into the growing appetite for smartphones that go far beyond just  making calls.

GameStop Inc. plans to hire about 15,000 seasonal, part-time workers to help with the holiday rush, the video game retailer said Tuesday. The company said the number of the new part-time workers this year is similar to seasonal hiring in 2008 and 2007."

The tech sector has been among the market’s top performers this year, and analysts believe the hot streak may continue. But the usual suspects may not be leading the way.

The likely corporate marriage of Comcast and NBC Universal is not likely to do any better than the merger of AOL and Time Warner, says the New York Times.