Amazon

PATTERSON, Calif. - Amazon.com Inc.for years has fought government efforts to tax e-commerce. Now it's poised to pocket millions of dollars in sales taxes paid by California customers. As part of a pact reached last year with state lawmakers, some online retailers agreed to begin collecting sales taxes this fall. About half of the projected $316 million raised in the first full year is expected to come from merchandise sold by Amazon, which is also setting up two California fulfillment centers that will employ at least 1,000 workers each.

SEATTLE — Amazon.com Inc., addressing issues that have drawn heavy criticism of the company, told shareholders that it planned to improve warehouse conditions and drop its membership in a conservative public-policy organization. More than 100 protesters rallied outside the company's annual shareholders meeting Thursday at the Seattle Art Museum, calling on the Internet retailer to pay more taxes, treat its workers better and drop its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Amazon.com Inc. for years has fought state efforts to force it to collect sales taxes from its customers. Now, instead of battling the tax man, the company is looking to profit — by hiring itself out as an Internet tax collector. In an abrupt about-face, the company is now offering to handle sales-tax chores for merchants who sell products through its site for a fee equivalent to 2.9% of the taxes collected. The optional service, which is set to roll out Feb. 1, will be offered to Amazon's third-party vendors in all 50 states.

"Clueless," "Mission: Impossible III," "Forrest Gump" and several hundred other older films are now available on Amazon.com's Netflix-like subscription video service as part of a new deal with Paramount Pictures. Amazon has been continually beefing up the content in its Prime Instant Video service, which lets users stream unlimited movies and television shows on computers and digitally connected devices.

Amazon.com Inc. and the nation's bricks-and-mortar retailers are in combat again, this time over the online giant's price-comparison tool that enables shoppers to quickly check out prices at rival merchants. An uproar over the Price Check shopping app, used on mobile devices, erupted after Amazon launched a promotion for Saturday that gives customers 5% off (up to $5) on up to three qualifying items on its site if they check the prices of those goods on the app while browsing at a physical store.

State lawmakers hunting for revenue are eyeing one source that could prove costly to millions of California consumers: Amazon .com. The online retail giant has enjoyed an edge over many competitors in the state because it is not required to collect sales tax from residents who buy books, top-of-the-line plasma televisions, cases of diapers and thousands of other products from its website. The Seattle corporation has no store, warehouse, office building or other physical presence in California, and the state cannot tax such businesses under a 1992 Supreme Court decision.

Saying it won't force California customers to pay sales tax on their Internet purchases, Amazon.com is severing ties with 10,000 small businesses and individuals here who funnel shoppers to the online bazaar through their websites. The defiant action came hours after Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation that would have required Amazon to start collecting a 7.25% base tax on online purchases Friday because it has affiliates here that are paid commissions for steering shoppers to its website.

I WANTED to thank Reed Johnson for his piece on Lucio Flavio Pinto ["On the Beat in the Amazon," May 18]. It was very informative on a subject near to my heart: the conflicts of native peoples against money and politics in the wilderness areas of Brazil. It's a subject as far-reaching as Brazil's geography, and Johnson summed Pinto's view of the challenge well as "Enabling humans to learn 'how to use' the Amazon 'without destroying it.' " James Traynor Oxnard

The companies with the most positive buzz last year include retail brands such as Target, automakers such as Ford and tech giants such as Apple. YouGov BrandIndex rated the companies by asking survey respondents throughout the year whether they had heard anything about the brands recently through advertising, news or word of mouth. The most in-the-now businesses, in order: 1.    Subway 2.    Amazon 3.    History Channel 4.    Google 5.    Cheerios 6.    Lowe's 7.    Ford 8.    Discovery Channel 9.    Target 10.    Apple Top-ranked Subway was the only dining establishment to crack the top 10, with its increasing emphasis on fresh and healthy ingredients and sodium reduction while maintaining its reputation for budget meals . Amazon landed high because of its Kindle Fire launch and dominance of online retailing.

Greed, we are told by the moral philosophers, brings out the worst in human beings. As Amazon.com is about to prove, the same rule applies to big corporations. Last week, the giant online retailer announced that it was backing a ballot referendum to overturn a new state law mandating that it collect the sales tax due on purchases by its California customers. That law, which was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown at the end of June, was designed to eliminate the price advantage enjoyed by Amazon, and many other online retailers, over brick-and-mortar stores.

Amazon began rolling out a mobile version of its Appstore's Test Drive feature, which lets users try apps before they buy them. The beta version of the new feature became available to certain types of Android phones Tuesday, the company announced on a blog. Test Drive will let users try out more than 5,000 Android apps before deciding whether or not they'd like to purchase them right from their phone.

Amazon has begun taking pre-orders for the international version of the Samsung Galaxy S III, but the smartphone will come with a steep price to pay for Americans who don't want to wait. Though the 4.8-inch-screen Android phone is set to release in Europe next week, its U.S. arrival is further away. If you want the phone now, you can pre-order from Amazon, but it will cost you $799.99.

PATTERSON, Calif. - Amazon.com Inc.for years has fought government efforts to tax e-commerce. Now it's poised to pocket millions of dollars in sales taxes paid by California customers. As part of a pact reached last year with state lawmakers, some online retailers agreed to begin collecting sales taxes this fall. About half of the projected $316 million raised in the first full year is expected to come from merchandise sold by Amazon, which is also setting up two California fulfillment centers that will employ at least 1,000 workers each.

Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for. Amazon.com email - Online shoppers should be careful if they receive emails that appear to be from amazon.com, but actually are attempts to steal victims' financial information, the Better Business Bureau said in a recent alert. The scam emails include the subject line, "Your Cancellation," the BBB said. Anyone who receives a suspicious email that appears to be from Amazon should visit the Amazon website directly by typing www.amazon.com into their browser, then sign into "your account" to see whether the email was valid, the BBB said.

Google Inc.'s YouTube announced the launch of a new channel devoted to women in advance of a presentation to advertisers and brands, concluding a two-week-long series of marketing pitches by the leading distributors of online entertainment. "Black Swan" executive producer Jon Avnet and "Albert Nobs" director Rodrigo Garcia joined together to create WIGS, a YouTube channel of original scripted dramas and short films about women. Avnet and actress Virginia Madsen, who is best known for her role as Maya in the 2004 film "Sideways," were expected to take the stage Wednesday at New York's Beacon Theatre to tout the partnership with YouTube.

Barnes & Noble Inc.'s prospects against rivals Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc. in the fast-growing digital reader business just got a big lift thanks to a $605-million investment from Microsoft Corp. For the nation's No. 1 bookstore chain, the infusion will help its Nook business better compete against the top-selling Kindle e-reader and iPad tablet computer and relieves some of the pressure on Barnes & Noble to turn a profit on the Nook. It's also a good deal for Microsoft, which is spending barely 1% of its $60-billion cash reserve to gain a bigger presence in the e-reader and tablet markets ahead of the widely anticipated launch of its Windows 8 operating software later this year.

The world's biggest online retailer is now competing more directly with the nation's biggest DVD rental service. Amazon.com has agreed to acquire the shares it does not already own in Lovefilm International, a DVD and online film rental service similar to Netflix that operates in Europe. The Seattle company already holds a 42% stake in Lovefilm, which is headquartered in London and Luxembourg. Financial details were not disclosed, although the Financial Times said the deal values Lovefilm at about $317 million.

The Kindle Fire appears to be burning up its competition — on the Android side, anyway. Amazon.com Inc.'s tablet computer is catching on in a big way in the U.S., accounting by end of February for 54.4% of tablets that run Google Inc.'s Android system software. That represented a near doubling of the Fire's Android market share since December, when it was at 29.4%, according to new data from ComScore Inc. The Fire first went on sale in November. In a way, the Kindle Fire is gobbling up the small fish in the pond — far outpacing Samsung's Galaxy Tab (15.4% of Android)

Amazon began shipping its Kindle Touch 3G to customers in more than 175 countries and territories worldwide, seven days earlier than previously announced. The e-reader offers the same design and features as the Kindle Touch, and adds the convenience of free 3G wireless -- Amazon is paying for the 3G connection, so users don't have to sign up for annual contracts and pay monthly fees. "Kindle Touch 3G is the most full-featured e-reader available, with a beautiful, latest-generation electronic ink display, fast page turns and long, two-month battery life," said Dave Limp, vice president of the Amazon Kindle division.