SETTLEMENT

MasterCard Inc will pay American Express Co. up to $1.8 billion in a settlement that drops a lawsuit alleging that MasterCard had illegally blocked financial firms from providing American Express cards.

Brocade Communications Inc has settled a class-action lawsuit over backdating of stock options for $160 million.

Former Fannie Mae CEO and two other former executives will pay $31 million under a settlement announced Friday to resolve claims they manipulated earnings to boost their own bonuses.Franklin Raines...

Ford Motor Co has agreed to settle class-action litigation covering plaintiffs in four states who claimed its Explorer sport utility vehicles were prone to rollovers, Ford said on Wednesday.

An unusual provision in Merck & Co Inc's settlement agreement concerning the painkiller Vioxx means many plaintiffs may have little choice but to accept the deal, the Wall Street Journal said Friday in its online edition.

Visa USA, Inc will pay American Express Co. a total of $2.25 billion to settle allegations stemming from an anti-trust lawsuit filed in 2004 by AmEx, according to a report.

British oil giant BP agreed to pay $373 million in fines and penalties on Thursday to settle charges related to manipulating U.S. energy markets, a Texas refinery explosion and a pipeline spill in Alaska, according to U.S. prosecutors.

Oil major BP will pay $373 million to settle U.S. charges stemming from a deadly Texas refinery explosion and an Alaska oil spill, as well as allegations it manipulated propane markets, the government said on Thursday. The settlement comes as the company seeks to set a new course with a restructuring aimed at improving its record on safety and the environment.

Video rental chain Blockbuster Incl said on Wednesday it had settled a patent dispute with rival Netflix Inc. that had challenged Blockbuster's entry into the online DVD rental business.

Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) said Wednesday it will pay $2.3 billion in taxes, interest and penalties to settle a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service.

The Beatles and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) ended their long standing trademark dispute, possibly paving the way for the band's music to appear on the Apple iTunes online music store.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said Sony BMG agreed to settle charges from the commission that it secretly installed software on users' computers that would monitor listening habits for marketing purposes, while also limiting the ability to play the music on certain devices and make copies.

Kuro, one of Taiwan's best-known file-sharing services, has settled with the recording industry on Friday, agreeing to pay a substantial sum as well as shutting down its networks.

Singapore-based Creative Technology Ltd., the maker of Nomad and Zen MP3 players, said on Thursday that an agreement with Apple Computer Inc. to make accessories for the iPod would boost its sales from the October-December quarter.

Boeing Co. plans to pay $615 million to settle a U.S. Justice Department suit over procurement violations, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal's Web site on Monday.