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World Business Quick Take

■ Pharmaceuticals
Generic Viagra banned
A Chinese court has upheld the validity of drug maker Pfizer Inc's patent for Viagra, ordering two companies to stop sales of generic versions of the erectile dysfunction treatment and pay compensation for trademark infringements, a court official said yesterday. The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court ordered Beijing Health New Concept Pharmacy Co to stop sales of blue pills similar to Viagra, a court official said. The court told Lianhuan Pharma-ceutical Co, based in Jiangsu Province, to stop making the pills and to pay Pfizer 300,000 yuan (US$38,000) in damages, the official said.

■ Aviation
Virgin America hits wall
The US government blocked the path of startup airline Virgin America on Wednesday, ruling that the company must change its ownership and corporate structure before it can receive an operating certificate. Under the law, a US airline must be 75 percent owned and controlled by Americans and the Department of Trans-portation said Virgin America does not currently meet that requirement. Virgin America is based in California and had planned to begin flights next year. The airline has 14 days to object to the department's action.

■ Aviation
New budget carrier
Vietnam's first budget carrier, Pacific Airlines, will start operations in February and hopes to cash in on a growing tourism sector, officials said on yesterday. Pacific Airlines, currently a full cost carrier, will become a low-cost company offering domestic and international flights, the airline's managing director Luong Hoai Nam said. "This is a step towards the country's airlines integration into the regional and international markets," he said. The company will start with flights between Hanoi, central Danang and southern Ho Chi Minh City, as well as two routes from the southern business capital to Taipei and Kaohsiung, he added.

■ Online shopping
iPod hit by slowdown
Swarms of online shoppers armed with new iPods and iTunes gift cards overwhelmed Apple's iTunes music store over the holidays, prompting error messages and slowdowns of 20 minutes or more for downloads of a single song. Frazzled users began posting urgent help messages on Monday and on Tuesday on Apple's technical forum for iTunes, complaining they were either not allowed into the store or were told the system couldn't process their request to download songs and videos. It was not immediately clear how many people were affected by the slowdowns.

■ Automobiles
Ex-FBI director to help
DaimlerChrysler said on Wednesday it had hired former FBI director Louis Freeh to assist an internal probe stemming from allegations of bribing officials in some countries. "We've hired Louis Freeh as an outside consultant," said Han Tjan, director of corporate communications. DaimlerChrysler had revealed in 2004 that it was being probed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission with regard to its compliance with the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act following a complaint by a former employee. The investigation centers on accusations that the company operated secret bank accounts for use in bribing foreign officials, including in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

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