Business notebook
Key notes: Steinway Musical Instruments Inc. said its board approved a special cash dividend of $3, and the company reached a three-year labor pact with domestic piano workers. The Waltham musical instrument maker will pay the dividend on or about March 9 to shareholders of record on Feb. 23.
Salary boost: Boston broadcast and wireless tower operator American Tower Corp. said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it approved a 2007 base salary for chairman and chief executive James D. Taiclet Jr. of $835,000.
Denied: Sixteen KPMG LLP executives charged with selling illegal tax shelters lost a bid in federal court to obtain documents from a 2004 government meeting they argue may support their case. An IRS attorney wrote an e-mail after the meeting with prosecutors saying it was "unclear" whether a KPMG transaction was an illegal shelter.
Gmail: Google Inc.'s free e-mail service will shed the final remnants of its invitation-only restrictions today. Invitations will no longer be required to join the nearly three-year-old "Gmail" service in the US, Canada, Mexico, and a swath of Asian and South American countries.
Battle dress: Hasbro Inc.'s licensing segment, HPG, signed an agreement for an apparel collection in Steve & Barry's stores. Terms were not disclosed. The Pawtucket, R.I., maker of toys and infant products said the deal includes properties such as Mr. Potato Head, Tonka, My Little Pony, and G.I. Joe.
Telecom cuts: Alcatel-Lucent SA plans to cut 1,500 jobs in France over three years, a French labor union official at the telecom equipment maker said.
Public: Time Warner Cable Inc. officially became a public company after a judge cleared the way for a reorganization plan for Adelphia Communications Corp., which is being acquired by Time Warner Cable and Comcast Corp.
One resignation: John Hamlin, senior vice president of Dell Inc.'s global online business and marketing division, has decided to leave the computer maker rather than oversee the new consumer group, according to an internal e-mail.
Two resignations: Yahoo Inc. said two executives who ran its music pages resigned amid mounting competition for viewers. David Goldberg and Robert Roback had been general managers of the sites after selling their music video and news company to Yahoo in 2001.
Gearing up: An administrative law judge with the US International Trade Commission said the transmission drives in Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius and Highlander vehicles don't infringe on a Solomon Technologies Inc. patent. The decision is subject to review by the six-member commission.
IPO: Clearwire Corp., a wireless-Internet company founded by mobile-phone pioneer Craig McCaw, will seek as much as $575 million in an initial public offering, more than it originally sought two months ago. The company plans to sell shares for $23 to $25 each, according to a regulatory filing.
Decision: Tribune Co.'s board, mulling a possible sale of the company after a four-month search for buyers, said it will make a decision by the end of the quarter.
(Globe wire services)
