Business notebook

Going up: Crude oil and gasoline prices climbed after the US government, citing problems at refineries, said drivers will likely be paying more to fill their tanks this summer than previously forecast. Bombings at three oil pipelines in Nigeria also raised supply worries in the energy market, lifting prices. Light, sweet crude futures for June delivery rose 79 cents to settle at $62.26 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gasoline futures rose 1.49 cents to settle at $2.2045 a gallon.

Piling up: Consumer borrowing increased in March by the most in four months. Consumer credit, or nonmortgage loans to individuals, increased $13.5 billion, or 6.7 percent at an annual rate, to $2.425 trillion, the Federal Reserve said.

Adding up: Walt Disney Co.'s use of the Winnie the Pooh character in movies, books, and other media is worth some $15 billion, according to an analysis commissioned by Stephen Slesinger Inc., the publishing company that licenses the rights. The Winnie the Pooh franchise represents as much as 18 percent of Disney's market value, Slesinger, which has battled Disney over royalties for 16 years, said.

Going green: McDonald's and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., the studio behind the new "Shrek the Third" movie, unveiled a promotion in which Shrek, Donkey, and other characters from the animated film will promote the chain's apple slices and salads rather than burgers and fries.

Suing: Drug maker Abbott Laboratories filed a federal lawsuit accusing the US unit of Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Inc. of infringing on a patent for the epilepsy drug Depakote.

Web deal: Microsoft Corp. has signed deals with Volvo Car Corp. and whiskey maker Chivas Brothers Ltd. to support two new Web-only video series from Reveille, the production company behind TV shows "The Office" and "Ugly Betty."

Settled: Amazon.com and IBM Corp. settled all their patent-infringement lawsuits and signed a long-term patent cross-license agreement, the companies said. Amazon.com will pay IBM an undisclosed amount and each company will share some of its technology.

Unlikely: The Securities and Exchange Commission, which is trying to expand access to stocks listed overseas, probably won't let foreign brokers sell unregistered securities directly to US investors, said Erik Sirri, director of the SEC Division of Market Regulation.

(Globe wire services)