TC Roundup: Publishers and adblockers are in a battle for online advertising

Publishers and adblockers are in a battle for online advertising: Electronic warfare has broken out between internet users and the $120bn online advertising industry.

On one side are the ad blockers. More than 140m people, or 5 per cent of the world's online population, are estimated to use software such as Adblock Edge and Adblock Plus to prevent advertising from appearing on web pages. A study by Adobe and PageFair found that the number of people using blocking software rose 70 per cent last year. (Financial Times)

China's Alibaba signs digital distribution deal with music rights group BMG: Germany's BMG music rights company said on Monday it had signed a music digital distribution deal with China's Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N), as the world's largest e-commerce firm firms up its bid to become a digital media empire.

The deal, one of the first in China made by a major music publisher rather than a label, will bring more than 2.5 million copyrights to Alibaba, whose music platforms already had many of the songs from artists including Kylie Minogue, the Rolling Stones and Jean-Michael Jarre, an Alibaba spokeswoman said. (Reuters)

India is one of the least e-commerce friendly markets says U.N. body: India is one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in the world, but the country's online retailing infrastructure is struggling to keep up.

According to a new index compiled by the United Nations, India lags way behind many other economies of the world, including Brazil, China and Sri Lanka, in terms of its ability to serve online customers. (The Wall Street Journal)

Apple CEO Tim Cook writes op-ed blasting anti-LGBT bills in Indiana and other states: Joining a growing chorus of technology industry leaders, Apple CEO Tim Cook has written an op-ed for the Washington Post that criticizes a growing movement of state legislation that would allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians.

While a recent bill in Indiana has sparked a national outcry over the issue, Cook notes that it is one of many states where such legislation has either passed or is under consideration. Cook argues that such laws are both bad for business and a step backward morally. (Venture Beat)

Google is still the place everyone wants to work: Google remains the most attractive first job for U.S. computer science graduates for the seventh year in a row, a survey shows.

The search giant held on its place at the top of the rankings compiled by Universum Global, a Swedish talent hiring advisory firm. Microsoft,Apple, Amazon and Facebook followed behind. (CNBC)