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TowerGroup estimates that of the $97 billion worth of plastic gift cards purchased in 2007, nearly $8 billion has gone unused. Just what happens to that pile of cash has become a matter of some controversy. A lot of states—roughly half—claim that at least part of the unspent balances should go to them under their unclaimed-property laws. Other sta Read More

Last week I read the story of how the state of Pennsylvania wants to shut down the thriving eBay auction business of single mom Mary Jo Pletz, which enables her to stay home with her 6-month-old daughter Julia, who has a brain tumor. The Pennsylvania Secretary of State's reason: Mary Jo does not have an auctioneer's license. Having sold 10,000 ite Read More

The Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy has reported small businesses will pay more per square foot and per employee than larger businesses to alter facilities to meet changes proposed for the Americans with Disabilities Act. The office studied costs associated with removing physical barriers to the handicapped, including changes i Read More

Most small and midsize businesses aren't even aware when they violate a software license, according to software industry sources, but that doesn't stop the fines from piling up. Nearly 90 percent of the fines collected annually by the Business Software Alliance for software license violations falls on small and midsize businesses, many of whom h Read More

With 150 million phone numbers now registered on the Federal Trade Commission's Do Not Call list, it seems clear most consumers don't want to receive unsolicited marketing phone calls. But apparently, it's not clear to everyone. The FTC on Wednesday announced multimillion-dollar penalties against three companies -- lender Ameriquest Mortgage Co., Read More