First Bytes: Google, Sirius, Yahoo, Apple, more

-- Google can finally bail out of the sinking ship that is AOL, in which the search engine took a 5 percent stake in 2005. [CNET]

-- Yahoo is considering hiring former Fox Interactive Media boss Ross Levinsohn and former AOL digital chief Jon Miller to "reinvent" the besieged internet giant, according to Kara Swisher. Meanwhile Yahoo
stock is trading at about $22, well below what Microsoft offered months ago. Paging Carl Icahn. [Boomtown]

-- A French court slapped a $61 million fine on eBay for selling fake luxury goods from fashion conglomerate LVMH. Ebay responded furiously to the ruling, charging that that the court's logic represents a potentially devastating threat to eBay's business of providing a secondary market for products consumers buy from manufacturers such as LVMH. [Portfolio.com]

-- Sirius unveils its plans to make money with XM, but the merger is still pending. [WSJ (subscription required)]

-- Warner Music became the latest to sign up for Nokia's offering to consumers, who will be able to download and listen to songs on their phones. Warner joins Sony BMG and Universal Music Group. [WSJ]

-- The MPAA and RIAA --- poxy groups for Hollywood and the recording industry -- argued that a $222,000 jury verdict against Jammie Thomas should stand. Thomas remains the only individual successfully prosecuted for online music piracy in the United States. [Wired.com]

-- Apple released an OS X Leopard software update. [Ars Technica]

-by Sam Gustin