Displaying items by tag: Antitrust

An anti-trust complaint to the European Union, about Microsoft's pricing of its cloud services in the political bloc, has had an effect, with the US company changing its licensing deals and making it easier for cloud rivals to compete.

The US Department of Justice has accused Google of making "excessive and intentional efforts" to misuse its attorney-client privilege and hide business documents relevant to an anti-trust suit filed against the search firm in October 2020.

The second-highest court in the European Union will deliver its verdict on 14 September on an appeal by Google against a €4.34 billion (US$4.77 billion, A$6.46 billion) fine imposed on it by the European Union in 2018 for allegedly breaching anti-trust rules relevant to Android.

Google has launched a second appeal, this time in the EU's highest court, against a fine of €2.42 billion (US$2.73 billion, A$3.79 billion) levied on it and its parent company Alphabet in 2017 for abusing its dominant market position for online general search services in 13 EU countries.

The General Court of the European Union has dismissed an appeal by Google and its parent company Alphabet against a fine of €2.42 billion (US$2.77 billion, A$3.79 billion) levied for abusing its dominant market position for online general search services in 13 EU countries.

A parliamentary panel has delivered a riposte to Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn who has been pushing for the regulation of Apple Pay, saying it is not convinced that there is any need for regulatory intervention at this time.

Apple and Google have come under scrutiny in Japan, with the country's Fair Trade Commission set to investigate whether the two companies are using their dominance of mobile operating systems to cut out competition.

Google is pleading what could be characterised as the "nice-guy defence" in its bid to reduce a €4.34 billion (US$5.02 billion, A$6.94 billion) fine imposed on it by the European Union in 2018 for allegedly breaching anti-trust rules relevant to Android, by saying it never intended to harm its rivals.

Search giant Google has taken a swing at European anti-trust regulators over a €4.34 billion (US$5.07 billion, A$6.96 billion) fine imposed on it in 2018 for allegedly breaching anti-trust rules relevant to Android, claiming the authorities had turned a blind eye to Apple, its sole rival in the smartphone space.

A non-profit group in the north Indian state of Rajasthan has filed an anti-trust case against Apple similar to that which the iPhone maker faces in the European Union, alleging that the US firm abuses its dominant market position by forcing developers to use its proprietary in-app purchase system.

Amazon has agreed to acquire MGM for US$8.45 billion.

The anti-trust suit filed by the US against Google in October is unlikely to make any progress, judging by the kind of people whom US president-elect Joe Biden is taking onboard as part of his transition team and also in technology roles.

Australia’s competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, says it is keeping a close watch on global anti-trust efforts focusing on major digital platforms, including the US Department of Justice’s recent case against Google and proposed new competition laws in Europe.

The US has filed a civil anti-trust suit against search firm Google, saying it was aimed at stopping the company, which dominates the sector, "from unlawfully maintaining monopolies through anti-competitive and exclusionary practices in the search and search advertising markets and to remedy the competitive harms".

The US has unveiled a 449-page report on what is says are abuses of market power by four big technology companies - Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple - finding that the firms have used acquisitions to stifle rivals, charged exorbitant fees and forced small businesses into "oppressive" contracts in order to make a profit.

Search giant Google may soon face anti-trust suits both in the US and China, with Reuters reporting that the US Department of Justice is trying to persuade the attorneys general in states to sign up.

The European Commission has announced a formal anti-trust investigation into Amazon to find out whether the firm's use of sensitive data from independent retailers, who use its marketplace, breaches competition rules within the political bloc.

Three young Indians have been responsible for their country joining the ranks of nations that are investigating Google for alleged abuse of its Android platform.

The US Justice Department is considering whether to investigate Google for alleged anti-trust violations, a report in The New York Times claims.

American multinational semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company Qualcomm has been found to have illegally suppressed competition for smartphone processors by holding out the threat of limiting supplies and obtaining excessive licensing fees.