This afternoon, the European Commission officially approved Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, noting that the remedies offered by Microsoft should be enough to do away with competition concerns. Now, the UK's Competition & Markets Authority has responded, saying it stands by its initial decision. In a series of tweets …
Read More »The EU will reportedly approve Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition this month
While the FTC and the CMA are opposing Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, reports this week claim that the European Commission has a different view on the deal and plans to approve it. According to sources speaking with Reuters, the EU will approve Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition. Previously, the Commission …
Read More »The EU will reportedly approve Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition
The competition and market regulators are still evaluating Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard. While it seemed like things were trending towards the acquisition being blocked, sources this week have claimed that the EU is actually now planning to approve the deal.
Read More »EU Commission opens investigation into Nvidia’s $40 billion Arm acquisition
In recent months, a number of regulators have begun taking an interest in Nvidia's proposed $40 billion acquisition of Arm. The deal was announced in 2020 but has yet to be completed as the deal continues to go through regulatory checks. Recently, the UK's competition authority suggested the acquisition could …
Read More »EU and UK begin antitrust investigations into Facebook Marketplace
The European Commission and the UK are launching separate investigations into Facebook citing antitrust concerns over the Facebook Marketplace and the company's use of classified advertisements on the platform. In particular, regulators are concerned that Facebook is unfairly using advertising data to distort competition. Speaking on the investigation, the European …
Read More »Apple will reportedly face EU antitrust charges this week
The European Commission has launched several antitrust investigations against Apple over the years, including a big investigation over iOS App Store policies and Apple's 30 percent revenue cut. Now, Apple will reportedly face antitrust charges in the EU later this week. According to Financial Times (via The Verge), the European …
Read More »Epic Games files antitrust complaint against Apple in EU
As we all know, Epic Games and Apple aren't on the best of terms at the moment. Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Apple in the US last year over the company's App Store policies, which subsequently ended in Fortnite being removed from iOS. Since then, Epic has been filing …
Read More »European Commission to investigate Apple’s stance against game streaming services
Last week, Microsoft officially scrapped plans for xCloud streaming on iOS, citing Apple's tight App Store rules as a result. Apple didn't deny this and in fact backed this up by saying that its store does not allow for streaming services like xCloud, GeForce Now etc on its platform. Sure …
Read More »Google’s next Android update is aimed at settling the EU’s anti-competitive accusations
After the European Commission hit Google with a record $5 billion fine, branding Android as anti-competitive, the company said that it would do more to ensure that users know about the alternative browsers and search engines available. Outlining the range of changes set to hit new and existing Android devices, …
Read More »EU Commission launches antitrust investigation into Valve and other publishers for geo-blocking
The European Commission tends to launch several large antitrust investigations each year. While most of the ones we report on tend to fall in the tech realm, this week, the EU is turning its attention to gaming. More specifically, the commission is investigating publishers and platform holders over content geo-blocking, …
Read More »Google outlines its changes to Android in the EU following record $5 billion fine
The European Commission hit Google with a record $5 billion fine last year, stating that its Android OS was anti-competitive with its pre-packed Chrome browser. In an effort to combat these claims, Google will now make more of an effort to ensure European users know that there are other options …
Read More »Google appeals the EU’s record-breaking $5bn antitrust fine against Android
Back in July, the European Commission found Google guilty of indulging in anti-competitive behaviour, forcing Android manufacturers to adopt Google’s search engine and browser by default. This resulted in an unprecedented €4.34bn (£3.8bn/$5bn) fine, which the firm has now officially begun to appeal. The decision was made following two years-worth …
Read More »European Commission fines Google a record-breaking $5 billion
The European Commission has finally decided the fate of Google following complaints of anti-competitive behaviour surrounding its Android platform. Google has been ordered to pay a record-breaking €4.34bn (£3.8bn/$5bn) fine, which the company states is unjustified given that “Android has created more choice for everyone, not less.” European competition commissioner …
Read More »Apple begins to chip away at €13 billion payment in Irish tax
Back in 2016, the European Commission ruled that Apple owed €13 billion in back-taxes, which the governing body branded as ‘illegal state aid’. While Ireland and Apple are still disputing the ruling, the iPhone manufacturer has now paid out €1.5 billion ($1.76bn) towards the overall sum. The money is currently …
Read More »The EU is still open to the idea of breaking up Google
It looks like the European Union is concerned about Google once again. This time around, the EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, voiced “grave suspicions” over Google's growing dominance online. Previously, the EU has fined Google £2.1 billion for prioritising Google Shopping in search results over competing services. Now, the competition …
Read More »Qualcomm hit with €997 million for EU antitrust law violations in exclusivity deal with Apple
Qualcomm has had a rough year when it comes to antitrust claims and government investigations. Not only is the chip maker being sued by Apple and investigated by the FTC over in the US, but the European Commission had also launched its own anti-competition probe into Qualcomm. Now today, the …
Read More »Google appeals record breaking €2.42 billion fine
Google came under fire this June, netting the biggest fine the European Commission has ever handed out at €2.42 billion. The company has unsurprisingly filed an appeal, opposing the General Court of the European Union’s ruling. The €2.42 billion fine came about via the antitrust allegation that the tech giant …
Read More »Intel’s €1.06 billion antitrust fine to be revisited in EU court
Over the last few years, Intel has had a massive €1.06 billion fine looming over its head after the European Commission ruled that the company had violated antitrust laws. At the time, Intel was offering rebates to OEMs to retain the upper-hand over AMD in the market. Intel has been …
Read More »European Commission hits Google with €2.42 billion fine over Shopping search engine
Over the last several years, Google has been battling it out with the European Commission in court over various antitrust allegations. One of the first antitrust cases to be levied at Google surrounded the company's ‘Shopping' search engine, with the EU claiming Google skews results and causes harm to competitors. …
Read More »European Commission’s Android antitrust probe turns to complaining businesses
It has been a while since the European Commission first launched its anti-trust investigation against Google's Android OS and now, the commission is ready to hear the formal complaints from businesses claiming foul play. The companies that initially complained about Google's hold on the market with Android now have 24 …
Read More »Regulator slams Three’s O2 buyout, demands Commission do more
The move by mobile network Three, to try and buyout other major UK network, O2, looks to have hit a snag, as the British antitrust regulator has raised concerns about a recent European Commission investigation into the merger. It described the remedies to cited problems as “materially deficient,” and wants …
Read More »EU Commission may make geo-blocking invalid in Europe
As much as digital streaming companies like Netflix and Amazon have offered us more content in the past few years than has ever been so easily accessible before, one major frustration remains: geo-blocking. However in the future we may all have the same content available, as the European Commission (EUC) …
Read More »Game pricing to be unified throughout Europe
Although GoG operates a credit system for those that are forced to pay more for their digitally downloaded games simply because of where they are from, the pricing system of different titles in Europe has always been a difficult one to justify. We may never have anything as cheaply as our …
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