antitrust

Engadget Podcast: The Google search monopoly + ‘Industry’ creator interview
09 Aug

Engadget Podcast: The Google search monopoly + ‘Industry’ creator interview

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Google is officially a monopoly, according to a US court. But what does that really mean? This week, Devindra and Senior Editor Karissa Bell dive into the landmark Google antitrust case to explore how it could affect the future of search. Google claims it's simply delivering the best product, but clearly the court thinks otherwise. Also, we chat about X/Twitter's desperate lawsuit against advertisers who boycotted the social network.Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in…
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Good Luck Selling Your AI Startup
08 Aug

Good Luck Selling Your AI Startup

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There is no wilder time than the present to build a company around artificial intelligence. The server bills are astronomical, for one. Also the market for talent is red hot, and you’ll end up paying through the nose for good people. Even if you do get funding, staff up, get the product off the ground, and start making headway in a crowded field, there’s the specter of Big Tech looming overhead. The hypercarnivorous raptors of Silicon Valley—Google, Apple, Amazon, and Meta—will fix their steely eyes on the plump prey of your best employees and your intellectual property.But they can’t just buy…
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Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders call for an antitrust investigation into Venu Sports
07 Aug

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders call for an antitrust investigation into Venu Sports

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Venu Sports appears to offer a one-stop shop for streaming all kinds of athletic events. However, the extensive amount of sports content controlled by Disney (which owns ESPN), Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, has  raised questions about the upcoming streaming service. Three members of Congress have called on the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission to investigate whether Venu violates antitrust laws."If this JV [joint venture] is permitted to proceed, competitors would be forced to negotiate with Fox, Disney, and Warner Bros. for access to over half of the major sporting licensing rights while simultaneously competing against these…
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A US Judge Ruled Google an Illegal Monopolist. Here’s What Might Come Next
06 Aug

A US Judge Ruled Google an Illegal Monopolist. Here’s What Might Come Next

stp2y0 CommentsRAG models, , ,
But if Mehta pursues the approach, he should make some improvements on the EU’s rules, says Kamyl Bazbaz, senior vice president of public affairs at DuckDuckGo. Users should be prompted with the choice screen periodically, not just once, Bazbaz says. They shouldn’t have to deal with popups from Google urging them to switch the default to Google, he adds. And when users first interact with a competing search app, there should be an easy way to set it as the default app.With these added measures, some searchers could find themselves more reliably ditching Google. Others could be frustrated by the…
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Google Search Is an Illegal Monopoly, US Judge Rules
05 Aug

Google Search Is an Illegal Monopoly, US Judge Rules

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Google is now 0 for 2 in antitrust trials. United States District judge Amit Mehta ruled on Monday that Google has unlawfully maintained its dominance in search by using anticompetitive deals to keep rivals from gaining traction. And without fear of pressure from competitors, Google has been able to charge whatever it wants for search ads, he said.“The trial evidence firmly established that Google’s monopoly power, maintained by the exclusive distribution agreements, has enabled Google to increase text ads prices without any meaningful competitive constraint,” Mehta wrote in a 286-page ruling. “Unconstrained price increases have fueled Google’s dramatic revenue growth…
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Google ‘is a monopolist’ in search, US judge rules in antitrust case
05 Aug

Google ‘is a monopolist’ in search, US judge rules in antitrust case

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Google is in deep trouble after a federal judge ruled that the company illegally abused a monopoly over the search industry. The ruling follows a 10-week trial held in 2023 that stemmed from a 2020 lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice and several states.“Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in the ruling. "It has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act."Mehta has not imposed any remedies on Google at the time of writing. The judge may order…
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Apple may face a mammoth fine after the EU said it violated competition rules
24 Jun

Apple may face a mammoth fine after the EU said it violated competition rules

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may be on the hook for a fine of up to 10 percent of its global annual revenue following a regulatory action from European Union officials. In the preliminary findings of its investigation, the bloc says the company breached Digital Markets Act (DMA) rules by failing to let App Store developers freely tell users about alternate payment options away from Apple’s ecosystem.If Apple is found guilty, it could face a fine of tens of billions of dollars under the DMA’s severe penalties. Should a DMA violation be repeated, fines can reach up to 20 percent of global annual revenue.The European…
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Sellers Call Amazon’s Buy Box ‘Abusive.’ Now They’re Suing
13 Jun

Sellers Call Amazon’s Buy Box ‘Abusive.’ Now They’re Suing

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The latest UK class action, brought by the retailers, seeks financial compensation for the company’s alleged historical practices. “The most obvious and principal effect is a loss of revenue and profits. Amazon is taking sales away from merchants, having been able to use competitor data to bring to market its own products,” claims Boris Bronfentrinker, partner at law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher and counsel to the plaintiffs. “When companies acquire market power, they have to act with a certain responsibility. It’s not free and open to them to do what they want.”But despite the numerous existing investigations and allegations…
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US Sues to Break Up Ticketmaster and Live Nation, Alleging Monopoly Abuse
24 May

US Sues to Break Up Ticketmaster and Live Nation, Alleging Monopoly Abuse

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In the second case, a class action brought in 2022 on behalf of Ticketmaster customers in the US, Live Nation and Ticketmaster were accused of abusing the complementary relationship between their services to overcharge consumers and sustain their monopoly. “Live Nation controls the vast majority of the big national touring acts and, either explicitly or implicitly, coerces concert venues into selecting Ticketmaster as their ticketing service provider on pain of losing high-value acts,” claims Adam Wolfson, a partner at Quinn Emanuel, the law firm representing the plaintiffs.This type of conduct, known as tying, was explicitly forbidden under the consent decree…
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Judge Hints at Plans to Rein In Google’s Illegal Play Store Monopoly
24 May

Judge Hints at Plans to Rein In Google’s Illegal Play Store Monopoly

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A jury in December found that Google broke US antitrust laws through deals and billing rules that gave an unfair boost to its Google Play app store. On Thursday, a judge began laying out how Google could be forced to change its business as a penalty. The remedies under consideration could drive the most consequential shakeup ever to Google’s dominance over the Android universe.Fortnite video game developer Epic Games, which beat Google in the trial that saw a jury declare the Play store an illegal monopoly, is demanding that federal judge James Donato ban Google from contracts that deter competition.…
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