The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill that could ban TikTok in the US. If enacted, the bill would outlaw the distribution, maintenance, or updating of any app owned by or affiliated with the Beijing-based TikTok owner ByteDance, Ltd., or any successor or subsidiary if such is owned by “foreign adversaries” — a [...]
Search Results for: antitrust
Türkiye competition authority fines Meta 4.8M lira a day for failing to provide documents
The Turkish Competition Board announced on Wednesday that it decided to fine Meta Platforms Inc. 4.8 million lira ($160,000) a day for failing to provide sufficient documentation as part of a previous antitrust investigation in 2022. On January 11, 2021, the Turkish Competition Board opened an investigation against Meta Platforms Inc. (formerly Facebook Inc.), Meta Platforms [...]
US jury finds Google app store policies violate antitrust law
A US jury decided Monday that Google’s current app store policies violate Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act as well as the California Cartwright Act. Sometime next year, there will be a separate judicial process to determine the penalty that Google will suffer as a result of the jury’s Monday decision. Epic Games, [...]
DC Attorney General announces anti-trust suit against city's largest landlords
The Attorney General for the District of Columbia (DC) Brian Schwalb announced on Wednesday a lawsuit against 14 of the city’s largest landlords. The complaint alleges that these landlords colluded with RealPage, a rental management software, to artificially inflate rental prices in the city. In a video statement published on his X (formerly Twitter) page, [...]
US federal government and 17 states launch antitrust lawsuit against Amazon
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 17 states sued Amazon on Tuesday for anticompetitive conduct that, they claim, has helped it maintain its “monopoly power” in the online superstore market and the online marketplace services market. The federal and state governments are asking that the US District Court for the Western District of Washington [...]
Nepal’s Interim Verdict on Same-Sex Marriage—a Clarion Call for India?
The Nepal Supreme Court’s June 28 ruling requiring the government to register same-sex relationships follows an arduous struggle to achieve marriage equality in the South Asian nation. This historic order is expected to have an impact on an upcoming verdict regarding a similar plea at the Supreme Court of India. Despite India’s decriminalization of queer [...]
US Federal Trade Commission sues Amazon over deceptive subscription practices
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued retail platform Amazon.com Wednesday over allegations that Amazon deceived users into purchasing renewable subscriptions to its Prime service, which allows customers to save on delivery fees. The FTC claims that Amazon “duped millions of customers” into “unknowingly” purchasing these subscriptions through deceptive web design. In a heavily redacted [...]
UK regulator launches investigation into Amazon's $1.7B acquisition of iRobot
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Tuesday announced the launch of its investigation into Amazon.com, Inc.’s $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot Corporation, which is known for its Roomba robot vacuum cleaners. The CMA’s findings will allow it to determine whether Amazon’s acquisition of iRobot will reduce market competition within the UK. The CMA must [...]
US DOJ blocks JetBlue's $3.8B acquisition of Spirit Airlines as 'serious competitive threat'
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Tuesday filed a civil antitrust complaint to block JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines. The DOJ’s complaint alleged that JetBlue’s acquisition will negatively impact millions of consumers. While Spirit is known for offering low airfare for its customers, the DOJ stated, “JetBlue plans to abandon Spirit’s business model, remove seats [...]
Sony fights Microsoft's 'facially overbroad' subpoena in FTC's Microsoft antitrust lawsuit
Sony on Monday sought leave to file a reply explaining why it needs more time to argue against Microsoft’s allegedly overbroad subpoena in an ongoing Federal Trade Commission (FTC) antitrust lawsuit concerning Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Call of Duty manufacturer, Activision Blizzard. Sony is not a party to the FTC lawsuit against Microsoft but as [...]