antitrust

“All You Need to Know about the DOJ’s Case against Apple’s iPhone Antitrust Investigation”

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Apple’s iPhone antitrust lawsuit: Everything we know so far on the DOJ’s case U.S. regulators are accusing Apple of operating like a monopoly, and the implications of the case stretch far beyond iOS and iPhones themselvesApple’s antitrust scrutiny has reached a fever pitch. We’ll be updating this page as the Apple antitrust case evolves, but keep in mind that there will be little settled in the short term. The DOJ’s claims against AppleIf you want to dive into legal docs immediately, you can read the DOJ’s lawsuit right here. The DOJ’s antitrust case against Google, which was filed back in 2020, went to trial last year and could still take a couple more years to reach a conclusion. For more on Apple’s antitrust lawsuit, check here:

“Demystifying the DOJ’s Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple iPhone”

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The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Apple over allegedly monopolistic smartphone practices. The federal agency is not alone in the matter, bringing 15 states and the District of Columbia into the mix as well. Regulators and tech companies, name a more iconic duo. But as we’re about to see with Apple, big tech companies are not going to go down without a fight. For more on Apple’s antitrust lawsuit, check here:

“UK Launches Comprehensive Investigation on Three and Vodafone’s Proposed $19B Merger”

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The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that it’s launching a formal “phase 2” investigation into the planned merger between Vodafone and Three UK. The CMA says that the deal could lead to higher prices for consumers, while also impact future infrastructure investments. However, the CMA has given both parties a token five working days to address its concerns with “meaningful solutions” before it formally progresses the investigation. Such a scenario is precisely why the U.K. introduced the National Security and Investment Act back in 2022, with previous form in blocking deals between U.K. entities and Chinese companies. “This case has more moving parts than the CMA’s other recent big decisions, and is arguably more important for the U.K. economy,” Smith said.

Can the antitrust case against Apple be seen as a glimmer of hope for Epic Games?

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Meanwhile, Fortnite maker Epic Games has been accusing Apple’s iOS App Store of antitrust violations for years in an ongoing, arduous legal battle. “Apple often enforces its App Store rules arbitrarily,” the suit says. And unlike Android devices, iPhones do not allow for sideloading apps, meaning that Apple has control over any app in its App Store. “While Apple has reduced the tax it collects from a subset of developers, Apple still extracts 30 percent from many app makers,” the suit says. On Thursday, the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF) – which includes Epic Games, Spotify, Deezer, Proton and other companies – released a statement in favor of the DOJ’s action against Apple.

India initiates antitrust investigation on Google’s app marketplace billing procedures

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India’s antitrust regulator has ordered an investigation into Alphabet’s Google, alleging the U.S. tech giant abused its dominant position in the country’s online market by imposing unfair terms and discriminatory practices in its popular app store. The order came in response to complaint filed by multiple Indian app developers and industry groups, many of whom have also publicly raised concerns about what they allege is unfair practices by Google. CCI’s allegations centre around Google’s billing system for in-app purchases and paid apps on its Play Store. The watchdog’s decision is the latest headache for Google in India, its biggest market by users but one where it has long faced allegations of anti-competitive practices. The U.S. giant has previously defended its Play Store policies, saying the service fee supports its investments in Android and Play Store, allowing it to provide developers with tools and a global platform to access billions of consumers around the world.

Apple Fights Back: Challenging €1.84 Billion Antitrust Ruling in Favor of Spotify by the European Commission

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Apple says it plans to appeal the historic €1.84 billion fine issued today by the European Commission over Apple’s anticompetitive practices in the streaming music market. Apple again stressed that Spotify pays Apple nothing in terms of App Store commissions because it sells its subscriptions only on Apple’s website. “They want to use Apple’s tools and technologies, distribute on the App Store, and benefit from the trust we’ve built with users — and to pay Apple nothing for it,” Apple says. “In short, Spotify wants more.”Apple says that while it respects the European Commission, the facts don’t support the decision, and ” as a result, Apple will appeal.”“Every day, teams at Apple work to keep that dream alive,” Apple wrote. “We do it by making the App Store the safest and best experience for our users.

“Pivotal Messaging: Spotify Reacts to Apple’s €1.84B Antitrust Penalty and Emphasizes the Significance of Next Moves”

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Despite the EC ruling favoring Spotify and other streamers over Apple, the company was still cautious about how Apple would proceed. So we’re looking forward to the next steps that will hopefully clearly and conclusively address Apple’s long-standing unfair practices,” Spotify wrote. In 2019, Spotify first filed its antitrust complaint against the tech giant, which later led to the EU’s formal investigation of Apple’s App Store announced in 2020. In April of the following year, the EU issued a statement of objections, accusing Apple of distorting competition in the market for streaming services. And it noted that Spotify had a 56% share of the music streaming market in Europe, compared with Apple Music’s 11% share.

EU imposes $1.84BN fine on Apple for anti-steering tactics in iOS music streaming market

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The European Union has fined Apple €1.84 billion for breaching antitrust rules in the market for music streaming services on its mobile platform, iOS. The penalty is focused on Apple’s application of anti-steering provisions, which put restrictions on music streaming apps’ abilities to tell consumers about cheaper offers outside Apple’s App Store. The iPhone maker has its own music streaming service, Apple Music, and rivals — such as Spotify — have argued the restrictions put them at a disadvantage compared to the platform operator. A formal EU statement of objections duly followed, in April 2021, when the Commission accused Apple of operating its App Store in a way that distorts competition in the market for music streaming services. Last month, the FT reported Apple was facing a €500M antitrust penalty over music streaming.

UK Initiates Investigation into Proposed $19B Vodafone / Three Merger for Antitrust Concerns

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The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching a formal probe into the proposed merger between Vodafone and Three UK. That is some 18 months form when they first revealed their plans back in June. It’s not entirely clear how that might impact this latest merger attempt, but Smith reckons that deal is as good as dead, regardless of what any court might subsequently find. “The previous Three/O2 merger is still technically going through the EU courts, but that deal is long since dead in reality,” Smith said. “We strongly believe that the proposed merger of Vodafone and Three will significantly enhance competition by creating a combined business with more resources to invest in infrastructure to better compete with the two larger converged players,” Vodafone UK CEO Ahmed Essam said in a statement.

EU Settlement: Apple’s Pledges to Resolve Antitrust Probe into Apple Pay

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The EU suspects Apple of unfairly favoring its own mobile payment tech, Apple Pay, and squeezing out the ability of rivals to develop competing contactless payment offerings on its mobile platform. It has also committed to applying “fair, objective, transparent, and non-discriminatory” eligibility criteria to grant NFC access to third parties — which will have to conclude an ADP license agreement to gain access. The Apple Pay competition saga dates back several years at this point. The Apple Pay case pre-dates ex ante competition legislation the bloc has since enacted and which Apple is subject to; having been designated, in September, as a so-called “gatekeeper” under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). And although Apple’s payment tech, Apple Pay, has not been designated a “core platform service” the iOS App Store has.