Category: antitrust

US Antitrust Agencies See Merger Surge

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission said Monday that they had been notified of more than 4,000 proposed transactions between March 2020 and September 2021, sharply higher than normal. The agencies, which share the job of enforcing antitrust law, created an online portal to accept notifications of proposed transactions in March 2020, when…


Epic Games Opposes Apple’s Effort to Pause Antitrust Trial Orders

“Fortnite” creator Epic Games on Friday opposed Apple Inc.’s efforts to put on hold orders handed down in an antitrust trial as a potentially lengthy appeals process plays out. U.S. district Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in September struck down some of the iPhone maker’s App Store rules, including a prohibition on developers directing their users…


Big Tech to Face Another Bipartisan US Antitrust Bill

WASHINGTON—A bipartisan group of lawmakers, headed by Sens Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), plan to introduce a bill that would bar Big Tech platforms, like Amazon and Alphabet’s Google, from favoring their products and services. Amazon, for example, has been accused of using data from third-party sellers to determine what products it would…


Apple Asks Judge to Pause Epic Games Antitrust Orders as It Appeals Ruling

Apple Inc. on Friday asked a U.S. federal judge to put on hold orders that could require it to change some of its App Store practices and said that it is also appealing the ruling in an antitrust case brought by “Fortnite” creator Epic Games, according to court filings. U.S. district Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers…


Google Tells Court ‘Staggering’ $5 Billion EU Antitrust Fine Flawed

LUXEMBOURG—A 4.34 billion euro ($5 billion) European Union antitrust fine was based on flawed calculations, Alphabet’s Google said on Thursday, urging Europe’s second-highest court to scrap or reduce what it said was not an appropriate penalty. Google was fined for using its Android mobile operating system to thwart rivals and cement its dominance in general…


Australia’s Antitrust Regulator Calls for More Powers to Combat Google’s Rein Over Ad Tech

Australia’s antitrust regulator has called for more powers to combat growing competition concerns, particularly from Google, in the advertising technology sector, stating that Australia’s existing competition laws alone cannot address the mounting issues. In a report published on Tuesday, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said an inquiry into advertising technology, also referred to as “ad tech”…


Google, India Antitrust Watchdog Tussle in Court Over Probe Leak

NEW DELHI—Google accused India’s antitrust regulator in court on Friday of being a “habitual offender” by leaking confidential information of cases it was examining, an accusation the watchdog rejected. The Times of India and Reuters reported on Saturday that an investigation by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had found that Alphabet Inc.’s Google abused…


Justice Department Sues to Block JetBlue, American Airlines Alliance

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday sued American Airlines and JetBlue to block an alliance between the two airlines that allegedly violates antitrust laws. The lawsuit targets the so-called “Northeast Alliance” between American and JetBlue, which combines their operations at four major airports in Boston, New York, and New Jersey. The DOJ alleges that the…


Illumina in EU Antitrust Sights Over Premature $8 Billion Grail Deal

BRUSSELS—U.S. life sciences company Illumina could face a hefty fine for completing its $8 billion cash-and-stock takeover of cancer detection test maker Grail without first securing EU antitrust approval. Illumina closed the Grail takeover on Wednesday and said it would hold the company separate while waiting for the European Commission to decide whether to clear…


From E-commerce to Education, China’s Season of Regulatory Crackdown

SHANGHAI—China’s months-long regulatory crackdown on an array of private companies has unsettled tech upstarts as well as decades-old firms, ushering in a new, uncertain environment. Top antitrust regulator the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued sweeping draft rules on Tuesday governing online competition as the cabinet updated rules for operators of information infrastructure that…