11/06, 4:20am
Google claims Siri poses competitive threat
Google chairman Eric Schmidt has told a U.S. Senate antitrust subcommittee that Apple’s Siri personal assistant is a potential threat to its core search business. The admission reverses a statement that Schmidt made in September last year where he had said that Apple did not pose a ‘competitive threat.’ Schmidt argued that the arrival of Siri is a ‘significant threat’ and even cited two publications that have called the voice recognition app a ‘Google killer.’
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09/21, 6:05pm
Judge refuses to consolidate cases
The Department of Justice lawsuit against the proposed AT&T buyout of T-Mobile has finally received a solid schedule, with trial proceedings to officially begin on February 13. Judge Ellen Huvelle allocated six weeks for the trial, however lawyers representing both sides reportedly claimed that such a length would not prove necessary.
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08/31, 11:45am
Would remove 'significant' competition from market
The US Justice Department has sued to block AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile, Bloomberg reports. A Washington, DC court filing charges that the absorption of T-Mobile would violate antitrust laws. "AT&T’s elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low-priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market," the document reads.
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07/20, 11:45pm
Judge approves class-action status
US District Jude Loretta Preska has allowed a class-action lawsuit against RIAA music labels to continue forward. The lawsuit, which accuses major labels of conspiring to fix prices for digital music distribution, will be pursued under the Sherman Act to explore potential antitrust violations of federal law. Similar antitrust actions under New York state law will also be investigated, as well as other claims related to consumer protection and unjust enrichment.
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06/28, 8:50pm
Search giant facing antitrust investigation
Google has reportedly hired a former US Department of Justice attorney, Jeffrey Blattner, who served as a prosecutor for the government's antitrust actions against Microsoft more than a decade ago. The antitrust specialist is said to be one of several Google representatives present at an American Antitrust Institute (AAI) meeting, where the search giant is said to have defended its search system amid accusations of anticompetitive behavior.
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05/10, 10:20pm
Charge brings net income down to $1.8 billion
Google has submitted a revised 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, revealing a $500 million charge associated with a Department of Justice investigation. Although the search giant did not formally announce any issues with the DoJ, the filing suggests the money is being set aside to accommodate a "potential resolution" to an investigation over advertising.
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05/04, 4:00pm
Apple, Adobe, Google, Lucasfilm included in suit
Former Lucasfilm employee Siddharth Hariharan has filed a lawsuit against a long list of tech companies, accusing the group of conspiring to limit compensation for key staff. Joseph Saveri, the attorney representing Hariharan, claims the "no solicitation" agreements, which prohibit companies from poaching employees from competitors, violate antitrust laws. The list of accused companies includes Adobe, Apple, Google, Intel, Intuit, Lucasfilm and Pixar.
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04/05, 7:40am
Google could undergo wider antitrust probe
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is rumored to be considering a broad antitrust investigation into the way Google conducts its Internet search business. According to the Bloomberg sources, the investigation could be as wide-ranging as the Justice Department’s investigation into Microsoft’s anti-competitive practices of ten years ago. However, the FTC is alleged to be waiting to see if the Justice Department investigates Google’s planned acquisition of ITA Software’s travel information service.
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03/22, 9:35am
Dispute over blocking Real files from iPods
A federal magistrate judge, Howard R. Lloyd, has ordered Apple CEO Steve Jobs to answer questions in a long-running antitrust dispute over the iPod and RealNetworks audio files, says Bloomberg. "The court finds that Jobs has unique, non-repetitive, firsthand knowledge about the issues at the center of the dispute over RealNetworks software," Lloyd's judgment reads. Jobs is expected to undergo a deposition, although it is not allowed to last more than two hours or stray from the topic at the heart of the case.
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02/17, 8:50pm
Move follows criticism from several groups
The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission are reportedly looking into Apple's new in-app subscription rules, following public criticism from a number of companies and groups. The US agencies are said to be considering the possibility that Apple may be in violation of antitrust laws by tightening rules for developers that manage in-app purchases outside of Apple's own iTunes payment system.
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02/16, 9:55am
Experts raise antitrust concerns
The Online Publishers Association is taking a critical stance toward Apple's new in-app subscription policies, according to a representative. The group includes several major publishers, namely Bloomberg, Forbes, Hearst, Time, Conde Nast and National Geographic. Its concern, claims association publisher Pam Horan, is the flexibility to serve customers.
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08/10, 11:15am
Months left in investigation, source claims
The European Commission has joined with the US Federal Trade Commission in probing Apple policies towards Flash, a source for the New York Post claims. Little else is known about the effort, although the Commission has taken a strong stance on interoperability, with which Apple's locks on iOS and the App Store may come into conflict. A combined investigation could take as long as four to six months, the source says.
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06/15, 5:15pm
May be inviting crackdown by US government
Apple may need to adjust its behavior if it wants to avoid legal action by the US government, argues Barclays Capital analyst Ben Reitzes. The FTC is reportedly considering whether Apple should be charged with antitrust violations, mainly for banning cross-compilers such as those based on Flash. The corporation could also be accused of unfairly blocking Google and AdMob from selling iOS ads, and the Department of Justice is reportedly looking into abuses in the music industry.
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06/11, 2:55pm
Company may now be under regular scrutiny
Apple will probably dodge antitrust suits from the Department of Justice and/or the Federal Trade Commission, argue Stifel Nicolaus analysts Rebecca Arbogast and George Askew. The US government is considering whether Apple is being anti-competitive in several areas, but primarily in terms of blocking Google/AdMob from from app advertising, and preventing developers from employing cross-compilers, namely those based on Flash. Apple may have legitimate reasons for both policies, the analysts suggest.
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05/04, 4:30pm
Apple rules prevent use of compatible Adobe tools
An Adobe complaint is the main cause behind reported federal interest in antitrust charges against Apple, according to Bloomberg sources. Apple recently changed the rules for developers, forbidding the use of third-party tools in the creation of iPhone and iPad apps. In doing so, Adobe's complaint is said to suggest, Apple has actively interfered with companies' ability to compete.
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05/04, 11:10am
Blocks on analytics earn ire of ad industry
The FTC and Department of Justice are interested in more than just tool restrictions when it comes to possible antitrust charges against Apple, says the Wall Street Journal. Again quoting "people familiar with the situation," the newspaper says that a probe could also look into iAd, Apple's new advertising network. While App Store rules forbid most iPhone apps from transmitting analytical data, valuable in targeting people for advertising, iAd may face no such limitation.
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05/03, 9:40am
Tied to locks on development process
Apple will soon be the subject of a US antitrust inquiry, according to a source contacted by the New York Post. The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission are, at present, said to be just days away from deciding which organization will launch the probe, looking into whether Apple might be unfairly controlling development of iPhone and iPad apps. The company recently banned the use of third-party tools, most notably Adobe's Flash cross-compiler.
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12/10, 6:55pm
Chip maker satisfies settlement terms
AMD on Thursday announced that it has received the $1.25 billion settlement payment from Intel. The payment satisfies the monetary terms of the agreement over various antitrust and patent disputes. Both companies have also decided to exchange patent rights as part of a five-year cross-license agreement.
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10/12, 11:35am
May put an end to FTC investigation
Arthur Levinson has resigned from Google's board of directors, according to an official statement. The company is terse on details, noting only that Levinson has been with Google since April 2004, and that the resignation is immediate and amicable. "Art has been a key part of Google's success these past five years, offering unvarnished advice and vital counsel on every big issue and opportunity Google has faced," reads a quote from company CEO Eric Schmidt.
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08/24, 9:15pm
Sprint Virgin deal cleared
The Federal Trade Commission has given antitrust permission to the proposed merger between Sprint Nextel and Virgin Mobile USA, according to Reuters. Sprint in July initially announced its plans to take over the smaller carrier for $483 million, building upon its current 13.1 percent stake. The deal will merge Virgin's prepaid service with Boost Mobile.
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08/11, 11:35pm
DVD Jon Apple subpoena
John Lech Johansen, known to many as DVD Jon, has been served a subpoena in the ongoing Apple iTunes antitrust case. The plaintiff's attorney, Thomas Merrick, requested the subpoena to gather relevant documents that Johansen might have in his possession.
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08/03, 5:10pm
AAPL, GOOG probes proceed
The resignation of Eric Schmidt from Apple's board of directors will not put to rest a Federal Trade Commission investigation, says the group's Bureau of Competition director, Richard Feinstein. Apple announced Schmidt's departure early Monday morning, citing the existence of Chrome OS as a potential conflict of interest. It is illegal for two US companies to share directors when they are also nominally competing in the same field.
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06/03, 10:50am
Justice Dept. Apple probe
The Justice Department is investigating the hiring strategies of some of America's largest high-tech corporations, according to the Washington Post. Companies involved in the probe include the likes of Apple, Google, Yahoo and Genentech, which are accused of making agreements to avoid recruiting from each other, thereby cementing their powerbase. Should allegations prove to be well-founded, the companies could be considered in violation of antitrust laws meant to ensure fair competition.
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05/13, 12:55pm
FTC head sides with Google
The new chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, Jon Leibowitz, is sympathetic to Google despite the government body's investigation into antitrust concerns, a CSPAN interview has uncovered. While Google "certainly has a dominant position in search advertising," argues Leibowitz, "just having a dominant position doesn't in any way violate the law." Problems only arise when a company moves to exclude other competitors, as Microsoft did with Windows and Internet Explorer in the 1990s, according to the FTC head.
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05/08, 11:10am
Schmidt on FTC probe
No plans exist to resign from Apple's board of directors, in spite of an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, says Eric Schmidt. The Google CEO spoke to reporters in advance of the company's shareholders meeting, the Associated Press writes, defending himself against suggestions that his participation in Apple may violate antitrust laws. The Clayton Antitrust Act prevents someone from serving on two boards if it may hinder competition.
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05/04, 11:40pm
FTC looks at AAPL and GOOG
The Federal Trade Commission has initiated an investigation surrounding ties between board members at Apple and Google, according to the New York Times. Google CEO Eric Schmidt and former Genentech CEO Arthur Levinson hold positions as simultaneous board members of both companies. Unnamed sources familiar with the matter claim Apple and Google have been notified by the commission that an antitrust inquiry has begun.
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05/04, 1:30pm
EU sets MS antitrust plans
A date has been set for Microsoft to defend itself against European antitrust charges, Reuters reports. Between June 3rd and the 5th, representatives for Microsoft are expected to testify in a closed hearing before the European Commission, elaborating on the outlines of a written response submitted on April 28th. The company was originally ordered to reply by March 12th, but was granted two extensions, first to April 21st and then the 28th.
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04/10, 1:05pm
EU to undo VoIP blocks?
The European Commission is considering a measure to force acceptance of VoIP by cellphone carriers, reports say. The EU's telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding, has called for the EU to undo arbitrary obstacles to "innovative services" on cellphones; a draft of the VoIP measure is thought to already be completed, but still unfinished due to a lack of precise wording. Current rules permit each country to decide what is blocked on the Internet.
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12/17, 7:30pm
Psystar DMCA defense
Psystar has submitted a response to Apple's recently expanded list of claims. After a successful filing to have the court reject the clone-maker's initial counterclaims of monopolistic business practices, Apple added several DMCA-violation allegations to the suit. The basic defense against the DMCA accusations argues that the technological copyright-protection measures employed in Mac OS X are being used to monopolize the manufacture of Mac OS compatible hardware systems.
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12/10, 3:15pm
Psystar drops antitrust
Psystar has submitted a modified counterclaim in its legal dispute with Apple, reports say. Filing in response to a tentative dismissal motion, Psystar has dropped any antitrust allegations under the Clayton and Sherman Acts, saying that while it "respectfully disagrees" with the court over definitions of monopoly, it will abide by them for the time being. It is nevertheless continuing a pursuit of Apple for copyright violations, referring to the legal concept of a "misuse doctrine."
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11/18, 5:15pm
Psystar countersuit over?
A countersuit filed against Apple by Psystar has been tentatively dismissed, documents show. Apple filed suit against Psystar in July, accusing the company of illegally installing Mac OS X on unauthorized hardware; Psystar retaliated with a claim of its own, arguing that Apple violates local and national antitrust regulations. In a 19-page ruling issued today however, judge William Alsup has sided with Apple, granting a dismissal of the countersuit should Psystar not improve the reasoning of its case by December 8th.
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08/14, 3:40pm
Psystar defiant of lawsuit
Psystar is "definitely still shipping" its Mac clones, in spite of an ongoing lawsuit from Apple, reads a message from the company. "Recently, our sales team has received several inquiries as to whether or not our systems are still available," the company says. "Psystar is definitely still shipping Open Computing products and we've introduced our restore utilities to enhance the computing experience for our customers at no extra cost."
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08/04, 4:00pm
Psystar: Apple a monopoly?
One of the lawyers representing Mac clone maker Psystar -- which is defending itself in a copyright and trademark infringement suit filed by Apple -- says the case has been
"mischaracterized," and is hinting that antitrust laws may come into play. Colby Springer tells Computerworld that the lawsuit is more complicated than just copyright or trademark issues, and suggests that the defense may try to paint Apple as a monopoly, exerting control over its software to limit competition in the hardware business.
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07/17, 3:10pm
Italian iPhone petition
Competition among multiple iPhone carriers in Italy has not resulted in low prices and happy customers, notebook italia reports. Controversy over service prices has led to a 10,000-signature petition, expressing disappointment with excessive costs.
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07/16, 12:30pm
Pan-European music OK'd
The European Commission has ordered music copyright organizations to allow pan-European licensing schemes, says the Associated Press. At present, companies looking to sell music throughout Europe must negotiate agreements with 24 separate collecting societies, scattered throughout the European Union. While this may protect national industries and culture, the Commission has ruled that it also breaks antitrust regulations, giving the societies monopolies in their respective homelands.
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07/03, 12:45pm
European music royalties
The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance has come out against proposed changes to how online music royalties are collected, writes the Associated Press. The conflict stems from an ongoing investigation by the European Commission, aimed at addressing antitrust concerns relating to the lack of Europe-wide royalty schemes. The Commission notes that currently, national copyright agencies have effective monopolies in their respective regions; there is also a need to negotiate as many as 27 separate royalty schemes for an album, something which may be hampering the spread of European music.
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06/06, 1:45pm
FTC investigating Intel
Intel is officially being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission, writes the Wall Street Journal. The CPU maker has been accused of violating US antitrust laws, specifically for a practice of using exclusive rebates and other tactics designed to discourage builders from turning to other companies. The case appears to be the result of long-term pressure from rival AMD, which has yet to resolve an antitrust lawsuit first filed in 2005. Another government probe began this year in the state of New York, with the help of local politicians.
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03/21, 12:30pm
XM-Sirius decision nears
The FCC is indeed moving closer to a decision on the merger of Sirius and XM Radio, according to the group's chairman. Kevin Murphy is cited by Reuters as saying that draft documents are being put together, which will outline the choices the FCC can make on particular details of the merger. "I have asked the staff, after we've gotten all the final information that we needed, to be doing drafts, and when there were issues outstanding to do a range of options for us," he states.
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03/17, 12:55pm
Microsoft appeal denied
The US Supreme Court has denied a Microsoft appeal aimed at defeating an antitrust lawsuit, writes the Associated Press. The suit was originally launched by Novell in 2004, and accuses Microsoft of having "deliberately targeted and destroyed" WordPerfect and Quattro Pro with the purpose of preserving the monopoly of the Windows operating system. Both applications continue to be sold under the aegis of Corel, but no longer hold the marketshare they once did.
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02/13, 12:00pm
Google abandoning Yahoo?
Google may be losing interest in protecting Yahoo from a hostile buyout by Microsoft, says the Wall Street Journal. Sources "familiar with the matter" tell the publication that Google -- long rumored to be involved -- may be concerned about attracting attention from regulators, given that both companies already control vast amounts of web search and advertising. A Google/Yahoo partnership might theoretically constitute a violation of US antitrust law.
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01/10, 12:55pm
Intel antitrust case in NY
New York has officially begun an investigation into Intel antitrust allegations, Reuters reports. The state's attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, says his office has subpoenaed Intel for a variety of information, following preliminary indications that Intel may have forced companies to exclude rival chipmaker AMD from the CPU market. "Our investigation is focused on determining whether Intel has improperly used monopoly power to exclude competitors or stifle innovation," says Cuomo. "We will also look at whether Intel abused its power to remove competitive threats or harm competition in violation of New York and federal antitrust laws."
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