2025-06-02
First big #antitrust decision for @Teresaribera Not your classic fodder. Two big innovations here: - labour market intervention (not been done before) & abuse born out of a minority shareholding. M&A lawyers will be up in arms. But EC is clear: companies went too far here.
Financial Times
The EU Commission fines European takeaway groups Delivery Hero and Glovo €329M for taking part in an “online food delivery cartel”, ending its July 2024 probe
European Commission says European food delivery groups shared trade secrets — Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT …
2025-04-23
“All future violations will carry significantly tougher penalties, as a result of this decision,” @Andreas_Schwab warns regarding the next round of #DMA breaches. https://www.eppgroup.eu/...
Wall Street Journal
The European Commission fines Apple €500M and Meta €200M under the DMA and issues cease-and-desist orders to both companies; Apple and Meta say they will appeal
Fines come as European officials pursue trade talks with the Trump administration — BRUSSELS—The European Union fined Apple …
Apple will appeal today's DMA fine [image]
Wall Street Journal
The European Commission fines Apple €500M and Meta €200M under the DMA and issues cease-and-desist orders to both companies; Apple and Meta say they will appeal
Fines come as European officials pursue trade talks with the Trump administration — BRUSSELS—The European Union fined Apple …
.@EU_Commission spokespeople on #DMA — these decisions have nothing to do with trade negotiations — we don't care who owns a company or where it is located — we are happy to explain to international partners about our regulations — we care about our consumers and citizens
Wall Street Journal
The European Commission fines Apple €500M and Meta €200M under the DMA and issues cease-and-desist orders to both companies; Apple and Meta say they will appeal
Fines come as European officials pursue trade talks with the Trump administration — BRUSSELS—The European Union fined Apple …
Meta deeply unhappy about the #DMA fine today. [image]
Wall Street Journal
The European Commission fines Apple €500M and Meta €200M under the DMA and issues cease-and-desist orders to both companies; Apple and Meta say they will appeal
Fines come as European officials pursue trade talks with the Trump administration — BRUSSELS—The European Union fined Apple …
2025-04-17
Now the US has gone and done it..... there's nothing holding back @Teresaribera from wrapping up her own case into #Google #adtech. Well, apart from massive EU-US trade tensions and complex questions over the remedy.
New York Times
A US judge says Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in some online advertising tech, the second time in a year a court found Google acted illegally
The ruling was the second time in a year that a federal court had found that Google had acted illegally to maintain its dominance.
2025-03-19
And so @EU_Commission applies DMA after Trump tensions. Apple gets interop rules & Google sees escalation on search and app store. Key is the non-inflammatory language from @Teresaribera & @HennaVirkkunen “SIMPLY APPLYING THE LAW.” /1
Financial Times
The EU Commission orders Apple to open iOS to third-party connected devices, and in preliminary findings charges Google with breaking the DMA in search and apps
EU continues Big Tech crackdown under landmark Digital Markets Act — Brussels is pressing ahead with regulatory action …
2025-02-14
Also interesting that the apparent “pause” taking place on EU cases (i.e. no fines or escalation of the major tech probes) doesn't seem to apply for Europe's national enforcers.
Reuters
Germany's Bundeskartellamt charges Apple with abusing its market power via App Tracking Transparency, giving itself preferential treatment, and requires changes
Bad day for @Apple German regulator has sent formal objections saying the app-tracking pop-up applied to rival apps (and not to Apple's own) may be illegal self-preferencing. It doesn't buy Apple's arguments over privacy, saying the company is just hindering other developers'
Reuters
Germany's Bundeskartellamt charges Apple with abusing its market power via App Tracking Transparency, giving itself preferential treatment, and requires changes
2024-12-19
EU just intervened in iPhone, forcing interoperability w/ rival makers of watches, earbuds etc. It's huge. But @EU_Competition dropped the docs at midnight & barely made a squeak. Anyone would think they are trying not to alert @elonmusk @realDonaldTrump & @tim_cook
Reuters
Apple says Meta has made 15 interoperability requests under the EU's DMA, more than any other company, and that these could affect users' privacy and security
Apple (AAPL.O) on Wednesday hit out at Meta Platforms (META.O), saying its numerous requests to access the iPhone maker's software tools …
2024-11-14
Meta gets fine 797 million by the @EU_Commission Fine is chunky but not of the levels of Apple and Google. Interesting dual prong of “exploitation” (tying) and “exclusion” (data terms & conditions). That is rare. https://ec.europa.eu/...
Financial Times
The EU fines Meta €797.72M for tying Facebook Marketplace to Facebook and “imposing unfair trading conditions” on rival websites, the first such fine for Meta
Facebook is undermining rivals by ‘tying’ its free Marketplace services with the social network, Brussels says
2024-11-13
From the @FT: One person close to the Trump camp said, “Trump has no problem with Exxon and Chevron merging, but he won't let Big Tech do anything.” https://www.ft.com/...
Financial Times
Sources: Gail Slater, a top aide to JD Vance, and Mark Meador, a former enforcer at the DOJ's antitrust unit and the FTC, are the front-runners to lead the FTC
Financial Times :
From the @FT: One person close to the Trump camp said, “Trump has no problem with Exxon and Chevron merging, but he won't let Big Tech do anything.” https://www.ft.com/...
New York Times
Sources detail Elon Musk's role in Trump's transition: Mar-a-Lago meetings, calls with world leaders, voicing support for Brendan Carr at the FCC, and more
He's on the patio. He's on the golf course. Everywhere Donald Trump looks, there is the world's richest man.
2024-11-06
Remember that time last month when @EU_Competition lost a big case against @intel over chip rebates? Yeh, I thought you'd forgotten. Well, EC has started a new probe into exclusivity rebates. This time against @Corning who make glass screens for phones https://ec.europa.eu/...
Bloomberg
The European Commission opens an antitrust investigation into smartphone glass maker Corning for allegedly abusing its market dominance to squeeze out rivals
- EU fears deals with smartphone firms are anti-competitive — Corning pressed to remedy EU concerns with concessions
2024-10-29
What's remarkable is that these two had a truce in 2016 after a decade of fighting. Then it was Google on the back foot & Msft throwing stones. Now it's the reverse. @RimaAlaily Msft lawyer says Google is funding attacks on her company to distract from its own problems. /2
CNBC
Microsoft accuses Google of running “shadow campaigns” to discredit it with European regulators, including by organizing an “astroturf group” of cloud providers
Microsoft took the unusual step Monday of publicly accusing longtime rival Google of running …
.@Microsoft just took an almighty swing at @Google. It says G is behind shady campaigns to discredit it before regulators in an #antitrust fight over cloud. Reminder: G has filed a formal complaint @EU_Commission Read the whole blog. It's fireworks. /1 https://blogs.microsoft.com/ ...
CNBC
Microsoft accuses Google of running “shadow campaigns” to discredit it with European regulators, including by organizing an “astroturf group” of cloud providers
Microsoft took the unusual step Monday of publicly accusing longtime rival Google of running …
2024-09-25
New Clash of the Tech Titans. Google has filed an #antitrust complaint with @EU_Commission against Microsoft over tying Windows Server to Azure (the cloud platform). There was a truce between the sides a few years back. It's well and truly over now. /1
Financial Times
Google files an EU antitrust complaint alleging Microsoft engages in unfair cloud practices and is “exploiting” its customers' reliance on products like Windows
Search giant seeks antitrust probe of Big Tech rival over dominance of Azure platform
2024-09-19
One that got away. Days after @EU_Competition lost a court case on killer acquisition powers, it says there will be no review of the Microsoft, Inflection deal. National enforcers abandoned their requests to Brussels after the Illumina/Grail judgment https://ec.europa.eu/...
Reuters
EU regulators say Microsoft's acquihire of Inflection's team will not be scrutinized under EU merger rules, after seven EU countries dropped their requests
Foo Yun Chee / Reuters :
2024-08-09
.@Apple makes a new move to comply with #DMA. This time it allows developers to link out more fully (scream about offers/prices/alternatives). And a new fee structure: 5pc of purchases for 1y as an “acquisition fee” and then 10pc for “service fee.” https://developer.apple.com/ ...
TechCrunch
Spotify says Apple's new “unacceptable” plan “disregards” the DMA's “fundamental requirements”; Tim Sweeney calls it “malicious compliance” with a 15% junk fee
Count Spotify and Epic Games among the Apple critics who are not happy …
The boss of @EpicGames gives his view on @Apple latest DMA compliance attempt:
TechCrunch
Spotify says Apple's new “unacceptable” plan “disregards” the DMA's “fundamental requirements”; Tim Sweeney calls it “malicious compliance” with a 15% junk fee
Count Spotify and Epic Games among the Apple critics who are not happy …