monopolies

12 Stories

Millions Are About to Receive Some Cash From Google

Company agrees to $700M settlement with consumers, states on high fees for app developers

(Newser) - More than 100 million consumers are eligible to receive funds from Google as part of an antitrust payout worth $700 million over fees Google charged in its app store. Per settlement terms released Monday , the tech giant will deposit $630 million into a fund that will dole out compensation to...

Largest Antitrust Trial in US in 25 Years Is About to Kick Off

Justice Department takes on Google over its search engine dominance

(Newser) - Google will confront a threat to its dominant search engine beginning Tuesday when federal regulators launch an attempt to dismantle its internet empire in the biggest US antitrust trial in a quarter century. Over the next 10 weeks, federal lawyers and state attorneys general will try to prove Google rigged...

Judge Rejects FTC Move to Halt $69B Microsoft-Activision Deal

With clock ticking to get the deal closed, court hands Microsoft a major victory

(Newser) - A federal judge has handed Microsoft a major victory by declining to block its looming $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard. US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said in a ruling that the Federal Trade Commission "has not shown a likelihood it will prevail on its...

UK Just Nixed the Biggest Tech Deal in History

Microsoft's $69B attempt to buy video game maker Activision scuttled over fears of stifling competition

(Newser) - British regulators have blocked Microsoft's $69 billion deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard over worries that it would stifle competition in the cloud gaming market. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority said in its final report Wednesday that "the only effective remedy" to the significant...

Tennessee AG Isn't Shaking Off Ticketmaster's Swift Debacle

Jonathan Skrmetti looking into consumer complaints on Ticketmaster sales for singer's tour

(Newser) - The Ticketmaster fumble on Tuesday during sales for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour wasn't just an annoyance for fans—it was a bungle that's caught the attention of Tennessee's attorney general. At a Wednesday video news conference, AG Jonathan Skrmetti announced that, due to multiple consumer complaints...

Warren: Time to Bust Up Google, Amazon

Presidential candidate is going after the giants of tech

(Newser) - Elizabeth Warren wants a fair playing field in the marketplace—and she's going after Big Tech to make it happen. "To restore the balance of power in our democracy, to promote competition, and to ensure that the next generation of technology innovation is as vibrant as the last,...

We Should All Be Worried About Barnes & Noble
We Should All Be Worried
About Barnes & Noble
OPINION
May 7, 2018 12:07 PM CDT

We Should All Be Worried About Barnes & Noble

David Leonhardt: It's in the country's best interest for the chain to thrive

(Newser) - Barnes & Noble is in real danger of disappearing, and that has David Leonhardt of the New York Times worried. This isn't just a case of a corporate giant being unable to keep up with the new age, he writes. It's the result of a misguided government policy...

10 Reasons to Stop Buying on Amazon

Taxes, 'monopolistic' behavior top the list

(Newser) - Amazon: the evil empire? The Nation seems to think so, warning that Amazon is "well positioned to overpower its rivals" as publishers turn to digital books and the mega-site sells more Kindle books than hardcovers. The lefty mag lists 10 reasons not to do business with Amazon:
  1. Amazon avoids
...

Microsoft Prevails in Document Standards Fight

OOXML ratified as a global standard

(Newser) - Microsoft has won a heated battle to have one of its document formats made into a global standard, disappointing many who lobbied against the company and making the software giant more likely to win government contracts. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) okayed OOXML, leading a Microsoft rep to boast...

EU Fines Microsoft Record $1.3B
EU Fines Microsoft Record $1.3B
UPDATED
Feb 27, 2008 5:01 AM CST

EU Fines Microsoft Record $1.3B

Regulators punish company for overcharging Windows developers

(Newser) - The European Commission fined Microsoft today a record $1.35 billion for failing to comply with its 2004 antitrust ruling. The EU's executive branch said that the company continued to charge "unreasonable prices" to developers building programs for Windows despite both the earlier ruling and a court verdict last...

FCC Chief May Not Have Votes to Curb Cable

Martin is struggling for majority of 5-member commission

(Newser) - FCC chief Kevin Martin may not have the votes he needs to initiate regulation of the cable industry, reports the New York Times. Martin has scheduled a vote for tomorrow to approve a formal finding that the cable industry has grown too big, which would give the commission power to...

Mexico Eyes Carlos Slim's Stupendous Wealth

World's richest man owns 8% of GDP

(Newser) - With Mexican media baron Carlos Slim now the world's richest man, superseding Bill Gates, Mexican regulators are  launching an investigation into whether the virtual monopolies that have made him worth $67 billion in a dizzyingly short time are illegal. Two of his companies—Telemex and Movil—control about 90% of...

12 Stories