Acquisition of VMware by Broadcom will not weaken competition - the UK's CMA provisionally rules this week
News competition
UK Watchdog Finds Microsoft’s Activision Deal Could Hurt Gamers
British watchdog CMA becomes first global regulator to conclude Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision is anti-competitive
Facebook Parent Seeks To Block £3bn UK Lawsuit
Facebook parent Meta seeks to block £3bn UK collective legal action claiming company abusively profited from users' personal data
German Regulator Opens PayPal Competition Probe
Germany's Federal Cartel Office opens investigation into PayPal Europe over concerns company is blocking competition
EU Follows UK, Begins Deeper Probe Of Microsoft Activision Deal
Europe's deeper investigation of Microsoft's Activision purchase begins, months after UK began its phase 2 probe in September
UK’s Final Decision Orders Meta To Sell Giphy
Facebook owner Meta is ordered by the CMA to sell Giphy - first time the British regulator blocks acquisition by a Silicon Valley tech giant
Spain Opens Competition Probe Into Booking.com
Spanish competition regulator opens investigation into whether Booking.com economic practices 'exploit' hotels
UK Flags Concern Over Viasat Purchase Of Inmarsat
British competition regulator, the CMA, to deepen investigation, after finding merger could lead to higher Wi-Fi prices for airlines
Amazon Faces UK Investigation For Suspected Anti-competitive Practices
Another probe. Busy week for the UK's CMA after it confirms investigation of Amazon over “suspected anti-competitive practices”
German Regulator Probes Apple Ad-Tracking Rules
German competition regulator probes whether Apple's ad-tracking rules for third-party apps give iPhone maker preferential treatment
Smaller Firms Support US Tech Competition Bill As Giants Resist
Dozens of smaller tech companies and organisations sign letter supporting American Innovation and Choice Online Act as tech giants warn of 'user risk'
UK Tech Watchdog To Be Given Legal Powers
UK's tech regulator Digital Markets Unit to be given powers to levy huge fines on tech giants, but smaller businesses express 'frustration' with timing
European Union Agrees DMA To Curb Big Tech
Online gatekeepers such as Apple, Google and Meta targetted as the European Union last week reached landmark digital rules agreement
Senate Committee Approves Big Tech Antitrust Bill
Attempt by US lawmakers to tame the power of big tech firms, nudges a step closer after Senate Committee votes to advance competition bill
EC Gathers Feedback On Microsoft’s Nuance Buy, Despite US...
European antitrust regulators are gathering competition data on Microsoft's purchase of Nuance ahead of 21 December decision deadline
EU Set To Launch Formal Probe Of Nvidia’s ARM Takeover
European Commission set to launch full-scale probe of Nvidia's proposed acquisition of ARM following formal notification in early September
German Watchdog Opens Fresh Amazon Investigation
Amazon faces a third antitrust investigation in Germany; this time examining if it has exploited its market dominance in the country
US Proposal Would Ban Big Tech Firms From Buying Anything, Ever
Proposal by US Senator Josh Hawley would permanently ban companies over $100bn in market capitalisation from all mergers and acquisitions
Apple App Store Security ‘Like Bringing Butter Knife To...
Apple senior engineer compared App Store security to 'butter knife in a gunfight', says Epic Games as companies square off for landmark antitrust case
US States Investigating Google App Store Practices
Group of US states may hit Google with fourth government antitrust lawsuit, this time focusing on allegedly anti-competitive practices in its Play Store
Fortnite Maker Expands Apple Dispute To UK
Fortnite developer Epic Games launches legal action against Apple and Google in the UK, as it seeks changes to 'unfair' app store rules
Nvidia Acquisition Of ARM Faces Competition Probe
UK competition regulator the CMA, launches investigation into the acquisition of British silicon designer ARM Holdings by Nvidia
Germany Opens Competition Probe Into Facebook And Oculus
German competition authority reacts after company requires Facebook login to use new Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headsets
EC Hits Amazon With Competition Rule Violations
European Commission charges Amazon with breaking competition in retail space, but the firm insists consumers have choice
Google Will Not Move To Dismiss US Antitrust Case
Google tells court it does not intend to move to dismiss landmark US antitrust case, as company and Justice Department prepare opening moves
Judge Lays Out Opening Moves In Google Antitrust Trial
US judge sets mid-November deadline for Google's response to Justice Department antitrust lawsuit, with a status update at the end of this week
Ofcom Cites Motorola, Sepura Over Competition Law
British comms regulator issues provisional statement of objections to Motorola Solutions UK and Sepura over police contract
Facebook Voices Support For Data Portability Law
Facebook says it would support dedicated data portability legislation in the US as an antitrust measure, ahead of key regulatory meeting next month
EU Rule Change Allows Start-Ups To Access State Aid
European Commission plans to change state aid restrictions that had prevented tech start-ups from participating in government Covid-19 liquidity programmes
Just Eat Takeaway Acquisition Of Grubhub Creates Global Player
Just Eat Takeaway's deal to buy Chicago-based Grubhub for £5.8bn does little to consolidate delivery market, but could fuel further expansion