Amazon Drops Planned 2 Percent Merchant Fee as FTC Lawsuit Looms: Details

Amazon Drops Planned 2 Percent Merchant Fee as FTC Lawsuit Looms: Details

Amazon.com is scrapping a plan to charge merchants who do not use its shipping services an additional fee, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday, signaling that the e-commerce giant was taking a cautious approach to operations amid mounting antitrust scrutiny. Effective October 1, Amazon was planning to impose a new…

Activision Blizzard, Microsoft Extend $69 Billion Deal Deadline to October 18

Activision Blizzard, Microsoft Extend $69 Billion Deal Deadline to October 18

Activision Blizzard said on Wednesday it has extended the deadline for the close of its $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,66,200 crore) takeover by Microsoft to October 18 as the companies work to secure approval from the United Kingdom’s antitrust authority. The “Call of Duty” publisher said the companies also agreed to…

Microsoft Asks London Court for Two-Month Pause of Appeal Over Activision Deal

Microsoft Asks London Court for Two-Month Pause of Appeal Over Activision Deal

Microsoft on Monday asked a London tribunal to pause its appeal against Britain’s block on its $69 billion (nearly Rs. 5,66,100 crore) takeover of Activision Blizzard to give the parties more time to resolve the dispute. Britain’s competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), in April became the first…

US Court Refuses Appeal to Revive Antitrust Lawsuit Against Meta’s Facebook

US Court Refuses Appeal to Revive Antitrust Lawsuit Against Meta’s Facebook

A US appeals court on Thursday refused to revive a lawsuit filed by states against Meta’s Facebook that alleged the company had broken antitrust law. Dozens of states led by New York asked the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last year to reinstate the lawsuit, which US District…

Amazon Said to Be Facing FTC Complaint for Illegally Collected Kids’ Data

Amazon Said to Be Facing FTC Complaint for Illegally Collected Kids’ Data

Federal regulators are expected to sue Amazon over allegations that the e-commerce giant illegally collected data on children, according to two people familiar with the case. The Federal Trade Commission recommended filing a complaint that Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers are collecting information about children under the age of 13 without parental…

Twitter Asked for Details on Elon Musk’s Internal Communications, Business Decisions in US FTC Probe

Twitter Asked for Details on Elon Musk’s Internal Communications, Business Decisions in US FTC Probe

The US Federal Trade Commission asked Twitter to turn over some internal communications related to owner Elon Musk and other detailed information about business decisions as part of an investigation into the social media company, according to a report put out by two House of Representatives committees. The FTC has…

Microsoft’s Licensing Offer Said to Likely Satisfy EU on Activision Deal

Microsoft’s Licensing Offer Said to Likely Satisfy EU on Activision Deal

Microsoft’s offer of licensing deals to rivals is likely to address EU antitrust concerns over its $69 billion (nearly Rs. 5,68,000 crore) acquisition of Activision, three people familiar with the matter said, helping it to clear a major hurdle. Microsoft announced the Activision bid in January last year, its biggest ever,…

Activision Blizzard Agrees to Pay $35 Million to Settle Workforce Allegations

Activision Blizzard Agrees to Pay $35 Million to Settle Workforce Allegations

Activision Blizzard has agreed to pay $35 million (nearly Rs. 290 crore) to settle allegations over the video game maker’s handling of workplace complaints and violations of whistleblower protection rules, US financial regulators said on Friday. The Securities and Exchange Commission said the company knew employee retention issues were “a particularly…

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan Met EU’s Antitrust Chief to Discuss Microsoft’s Activision Deal

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan Met EU’s Antitrust Chief to Discuss Microsoft’s Activision Deal

Sony’s gaming chief Jim Ryan met EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager on Wednesday to discuss Microsoft’s $69 billion (about Rs. 5,62,647 crore) bid for Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The meeting came as the EU competition watchdog prepares to warn…

Microsoft Activision Takeover: No ‘Substantive’ Settlement Talks With US FTC, Lawyer Says

Microsoft Activision Takeover: No ‘Substantive’ Settlement Talks With US FTC, Lawyer Says

There are no “substantive” settlement discussions under way between US President Joe Biden’s administration and Microsoft to resolve a legal dispute over the Xbox maker’s $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,71,900 crore) bid for games maker Activision Blizzard, a Federal Trade Commission attorney said on Tuesday. The FTC, which enforces antitrust law, asked a…