Communication Services archive

Dozens of Federal Judges Attended Antitrust Seminars Hosted by Big Tech-Funded Group, Records Show

Dozens of federal judges attended seminars in idyllic locales like Hawaii and Portugal held by a George Mason University (GMU) law school organization that received Big Tech funding, a Capitol Forum review of public records found. The university’s Antonin Scalia Law School, one of the...

Aug 13, 2025 Read Now >

Roblox: Moderation Loopholes Raise Child Safety Concerns as New Lawsuits Call Platform a ‘Hunting Ground’ for Predators

“Ultimately, ‘Roblox’ is the safest place for anyone on the internet.” That’s what Roblox (RBLX) CEO David Baszucki told NPR on July 23 when asked whether parents should be worried about child predators using the immensely popular gaming platform to reach minors. The company...

Aug 07, 2025 Read Now >

Lenovo Group/Infinidat: Unwinding of Jupiter Systems Deal Could Signal Problems for Chinese Server Company’s Transaction

The Trump administration’s order this month forcing China’s Suirui Group to unwind its purchase of California-based Jupiter Systems is more than a delayed enforcement action—it’s a powerful signal of the U.S. government’s rapidly hardening stance against Chinese control of...

Jul 29, 2025 Read Now >

Omnicom/IPG: Publicis Precedent Key to EU Clearance Bid for $13.3 billion Deal

Omnicom (OMC) is preparing to cite the European Commission’s previous clearance of its proposed merger with Publicis (EPA: PUB), as well as its French rival’s market prowess in hopes of obtaining unconditional EU approval for its $13.3 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG)...

Jul 28, 2025 Read Now >

Google Says Its Comments on AI’s Link to Search Are Consistent, But Some See Them as Contradictory, Confusing

What a difference two years has made in Google’s comments about artificial intelligence’s relationship to its dominant search...

Jul 28, 2025 Read Now >

HPE/Juniper: As Fight Between DOJ Leadership and Antitrust Division Broils, Tunney Act Proceeding Looms

After DOJ’s suit to block HPE’s (HPE) $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks (JNPR) culminated in a highly unusual settlement, the consent decree faces one last barrier to becoming final: Tunney Act review by U.S. District Judge Casey Pitts. That’s typically a rubber stamp....

Jul 24, 2025 Read Now >

Antitrust Agenda: DOJ Indicts Oak View Group CEO for Arena Bid Rigging; Low Efficacy of Post-Merger Divestitures Indicates Need for Stronger Enforcement, New Paper Concludes; Manufacturers Neglect of Repair Manuals and Materials Could Run Afoul of Right-to-Repair Laws

Live entertainment executive indicted on criminal bid-rigging charges. The Justice Department last Wednesday indicted Timothy Leiweke, the CEO of the live entertainment company Oak View Group (OVG), for allegedly orchestrating a bid-rigging conspiracy to secure the contract for the...

Jul 14, 2025 Read Now >

The Trade Desk: Adtech Company Reports Low Opt-Out Numbers Despite Developing Unique Identifier Tied to 245 Million Individuals

Last year only nine Californians asked The Trade Desk (TTD) to delete personal data processed by the company, despite the adtech giant developing and utilizing a persistent identifier created from the information of more than 245 million individuals to facilitate targeted advertising...

Jul 10, 2025 Read Now >

Merger Monthly: After Novel Omnicom/Interpublic, HPE/Juniper Remedies, is Everything Settleable?; Outlook for Key Transactions Including Getty/Shutterstock, Mars/Kellanova, and UnitedHealth/Amedisys

In the months after Inauguration Day, the Trump administration’s merger policy appeared to be slowly but surely rounding into form: To wit, meaningful continuity from the Biden administration (retaining the 2023 Merger Guidelines and updated HSR Form), coupled with substantive pull back...

Jul 10, 2025 Read Now >

T-Mobile/UScellular: Team Telecom’s Deference Gives DOJ, FCC Flexibility to Penalize Buyer If It Violates Agreement

When the interagency panel known as Team Telecom declined last month to recommend action on T-Mobile US’s (TMUS) $4.4 billion bid for United States Cellular’s (USM) wireless business, it was seen as a milestone on the deal’s regulatory...

Jul 03, 2025 Read Now >

Brussels Readies Google Antitrust Penalty as Breakup Pressure Mounts

The European Commission has had a decision ready for months to fine Google (GOOG) over alleged abuses in its advertising technology business, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told The Capitol...

Jul 01, 2025 Read Now >

EU Competition Chief says Bloc ‘Won’t Compromise Sovereignty’ in Talks with U.S., Criticizes American Big Tech Crackdown

European Commission competition chief Teresa Ribera dismissed reports that the EU might water down its digital antitrust rules in trade negotiations with the U.S. and criticized America’s own effort to rein in the power of Big Tech as slower and less effective than the bloc’s regime....

Jun 30, 2025 Read Now >

Life360: Family Safety App Selling Datasets Based on Users’ Personal Information on LiveRamp’s Data Marketplace

More than three years after family safety app Life360 (LIF) announced it would transition away from the sale of users’ precise geolocation data in favor of providing business partners with “aggregated” data analytics, the company appears to be creating thousands of audience...

Jun 26, 2025 Read Now >

EU Scrutinizing Google’s AI Summaries for Potential Digital Rules Breaches

The European Commission is asking industry players about Google’s (GOOG) integration of artificial intelligence features into its search engine as the EU builds up pressure on Big Tech firms to fall in line with its digital antitrust...

Jun 25, 2025 Read Now >

The Asia Antitrust Agenda: SAMR Warns of Risks in Semiconductor Materials, Patent Database Sectors; HKCC Ends Auto-Fuel Supplier Probe; Japanese Regulator Releases Generative AI Findings; KTFC Fines Temu

SAMR flags antitrust risks in semiconductor materials, patent database sectors. China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), the antitrust authority, warned in its annual report of potential risks in the semiconductor materials and patent database service provider sectors,...

Jun 16, 2025 Read Now >

Privacy Policy: New State Laws and Enforcement Actions Target Collection of Children’s Data, Precise Geolocation

Nearly halfway through 2025 a flurry of new state privacy laws and enforcement actions are taking aim at invasive data collection practices, including the sale of precise geolocation and minors’ data, amid the continued absence of comprehensive federal privacy legislation. While policy...

Jun 16, 2025 Read Now >

Tencent Music/Ximalaya: Deal That Could Create Spotify Competitor Will Be Submitted for SAMR Review

Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME), China’s largest online music and audio entertainment platform, plans to submit its proposed $2.4 billion acquisition of audio content platform Ximalaya to the country’s antitrust authority for review, sources familiar with the matter...

Jun 11, 2025 Read Now >

FTC Advertising Collusion CIDs Target Nonprofits, Raising Jurisdictional Questions

The FTC Bureau of Competition’s move last month to issue lengthy civil investigative demands (CIDs) to more than a dozen media tracking and advertising organizations—many organized as nonprofits—raises a host of important...

Jun 10, 2025 Read Now >

Omnicom/Interpublic Group: Unique Advertising Agency Dynamics Raise Market Concentration, Competitive Landscape Questions

Omnicom’s proposed $13.3 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group presents the FTC with an unusually complicated set of market definition and concentration questions given the unique market dynamics inherent to advertising agency competition, industry sources...

Jun 04, 2025 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: EC Appetite Grows for In-Depth Probes; EU Courts to Hear Major Big Tech Appeals

Brussels hungry for phase 2 reviews. With just one in-depth merger investigation opened so far this year, the European Commission is signaling a renewed appetite for phase 2 investigations, according to sources familiar with the commission’s thinking. “The bar is very low” to...

Jun 03, 2025 Read Now >

Getty Images/Shutterstock: Similar Pricing, Pay for Stock Photos Could Indicate Close Rivalry

If DOJ staff reviewing Getty Images’ (GETY) proposed $3.7 billion merger with Shutterstock (SSTK) want a general idea of how closely the two photo agencies compete, they need look no further than their base prices on stock...

Jun 02, 2025 Read Now >

Amid Soaring Hard Disk Drive Profits and ‘Healthy’ Supply-Demand Dynamics, Western Digital, Seagate Execs Tout Company, Industry ‘Discipline’ on Price, Output

Executives of Western Digital Corporation and Seagate Technologies have used recent public statements to call for industry-wide supply discipline and signal that they won’t undercut their rivals on output or price as demand rises, in language that could serve to facilitate...

May 20, 2025 Read Now >

In Win for Big Tech, Trump USTR, in Change from Biden Administration, Calls Canadian and Australian Laws Compelling Big Tech to Pay for News ‘Discriminatory Non-Tariff Barriers’

The Biden Administration’s approach to trade policy included a rethink of Big Tech’s role in establishing U.S. trade policy priorities. In contrast, the Trump administration, despite continuing major antitrust litigation against Big Tech, has been vocal in its criticism of European...

May 20, 2025 Read Now >

The Asia Antitrust Agenda: SAMR Fines Pharma Suppliers for Price-Fixing; ACCC Kicks Off Omnicom/IPG Review; China’s Regulators Warn Food-Delivery Platforms Over Competition Concerns; Indian Supreme Court Issues Landmark Ruling in Abuse of Dominance Case

SAMR fines four pharmaceutical suppliers 354 million yuan for price-fixing. The Tianjin branch of China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced on May 9 that it had levied a total of 354 million yuan ($49 million) in penalties on four pharmaceutical suppliers for...

May 19, 2025 Read Now >

The Trade Desk: Adtech’s Persistent Identifier Can Be Tied to Potentially Sensitive Information as Lawsuits Allege Unfair Data Collection Practices

Adtech company The Trade Desk (TTD) enables advertisers to target millions of individuals based on unique persistent identifiers that can potentially be associated with a host of sensitive information, from precise geolocation to data capable of inferring a consumer’s gender, ethnicity,...

May 12, 2025 Read Now >

The Asia Antitrust Agenda: Indian Watchdog Settles Google Smart TV Case; SAMR Warns CK Hutchison/BlackRock Against Evading Port Deal Review; KTFC Ends Microsoft Probe; Singapore Regulator Clears Omnicom/IPG

Indian watchdog settles with Google. The Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) recent settlement with Google (GOOG) creates a path for other U.S. tech giants to come forward and resolve their cases with the regulator. On April 21, the CCI issued its first-ever settlement order. The...

May 05, 2025 Read Now >

LiveRamp: Marketplace Sells Hundreds of Child-Related Datasets as State Laws, FTC Move to Protect Kids’ Personal Information

Hundreds of audience “segments” sold on data broker LiveRamp Holdings, Inc.’s (RAMP) Data Marketplace offer advertisers the ability to target households based on the presence of children and teens—in some cases relying on potentially sensitive information like individuals’...

May 01, 2025 Read Now >

Focus Media/Xinchao Media: Elevator Advertising Giant’s Planned Takeover of Rival Could Face Close SAMR Scrutiny

Shanghai display advertising giant Focus Media Group’s proposed $1.3 billion takeover of rival Xinchao Media Group, which would expand the buyer’s Chinese empire for ads posted in elevators, will face close scrutiny from China’s antitrust authority, legal practitioners and industry...

Apr 30, 2025 Read Now >

Omnicom/IPG: Indian Regulator Poised to Approve Mega Advertising Agency Deal Soon

India’s antitrust regulator is set to greenlight advertising behemoth Omnicom’s (OMC) proposed $13 billion acquisition of rival Interpublic Group (IPG) in the coming weeks, according to sources familiar with the matter. The deal, filed with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on...

Apr 25, 2025 Read Now >

Hewlett Packard Enterprise/Juniper Networks: Pitts’ Skepticism About Corporate Power in Some Cases Could Favor DOJ, But Judge Also Has Sided With Tech Giants

U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts, who’s presiding over DOJ’s challenge to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s proposed Juniper Networks buyout, has had little experience with antitrust cases since he reached the federal bench in 2023 and in his prior position as a public-interest...

Apr 25, 2025 Read Now >

U.S. v Google: Divesting Chrome Feasible, Not Burdensome, Computer Expert for DOJ Says

DOJ’s proposal that Google divest its Chrome browser is technically feasible, said a Harvard computer science professor appearing for the department in federal court...

Apr 25, 2025 Read Now >

Breton Decries DMA Fines on Apple, Meta as ‘Regrettable’, Says Goal is Compliance, Not Penalties

Thierry Breton, the former commissioner in charge of enforcing the EU’s landmark digital rules, said multi-million euro fines imposed on Apple (AAPL) and Meta (META) earlier this week were regrettable, emphasizing that financial penalties aren’t the aim of the bloc’s Digital Markets...

Apr 24, 2025 Read Now >

FTC v. Meta: Trial That Could Break Up Social Network Giant to Show Clashing Views of Online Ecosystem

After a wait of more than four years, the trial of the FTC’s antitrust case against Meta begins today, pitting an enforcer bent on reining in Big Tech against a company defending past acquisitions that arguably hold the key to its...

Apr 14, 2025 Read Now >

LiveRamp: Company Hosts Marketplace Selling Datasets that Target Millions of Americans Based on Sensitive Information, Military Status

Data broker LiveRamp Holdings, Inc. (RAMP) operates a vast digital marketplace that exchanges the personal information of hundreds of millions of individuals grouped into highly specific audience “segments”—many of which include potentially sensitive information denoting...

Apr 09, 2025 Read Now >

LiveRamp: Company Hosts Marketplace Selling Datasets that Target Millions of Americans Based on Sensitive Information, Military Status

Data broker LiveRamp Holdings, Inc. (RAMP) operates a vast digital marketplace that exchanges the personal information of hundreds of millions of individuals grouped into highly specific audience “segments”—many of which include potentially sensitive information denoting everything...

Apr 08, 2025 Read Now >

In Challenging Juniper Acquisition, Acting DOJ Antitrust Chief Assefi Defies Expectations, Continues Aggressive Approach

On the face of it, a DOJ suit last week to block Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) attempted takeover of Juniper Networks (JNPR) seemed unlikely. But acting DOJ antitrust chief Omeed Assefi defied the expectations of some and challenged the $14 billion...

Feb 05, 2025 Read Now >

Skydance/Paramount: Conservative Group Criticized Deal After Learning David, Not Larry, Ellison Would Lead Combined Firm

After they agreed to merge in July, Skydance Media and Paramount Global (PARA) told regulators that Larry Ellison, the Oracle (ORCL) chairman and conservative political megadonor, would lead the combined...

Jan 30, 2025 Read Now >

Verizon/Frontier: Service Problems Would Be Buyer’s Mess to Clean Up, State Regulators Indicate as Their Deal Reviews Begin

West Virginia officials probing repeated outages on Frontier Communications’ (FYBR) network found dead batteries, bad copper cable and lines lying on the...

Nov 27, 2024 Read Now >

Trump Specter Over Broadcast Licenses Meets Shifting Sentiment Inside FCC

Donald Trump has threatened to pull TV networks’ licenses while promising to end the independence of the Federal Communications Commission and bring it under his...

Nov 11, 2024 Read Now >

T-Mobile/UScellular: DOJ Asks Industry Players About Fate of Spectrum Not Part of Deal, Rural Service Overlaps

DOJ staff attorneys reviewing T-Mobile US’s (TMUS) proposal to buy most of regional telecommunications operator United States Cellular (USM) are asking industry participants not only about the competitive impact of the $4.4 billion transaction but also who could buy the spectrum...

Oct 07, 2024 Read Now >

Vance’s Letter to FTC on HSR Form Review Suggests Interest in All-of-Government Approach to Competition, Even as Friends in Silicon Valley and the Republican Platform Call for Return to Laissez-faire Approach

J.D. Vance, the Ohio senator chosen by former President Donald Trump as his running mate on Monday, has broken ranks with his party in praising aggressive antitrust enforcement and said in March that FTC Chair Lina Khan was “doing a pretty good job.” Vance, who rose to fame with his...

Jul 18, 2024 Read Now >

Vodafone/Three: Telecoms Industry Asks CMA to Focus on Spectrum Allocation and Network Sharing in Proposed High-Profile Mobile Network Merger

British telecommunications companies have warned the Competition and Markets Authority that the planned 15 billion pound ($18.9 billion) combination of CK Hutchison’s (0001.HK) and Vodafone’s (VOD: LN) UK mobile networks would give the new entity control over more than half the...

Feb 09, 2024 Read Now >

SAMR’s New Tolerance For Some Tech Deals Creates Uncertainty, Strategy Shifts Among Companies

On January 1, Baidu (BIDU), operator of China’s most popular search engine, gave up on its three-year attempt to buy Joyy’s (YY) live-streaming business for $3.6 billion after failing to obtain approval from the country’s antitrust regulator. However, just four weeks later, the...

Feb 06, 2024 Read Now >

Live Nation Entertainment: After Switch to Ticketmaster Rival, Live Nation-Promoted Shows Plunged at Barclays Center; Critics Say DOJ Behavioral Remedy Lacks Teeth to Curb Retaliation

Shows promoted by Live Nation Entertainment (LYV) dwindled at New York City’s Barclays Center after the arena ditched Ticketmaster as its primary ticketing company, but surged back once the arena reversed course, a Capitol Forum analysis shows. Allegations of retaliation have dogged...

Jan 24, 2024 Read Now >

CMA Process for Selecting Deals to Review is Restrained, Methodical, Senior Agency Official Says

The Competition and Markets Authority’s critics in the business community have accused the UK watchdog of what they view as a cardinal sin—unpredictability. But in an exclusive interview with The Capitol Forum this week, Eleni Gouliou, the CMA’s mergers director, described an agency...

Oct 04, 2023 Read Now >

The Antitrust Agenda: Amazon Lawsuit Sends Shockwave Through Antitrust Community; Senator Grassley Welcomes DOJ Lawsuit vs. Agri Stats

The Antitrust Agenda: Amazon Lawsuit Sends Shockwave Through Antitrust Community; Senator Grassley Welcomes DOJ Lawsuit vs. Agri Stats The FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon (AMZN) continues to send a shockwave through the antitrust community. The lawsuit’s significant impact...

Oct 02, 2023 Read Now >

Broadcom/VMware: Deal Probe in Final Stage, as Senior Officials Examine Proposed Remedy Viewed Positively by SAMR Staff

China’s review of Broadcom’s (AVGO) planned $61 billion VMware (VMW) acquisition has reached its final stages as senior government officials examine a proposed remedy that has increasing support from case handlers and investigators at the country’s competition regulator, sources...

Sep 22, 2023 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: UnitedHealth/Emis Deal Faces Third-Party Complaints; Pfizer/Seagen Files for EC Review; Google Challenges Antitrust Fine; EC Competition Director Minimizes Role of Below-Threshold Merger Reviews

UnitedHealth/Emis review sparks third party complaints. The Competition and Markets Authority has published three third party responses critical of its decision to give a provisional green light to UnitedHealth Group’s (UNH) 1.2 billion pounds ($1.5 billion) plan to buy EMIS Health...

Sep 18, 2023 Read Now >

The Antitrust Agenda: Senate Commerce Hearing for FTC Commissioners This Week; Recap of Illumina vs. FTC 5th Circuit Hearing

Three FTC Commissioner Nominations on tap for hearing. The Senate Commerce Committee is set to hold a hearing on FTC nominees Melissa Holyoak and Andrew Ferguson and the renomination of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. While the Republicans will likely not be confirmed before the...

Sep 18, 2023 Read Now >

Guaranteeing Google as Default Search Engine ‘Key Thing’ Company Paid for in Contracts, Former Executive Says

A former Google (GOOG) contract negotiator said today that guaranteeing its search engine was the default setting on smartphones was so important that it would only share revenue with the phone’s manufacturers and wireless carriers if they didn’t offer the same privilege to rival...

Sep 13, 2023 Read Now >

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