Information Technology archive

Lenovo, NTT Data, Thales Could Face Closer Scrutiny Under New DOD Regulations, Boosting Fortunes for Domestic Government Contractors

Foreign-owned firms that are U.S. government contractors such as Chinese tech multinational Lenovo Group (HKEX: 0992), NTT Data Group (TSE: 9613) and Thales (ENX: HO) are likely to face heightened scrutiny under new Department of Defense (DOD) regulations. This regulatory framework will...

May 02, 2025 Read Now >

EC Deepens Probe into Visa, Mastercard Over Scheme Fees Paid by Retailers

The European Commission is deepening a preliminary probe into whether Visa (V) and Mastercard’s (MA) scheme and processing fees unfairly harm competition in the card payments market. Officials are looking at how the two dominant card networks set fees paid by acquirers such as Elavon...

May 02, 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 >

Roper Technologies’ Strata’s Information Sharing Practices, Tools for Health Care Providers, Could Bring Antitrust Scrutiny

Health care providers can access rivals’ detailed output data and receive customized pricing recommendations through Roper Technologies subsidiary Strata Decision Technology’s software tools, according to company marketing materials reviewed by The Capitol...

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 >

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 >

PROS Holdings: Airline Price Optimization Platform Could Invite Antitrust Scrutiny, Private Lawsuits

Revenue management and pricing optimization platform PROS Holdings (PRO) could face legal scrutiny for its airline pricing solutions that, by replacing carriers’ independent competitive decision-making, opens the door for industry-wide coordination, a Capitol Forum investigation found....

Apr 24, 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 >

As Scrutiny Over Alleged Anti-Competitive Pricing Gains Attention, Mortgage Credit Score Giant FICO Steps Up Lobbying

As elected officials and industry participants ramp up calls for an investigation into price hikes by Fair Isaac Corporation, the company is spending more money than ever to retain its position as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s sole credit-score...

Apr 23, 2025 Read Now >

TSMC Poised to Extend Chip Manufacturing Monopoly into Advanced Packaging, Industry Participants Say

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM) is poised to leverage its microchip manufacturing dominance to box competitors out of the increasingly important advanced packaging market, semiconductor industry participants told The Capitol Forum. TSMC has an effective monopoly in the...

Apr 16, 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 >

SAMR Raids DuPont Office, Probe Likely Focuses on Alleged Abuse of Monopoly Power in Tyvek Market

Case handlers at China’s antitrust authority conducted a surprise inspection of the Shanghai office of DuPont (DD) last week amid an investigation of the U.S. chemical giant for alleged anticompetitive conduct, according to sources familiar with the matter. The State Administration for...

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 >

FTC’s Ferguson, DOJ’s Slater Signal Less Aggressive Merger Approach Than Biden Predecessors, Openness to Remedies

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson and DOJ antitrust chief Gail Slater today indicated they would take a less aggressive approach to merger enforcement than their Biden administration predecessors and be more willing to entertain remedies. “Healthy pro-competitive M&A that allows American...

Apr 02, 2025 Read Now >

Zeta Global: Company Removes References to ‘Opted-In’ Data in 10-K Filing, Experts Question Data Collection Claims

Marketing technology company Zeta Global Holdings Corp., which claims to possess one of the world’s largest compilations of consumers’ personal data, removed all references to its data being “opted-in” in its latest annual filing, raising questions over how the company sources and...

Mar 07, 2025 Read Now >

EU Set to Order Apple to Open iOS or Face Billions in Fines – Sources

The European Commission is set to order Apple to open up its iOS system or risk hefty penalties as high as 10% of its global turnover, two people with direct knowledge of the cases told The Capitol...

Mar 05, 2025 Read Now >

Planned CFPB Action Against Meta in Limbo After Chopra Ouster

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was poised to sue Meta (META) over alleged targeted ad abuses when Rohit Chopra, the former director, was ousted this month, sources familiar with the matter said. Now the agency’s plans are unclear as President Donald Trump –who had...

Feb 27, 2025 Read Now >

EC’s Broadcom Probe Stalls amid Industry Concerns Over Geopolitical Hesitations

The European Commission is signaling reluctance to launch a formal investigation of Broadcom’s (AVGO) contentious pricing and contract changes for its software unit VMware, prompting concerns among industry groups that geopolitical considerations are influencing enforcement...

Feb 20, 2025 Read Now >

AppLovin: Experts Question Efficacy of Mobile Gaming Ad Channel

As app monetization and analytics company AppLovin pivots to advertising for e-commerce brands across mobile games, some marketing experts question whether in-game advertisements can effectively boost sales in an ad space that has traditionally focused on promoting other games and at...

Feb 20, 2025 Read Now >

Disney/Fubo: DOJ Staff Asks Industry Players About Post-Merger Incentives to Boost Programming Rates

DOJ staff attorneys are asking media industry players if Disney’s (DIS) plan to combine its Hulu + Live TV business with rival sports streaming service Fubo (FUBO) would lead to the entertainment giant raising pay-TV distributors’ costs for programming such as ESPN, sources familiar...

Feb 19, 2025 Read Now >

AppLovin: Popular Mobile Games Host Deceptive Advertisements, Potentially Expose Users to Privacy Risks

Some of AppLovin’s (APP) most popular mobile games redirect users to app stores and to download apps through dark patterns in advertisements, including a series of ads for a Hong Kong-based app that may process users’ location data and other personal information in China, a Capitol...

Feb 07, 2025 Read Now >

FCC Policy: Eleventh Circuit One-to-One Rule Vacatur Limits FCC Rulemaking Authority; TCPA Class Actions to Continue

As the lead generation industry celebrates the last-minute vacatur of the FCC’s one-to-one rule, legal experts warn that the ruling has cast uncertainty over the commission’s future rulemaking ability and that disputes around the legality of telemarketing practices will continue to...

Jan 30, 2025 Read Now >

U.S. tariffs on Chinese plastic manufacturers

Lenovo/Infinidat: Bid for Data Storage Firm Provides Test for CFIUS Under New Administration

Lenovo Group’s (HKSE: 992) proposed acquisition of Israeli-American data storage company Infinidat is shaping up as a critical litmus test for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) under the Trump administration, according to a Capitol Forum...

Jan 29, 2025 Read Now >

Hewlett Packard Enterprise/Juniper Networks: DOJ Leans Toward Suit, Schedules Meeting With Companies’ Representatives Tomorrow

Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) proposed Juniper Networks (JNPR) acquisition enters a perilous phase as DOJ is scheduled to meet with the companies’ representatives tomorrow to discuss that it’s leaning toward suing to block the $14 billion deal, according to sources familiar...

Jan 27, 2025 Read Now >

TSMC Critics Set to Urge Trump Administration to Launch Antitrust Probe Against Chip Manufacturer

Critics of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company are preparing to urge the newly installed Trump administration to launch a wide-ranging antitrust investigation into the No. 1 computer...

Jan 21, 2025 Read Now >

Dave: Company Voluntarily Eliminates Optional Tips and Express Fees for ExtraCash Product, Online Reviews Reveal Some Customers’ Negative View of New Fee Structure

The Department of Justice filed an amended complaint against Dave (DAVE) late last month, taking over the case from the Federal Trade Commission. The amended complaint seeks civil penalties and names the company’s CEO Jason Wilk as a...

Jan 10, 2025 Read Now >

Synopsys/Ansys: Deal Enters Phase 2 SAMR Review, but Could Face Complications from U.S.-China Trade Tensions

Synopsys’ (SNPS) proposed $35 billion buyout of Ansys (ANSS) last week entered an in-depth phase 2 merger review in China, as regulators start to ask market participants about the tie-up of the two chip-design software makers, sources familiar with the matter...

Jan 10, 2025 Read Now >

Merger Monthly: Scramble Over AI Companies Calls to Mind Past Tech Battles—And Enforcers’ Response to Them

For those not around for the decades-long string of events that led to Big Tech becoming the target of antitrust enforcers, you’re in luck. Companies’ current fights for dominance in artificial intelligence should give you an idea of what you missed in the development of Internet...

Jan 07, 2025 Read Now >

IBM/HashiCorp: Companies’ Optimism Increases as Early 2025 FTC Decision Approaches

The merging parties’ optimism of closing IBM’s attempted $6.4 billion takeover of HashiCorp is growing as the FTC approaches a decision early next year, sources familiar with the matter...

Dec 18, 2024 Read Now >

Google Hotel Search Results to Revert to Plain Blue Links in Three EU Countries in Response to DMA Probe

Eight months into a European Commission investigation of whether its search results violate the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Google (GOOG) is reverting to responding to hotel queries in Germany, Belgium and Estonia with a list of blue...

Nov 26, 2024 Read Now >

Apple’s Motion to Dismiss DOJ Suit Puts Refusal-to-Deal Law in Spotlight; Potential Trump Antitrust Appointee, Republican Lawyers Have Backed Case

The outcome of Apple’s (AAPL) effort to dismiss a Department of Justice lawsuit might shape the development of a contentious area of law—the antitrust “duty to deal”—that tech giants are increasingly using as a shield against legal liability, experts...

Nov 26, 2024 Read Now >

Labor Thursday: Google Workers Met with DOJ Over Search Monopoly Remedy; FTC Commissioner Bedoya Lays Out Case for Federal Workplace Privacy Law and Greater Enforcement; Bedoya Plans Speech on Children and AI, Says He’s Concerned with Unfair Franchise Relationships; Challenges to NLRB Constitutionality Mount

Unionized Google workers met with the Justice Department over search monopoly remedy proposals. Representatives of a group of Google (GOOG) employees who unionized in 2021 with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) asked DOJ lawyers last month to take worker concerns into account...

Nov 21, 2024 Read Now >

Hewlett Packard Enterprise/Juniper Networks: DOJ Likely to Either Sue or Clear Unconditionally, With No Proposed Remedy on Table; Review Could Extend Past This Week

DOJ will likely either clear unconditionally or sue to block Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s proposed acquisition of rival Juniper Networks and isn’t assessing a proposed remedy to address any concerns with the $14 billion deal, sources familiar with the matter...

Nov 19, 2024 Read Now >

Siemens/Altair: Parties’ Deep Chinese Ties, Industry Consolidation Could Trigger SAMR Review; Company Spokesperson Says Deal Should Obtain Clearances

Siemens’s $10.6 billion bid for Altair Engineering could trigger a review by the Chinese antitrust authority due to both companies’ deep business ties to the Asian country and ongoing consolidation in the design simulation software sector, China-based lawyers and industry analysts...

Nov 11, 2024 Read Now >

Trulieve: Cannabis Retailer Allegedly Shares Users’ Personal Information With Adtech Companies for Marketing Services

Some online health service providers share users’ potentially sensitive health information with adtech companies and third-party advertisers for marketing purposes—a practice that has drawn increasing scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission and is allegedly engaged in by medical...

Nov 06, 2024 Read Now >

Privacy Policy Update: CPPA to Review Proposed Dark Pattern Regulations at November Board Meeting

The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) will discuss proposed changes to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Regulations, including new examples of dark patterns and requirements for companies to comply with the law, at its board meeting on November...

Nov 06, 2024 Read Now >

IBM/HashiCorp: FTC Asks Industry Players About Potential Foundation Remedy to Ensure Open-Source Access to Terraform, Vault

The FTC has asked software industry participants whether their concerns with IBM’s proposed $6.4 billion acquisition of HashiCorp would be addressed by placing the target firm’s cloud management software within a foundation that would guarantee open-source access to the products,...

Oct 14, 2024 Read Now >

Tech Tuesday: Epic v. Google Judge Orders Google to Open Android Ecosystem; All Federal Claims in FTC’s Amazon Suit Can Proceed, Per Unsealed Ruling; Apple, DOJ Feud over Tech Tutorials Ahead of Motion-to-Dismiss Hearing

Epic v. Google judge rejects refusal-to-deal defense in sweeping injunction; Google set to appeal. For three years, Google (GOOG) must open its Google Play ecosystem to competing app stores, Northern District of California Court Judge James Donato ruled Monday in an injunction that mostly...

Oct 08, 2024 Read Now >

The Antitrust Agenda: Experts Discuss Potential Top Roles in a Harris Administration; Live Nation Takes a Hit in Federal Antitrust Case; Free Speech and Authority of Government Enforcers on SCOTUS Docket

Kamala Harris avoids committing to keep on FTC Chair Lina Khan. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that at a meeting with the Teamsters union, a Teamsters board member asked Harris for a commitment to keep Khan in place at the FTC. Harris then declined to make that commitment,...

Oct 07, 2024 Read Now >

Zeta Global: Company’s Practices Mirror Those Identified as Problematic in Recent FTC Report, Potentially Exposing Company to Regulatory Risk

Marketing technology companies like Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (ZETA) use extensive web tracking tools and third-party data brokers to amass profiles on millions of individuals, then utilize artificial intelligence to make inferences about potentially sensitive personal interests for...

Oct 04, 2024 Read Now >

Itron Has Plans to Charge 30%-50% Commission on App Store for its Utility Smart Meters, But Public Utility Commissions Could Intervene

Itron (ITRI) contracts with utilities to be the exclusive provider for their customers’ electronic electricity meters, known as smart meters. Itron’s marketing also brags that its technology platform “utilizes an app store model, similar to a smart phone.” Critics worry that Itron...

Oct 01, 2024 Read Now >

Harris’s Record, Statements Draw Praise, Concern From Those Seeking Continued Aggressive Antitrust Enforcement

Kamala Harris, newly elected as California attorney general, grinned and murmured “cha-ching” as she discussed with her staff a price-fixing case that would bring in more than $1 billion in...

Aug 28, 2024 Read Now >

Verisign in Period of Uncertainty as US Launches Price Review

Verisign (VRSN) is entering a period of uncertainty over its primary source of revenue as the U.S. government has signaled that it wants to change an agreement that lets the sole .com registry operator levy hefty price increases while maintaining high operating...

Aug 06, 2024 Read Now >

Trump, Harris Likely to Pursue Different CFIUS Approaches to Achieve Common Goal: Confronting China

Regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential race in November, foreign investors attempting to purchase American assets can expect more government scrutiny than ever before—especially if the buyers are from...

Aug 02, 2024 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: Lufthansa/ITA Appears Headed for the Runway; Google’s Hotel Search Market Share Slides in EU; Luxembourg Raids Pharma Firms; EC Accuses Czech Republic of Antitrust Infringement, Alchem of Price Fixing; NGOs Go After Vodafone/Three

Skies appear to clear for Lufthansa/ITA as IAG offers remedies. The German airline giant (ETR: LHA) is likely to receive the European Commission’s (EC) blessing to take a 41% stake in state-owned ITA Airways, Reuters and Politico reported last week, citing anonymous sources. Such a...

Jun 17, 2024 Read Now >

Pharma Lobby Touts Threat to CHIPS Act in Fight Against ‘March-In’ Authority, Despite Little Evidence*

A Department of Commerce proposal to bolster the government’s authority over inventions it helped fund has set off alarms across the pharmaceutical industry, prompting lobbyists associated with large drugmakers to seek allies in other sectors that similarly draw on public...

Jun 13, 2024 Read Now >

Financials Friday: Homebuyers File Appeal to Maximize Their Class-Action Suit against NAR; DOJ to Weigh in on REX v. Zillow; CFPB Establishes Registry of Nonbanks That Violate Consumer Laws, Process to Recognize Data-Sharing Standards; 5th Circuit Strikes Down SEC’s Hedge Fund Fee Disclosure Rule

Burnett case will determine the scope of upcoming legal fight between brokerages and homebuyers. Appeals by rival plaintiff lawyers were expected in the landmark Burnett settlement, which will see the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and major brokerages pay hundreds of millions of...

Jun 07, 2024 Read Now >

European Commission Scrutinizing Apple’s New Browser Engine Program Created to Comply With DMA

The European Commission is examining an Apple (AAPL) program created to comply with Europe’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA) that critics said hinders rival browsers and other apps on the company’s iPhone, sources familiar with the matter...

Jun 06, 2024 Read Now >

A Closer Look at DOJ’s Decision to File Apple Case in New Jersey; Potential Appeal Venue, Proximity of Witnesses Could Have Played a Role

The Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Apple (AAPL) had been expected for years, but it still contained a few surprises when it was finally filed in March. One was the choice of venue: federal court in New Jersey. Prosecutors haven’t been forthcoming with their reasoning, but...

May 21, 2024 Read Now >

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