Tag Archives: antitrust

Reuters reports: Pfizer Inc has agreed to pay $345 million to resolve claims by consumers who claim they overpaid for EpiPens due to anti-competitive and unfair practices by the drugmaker and the company that markets the emergency allergy treatment, Mylan. The proposed class action settlement was disclosed in a filing in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas. The deal, which …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The Federal Trade Commission and a bipartisan group of state attorneys general sued Facebook Inc. on Wednesday, bringing broad antitrust allegations that the social-media giant engaged in a yearslong campaign to buy up or freeze out nascent tech firms that one day might have become rivals. CNBC reports: The FTC alleges that Facebook engaged in …

The Washington Post reports: State and federal investigators are preparing to bring antitrust charges against Facebook that will challenge the tech giant’s acquisition of two rivals, Instagram and WhatsApp, alleging that the deals helped create an anti-competitive social networking juggernaut that has left users with few quality alternatives. The charges form a critical part of what could be a wide-ranging …

The Washington Post reports: State and federal investigators are expected to file antitrust charges against Facebook as soon as November, according to four people familiar with the matter, embarking on a massive legal challenge against the tech giant and its perceived ironclad grip over social media. The timing reflects a frenzy of recent activity on the part of the Federal …

The Washington Post reports: The Department of Justice is expected Tuesday to charge Google with violating federal antitrust law, according to two people familiar with the matter, finding after a year-long investigation that the tech giant wrongfully wielded its digital dominance to the detriment of corporate rivals and consumers. The federal government’s imminent lawsuit will touch off a landmark and …

The Associated Press reports: House lawmakers investigating the market dominance of Big Tech are asking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to testify to address possible misleading statements by the company on its competition practices. In a letter to Bezos on Friday, leaders of the House Judiciary Committee from both parties are holding out the threat of a subpoena if he doesn’t …

CNBC reports: New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced Friday she is launching a multi-state investigation into Facebook for possible antitrust violations. Facebook shares were down about 0.5% in Friday’s premarket, but did not seem to react to James’ announcement. Attorneys general of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and the District of Columbia will join the …

Reuters reports: Oregon has joined a multistate lawsuit to block the merger of U.S. wireless carriers T-Mobile and Sprint, the New York attorney general’s office, which is leading the lawsuit along with California, said on Monday. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia are now seeking to stop the merger, which the states argue is anticompetitive and will cost their …

The Verge reports: The United States Justice Department has approved the $26 billion merger deal between T-Mobile and Sprint. After over a year in regulatory limbo, the merger received the green light from the last federal agency to hold out, with the Federal Communications Commission already signaling that it will approve the deal. The Justice Department finally approved the deal …

The Hill reports: A group backed by the Koch brothers is launching an ad campaign pushing lawmakers to reject Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s push to break up tech giants. Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a Koch-funded free market group, is running ads in Washington and in the states home to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee pushing back on Warren’s campaign proposal. …

The Hill reports: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate whether Google’s search and digital advertising practices are stifling the marketplace. Hatch sent a letter to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons expressing concern about reports in recent years ranging from Google restricting competing advertising services to collecting data from users’ Gmail inbox contents. “Needless …

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump said Thursday that the European Union’s antitrust ruling against Google is proof that it is taking “advantage of the U.S.” On Wednesday, the EU hit Google with a $5 billion fine, alleging the company had violated antitrust laws by bundling its apps like Chrome and Google Play with its Android operating system. Google has 90 …

The New York Times reports: Google was hit with a $5.1 billion fine by European antitrust officials on Wednesday for abusing its power in the smartphone market, in the region’s latest move to rein in the clout of American tech companies. The penalty of 4.34 billion euros was a record, and far larger than the €2.4 billion, or about $2.8 …