antitrust

The U.S. Justice Department plans to sue Apple and five U.S. publishers for alleged price-fixing on e-books, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Several of the parties expected to be named as defendants have already begun discussions with regulators to head off an expensive antitrust court battle, the newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. Such a settlement would likely have a ripple effect for the industry, however not every publisher is engaged in the settlement discussions, they cautioned.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The publishers expected to be named in the … Read more

There seems to be a difference of opinion over whether Microsoft recently complained to European Union regulators about Google+.

Reuters is reporting, citing two sources, that Microsoft informally complained to the European Union's European Commission about Google's social network. The sources wouldn't divulge what Microsoft said nor whether the company will file a formal complaint with the commission. Microsoft was reportedly flanked by "several" other companies that have taken issue with Google+.

However, in a statement to CNET sister site ZDNet, Microsoft said that it did not, in fact, file a complaint with the European Commission against Google+. … Read more

The purchase of a number of Nortel Networks patents by a partnership that includes Apple, Microsoft, and Research In Motion has passed antitrust scrutiny, the U.S. Department of Justice said today.

The DOJ's antitrust division came to the same conclusion on Apple's planned acquisition of certain Novell patents, and of Google's purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings, according to this statement:

After a thorough review of the proposed transactions, the Antitrust Division has determined that each acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen competition and has closed these three investigations. In all of the transactions, the division conducted … Read more

They're known to attract the best and brightest minds. But this week, a federal judge ordered Google, Apple and five other high-tech companies to court over accusations they violated antitrust laws by conspiring not to poach each other's employees. CBS News correspondent Lee Cowan looks at this development.

At issue is whether some of the titans of tech -- including Apple and Google -- conspired not to hire each other's employees.

A probe by the U.S. Justice Department revealed at least six companies kept "do not call" lists to avoid recruiting. The companies settled … Read more

Google could face the maximum fine for allegedly obstructing a Korean investigation of its business practices, the head of the Korean Fair Trade Commission told that country's fourth-largest newspaper.

That antitrust official, Kim Dong-soo, made the comments in a recent interview with the paper, Hankook Ilbo (note: original article is in Korean), according to CNET's independent translation of the article. The paper reported that when the agency raided Google Korea's office in September, the company obstructed the investigation by deleting key files from PCs and asking its employees to telecommute from home, which had the effect of … Read more

The Internet's most popular destinations, including eBay, Google, Facebook, and Twitter, seem to view Hollywood-backed copyright legislation as an existential threat.

It was Google co-founder Sergey Brin who warned that the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act "would put us on a par with the most oppressive nations in the world." Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, Twitter co-founders Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman argue that the bills give the Feds unacceptable "power to censor the Web."

But these companies have yet to roll out the heavy artillery.

When … Read more

It may be a measure of Google's dominance that some of the most important events for the company next year will likely take place in courtrooms and government offices.

The Web giant is under investigation both domestically and abroad for allegedly abusing its powerful position as the leader in Internet search. And rivals are suing Google and its partners as the company expands into markets where they're already competing.

So even as Google works to improve its search engine and bolster emerging businesses such as its Google+ social network, it will be worth keeping tabs on the regulators, … Read more

Two prominent members of the Senate antitrust subcommittee are urging federal regulators to investigate whether Google unfairly promotes its own properties in search results.

Committee Chairman Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) sent a five-page letter (PDF) today to Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jonathan Leibowitz calling for "serious scrutiny" of Google's business practices.

"We believe these allegations regarding Google's search engine practices raise important competition issues," wrote Kohl and Lee, whose committee is already investigating whether Google abuses its power in online search. "We are committed to ensuring that consumers benefit from … Read more

A federal judge declared a mistrial in Novell's antitrust suit against Microsoft after jurors told the court they could not reach a verdict.

Novell filed the case in 2004, alleging that Microsoft, while developing Windows 95, promised to support Novell's WordPerfect and Quattro Pro products, but held back key technical information required to make them compatible with Windows 95. Novell sought more than $1 billion in damages as a result of Microsoft's alleged anticompetitive behavior.

The jury trial, which lasted two months, saw Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates travel to the Salt Lake City courtroom to testify. According … Read more