eu

Google back in U.K. crosshairs over tax issues

Google could be called back into questioning over its U.K. tax payments, according to a new report.

Speaking to Margaret Hodge, head of the U.K.'s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which examines government financial affairs, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Google representatives will be brought back to the U.K. for questioning on whether the company derives any of its income through the U.K., thus requiring it to pay more in taxes to that country.

Last year, Google vice president for Northern and Central Europe, Matt Brittin, said before the PAC that no one in his company … Read more

Penguin reaches pact with EU to end e-book price-fixing probe

Penguin has vowed to change its pricing strategy for digital books, including terminating an e-book pricing pact with Apple, to resolve an antitrust probe by the European Union.

As part of the deal, Penguin has agreed to terminate existing agency agreements -- those pacts that allow a publisher, not a retailer, to set prices -- and will refrain from adopting "most favored nation" pricing clauses for five years. Those had prevented retailers such as Amazon from undercutting Apple's e-book prices.

If Penguin does enter into new agency agreements, retailers would be free to set the retail price … Read more

Google reportedly offers search results changes in EU probe

Google has proposed an overhaul of how it displays search results in Europe to allay concerns that the Web giant is abusing its dominant position in the market.

The search behemoth, which was put under the European antitrust spotlight in 2010 after rivals lodged allegations of anticompetitive behavior, submitted a package of concessions with the European Union last week, but details remain under wraps. Critics and competitors have accused Google of promoting its own services in search results over those of its competitors.

In its proposed remedy, Google has offered to "make users clearly aware" when the search … Read more

Google now facing antitrust scrutiny in Europe over Android

Google is facing a fresh round of antitrust scrutiny from the European Union, this time for Android.

The revelation emerges as the Web giant tries to resolve EU charges related to how it displays search results, which critics say favor the company's own services over those of its competitors.

European officials have been examining Google's mobile operating system independently of its search results probe, EU competition chief Joaquin Almunia told The New York Times today, declining to comment further on the new investigation.

The new complaint was filed by Fairsearch Europe, a group of companies that includes Microsoft, … Read more

Tech firms may balk at California push for citizen data access

The European Union has long championed its citizens' right to submit requests for data that companies hold on them in order to ensure the information is up to date and correct. In recent years, an Austrian law student brought this "habeas data" right into the public spotlight by demanding his Facebook data from the social network.

Americans don't have this right -- and generally, relative to the EU, they have little legal protection from the state or federal government against data theft, unauthorized disclosures, and other privacy-related matters.

Though the EU and the U.S. have never … Read more

EU countries may fine Google over changes to privacy policy

Google's "new" privacy policy, launched a little over a year ago, is still causing headaches in Europe. But a new pan-European investigation into the policy may cause greater troubles for the search giant.

The French data protection authority, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL), said today that the search giant has failed to respond to its requests to make changes to its controversial privacy policy and has handed the case to European member states to deal with the matter locally.

The U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands were first involved … Read more

Apple's response to Chinese warranty complaint draws ire

Apple's warranty practices, and dealings with journalists, have brought the ire of one of China's largest media outlets.

Earlier today, The People's Daily -- which is owned by the Communist Party of China -- ran a story criticizing the iPhone and Mac maker for its response to issues raised about its warranty practices in the country.

Those issues came about during a TV segment on state-run network China Central Television Station earlier this month which claimed Apple repaired only broken or otherwise faulty parts within its products for customers in China, versus providing replacements in other countries. … Read more

European regulators scrutinize iPhone contracts with carriers

Apple's agreements with European wireless carriers that sell its iPhone are being scrutinized by European Union regulators for possible antitrust violations after several carriers complained that terms of the deals squelched competition, according to the New York Times.

While no formal complaints have been filed, a group of European operators submitted details of their Apple agreements to the Commission, an unnamed source told the Times. The antitrust accusations reportedly center on agreements with French carriers, although operators in other countries may be involved.

The European Commission confirmed that it was examining the deals but cautioned that it has not … Read more

Apple warranty case sparks EU on consumer protection

Europe's justice chief has warned that European authorities "cannot sit on the sidelines" of enforcement issues, following a case that saw little action taken against Apple's unlawful warranty practices in the region.

In 2011, Apple was fined 900,000 euros ($1.2 million) by Italian authorities for misleading advertising relating to its AppleCare Protection service. In short, EU consumer law dictates that consumers are entitled to two years of warranty. Apple, however, only provided one, with an additional premium warranty "bolt-on" for an additional year.

Apple lost its appeal to the case the following … Read more

Microsoft, the EU fine, and a browser ballot no one missed

Editors' note: This is a guest column by Geoffrey Manne and Berin Szoka. See below for their bios.

If a tree fell in the forest, and no one noticed... the European Commission would impose a staggering fine -- and then congratulate itself for protecting consumers from falling trees. That's essentially what just happened: the Commission fined Microsoft $732 million for failing to show its "browser ballot" when users installed one of its Windows 7 updates.

In 2009, the Commission settled charges that Microsoft had monopolized the EU browser market -- even as Internet Explorer's market share … Read more