Latest news with #DigitalMarketsAct
Arabian Post
an hour ago
- Business
- Arabian Post
Amazon Faces German Scrutiny Over Marketplace Pricing Practices
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Germany's antitrust authority, the Bundeskartellamt, has issued a formal warning to Amazon regarding its pricing policies on the Amazon Marketplace. The watchdog contends that Amazon's mechanisms for controlling third-party sellers' prices may infringe upon both national and European Union competition laws. The Bundeskartellamt's concerns centre on Amazon's use of algorithms and policies that potentially penalise third-party sellers for setting prices deemed too high. Such penalties could include demotion in search rankings or outright removal of products from the platform. The authority argues that these practices may constitute an abuse of market dominance, restricting fair competition and consumer choice. ADVERTISEMENT This development follows the Bundeskartellamt's designation of Amazon as an entity of 'paramount significance for competition across markets' under Section 19a of the German Competition Act. This classification subjects Amazon to heightened regulatory scrutiny and obligations to ensure competitive fairness. In response to the ongoing investigation, the Bundeskartellamt conducted a survey in September 2024 involving 2,000 third-party retailers. The survey aimed to assess the impact of Amazon's pricing policies on sellers' behaviour and market dynamics. Preliminary findings suggest that Amazon's practices may deter sellers from offering competitive prices, thereby limiting market diversity. Amazon has previously defended its pricing policies, asserting that they are designed to prevent price gouging and protect consumers. However, the Bundeskartellamt maintains that such justifications do not exempt the company from adhering to competition laws. The European Commission is also monitoring Amazon's practices, particularly in light of the Digital Markets Act , which seeks to regulate large online platforms and prevent anti-competitive behaviour. Under the DMA, companies designated as 'gatekeepers' are prohibited from favouring their own services or imposing unfair conditions on business users. The outcome of the Bundeskartellamt's investigation could have significant implications for Amazon's operations in Germany and potentially across the European Union. If found in violation of competition laws, Amazon may face substantial fines and be required to alter its business practices to promote fair competition.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple Challenges EU Order to Increase Compatibility with Rivals' Products
Apple is challenging an order from the European Union's antitrust watchdog specifying how it needs to make its iOS operating system more compatible with rival tech companies' products under the Digital Markets Act. The EU executive last March told Apple what it thinks it should do to make its iOS devices more compatible with rivals' products, from apps to headphones to virtual reality headsets, to comply with the DMA's interoperability rules designed to curb Big Tech's market power. The Law Firms That Appeased Trump—and Angered Their Clients A Glucose Monitor for Someone Without Diabetes: Optimal or Overkill? Taser Boss Tops Ranking of Highest-Paid CEOs, With $165 Million. Here's the List. Replacing Warren Buffett's Insurance Mastermind Is Berkshire's Next Succession Mystery That means giving software developers and device makers access to certain parts of Apple's operating system that are typically reserved for the company's own products, such as allowing some notifications to show up on rival companies' wearable technology. Apple filed an appeal against that decision to the European Union's General Court in Luxembourg on May 30. Appeals at the court aren't typically made public until a few days after they are filed. 'At Apple, we design our technology to work seamlessly together, so it can deliver the unique experience our users love and expect from our products. The EU's interoperability requirements threaten that foundation, while creating a process that is unreasonable, costly, and stifles innovation,' a spokesperson for the company said on Monday, calling the rules 'deeply flawed' and adding that the EU executive's order obliges Apple to share sensitive information with rivals and poses security risks to European customers. 'Companies have already requested our users' most sensitive data–from the content of their notifications, to a full history of every stored WiFi network on their device–giving them the ability to access personal information that even Apple doesn't see,' they said. 'We are appealing these decisions on their behalf, and in order to preserve the high-quality experience our European customers expect,' they said. Apple criticized an access request from Meta Platforms last December just as the commission initially proposed measures it should adopt to adopt to ensure its operating systems are functional with rivals' products. Companies face fines of up to 10% their worldwide annual turnover if the EU decides they are flouting the rules. The commission can also order them to break up parts of their business in extreme cases. A spokesperson for the commission said its decisions are fully in line with the DMA. 'We will defend them in Court,' the spokesperson said. Write to Edith Hancock at Funds Promising Shelter From Wild Swings Are Booming. But Do They Deliver? How Europe Is Losing the Global Tech Race, in Five Charts Rio Tinto Agrees to New Management Plan in Area Where It Destroyed Ancient Caves Soul Patts, Brickworks to Cement Ties With $9 Billion Merger Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Wall Street Journal
5 hours ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Apple Challenges EU Order to Increase Compatibility with Rivals' Products
Apple AAPL 0.45%increase; green up pointing triangle is challenging an order from the European Union's antitrust watchdog specifying how it needs to make its iOS operating system more compatible with rival tech companies' products under the Digital Markets Act. The EU executive last March told Apple what it thinks it should do to make its iOS devices more compatible with rivals' products, from apps to headphones to virtual reality headsets, to comply with the DMA's interoperability rules designed to curb Big Tech's market power. That means giving software developers and device makers access to certain parts of Apple's operating system that are typically reserved for the company's own products, such as allowing some notifications to show up on rival companies' wearable technology. Apple filed an appeal against that decision to the European Union's General Court in Luxembourg on May 30. Appeals at the court aren't typically made public until a few days after they are filed. 'At Apple, we design our technology to work seamlessly together, so it can deliver the unique experience our users love and expect from our products. The EU's interoperability requirements threaten that foundation, while creating a process that is unreasonable, costly, and stifles innovation,' a spokesperson for the company said on Monday, calling the rules 'deeply flawed' and adding that the EU executive's order obliges Apple to share sensitive information with rivals and poses security risks to European customers. 'Companies have already requested our users' most sensitive data–from the content of their notifications, to a full history of every stored WiFi network on their device–giving them the ability to access personal information that even Apple doesn't see,' they said. 'We are appealing these decisions on their behalf, and in order to preserve the high-quality experience our European customers expect,' they said. The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Apple criticized an access request from Meta Platforms last December just as the commission initially proposed measures it should adopt to adopt to ensure its operating systems are functional with rivals' products. Companies face fines of up to 10% their worldwide annual turnover if the EU decides they are flouting the rules. The commission can also order them to break up parts of their business in extreme cases. Write to Edith Hancock at
Axios
10 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
Scoop: Apple to appeal EU requirement to share info with tech rivals
Apple filed an appeal to the European Commission's specifications around how the company complies with its interoperability requirements, which compel it to share user information with outside developers as part of the Digital Markets Act, per a source familiar with the situation. Why it matters: Apple continues to push back forcefully against requirements imposed by the DMA, which the company has said forces it to give up its intellectual property and compromise user privacy. The deadline to appeal this particular requirement was May 30. How it works: The interoperability requirements are meant to give other device manufacturers and app developers access to Apple features that are normally exclusive to Apple products, including WiFi pairing and notifications on non-Apple smartwatches and headsets. Apple and Meta were the first companies to be hit with DMA fines in April, as Axios first reported. Apple put out a report last December arguing that the DMA's interoperability reports could be abused and expose private user information. What they're saying: "We design our technology to work seamlessly together, so it can deliver the unique experience our users love and expect from our products. The EU's interoperability requirements threaten that foundation, while creating a process that is unreasonable, costly, and stifles innovation," an Apple spokesperson told Axios. "These requirements will also hand data-hungry companies sensitive information, which poses massive privacy and security risks to our EU users." Per the Apple spokesperson, as allowed under the DMA's interoperability requirement, companies including Meta, Google, Garmin and Spotify have requested from Apple user notification content and stored WiFi networks, "giving them the ability to access personal information that even Apple doesn't see." The spokesperson added, "In the end, these deeply flawed rules that only target Apple—and no other company—will severely limit our ability to deliver innovative products and features to Europe, leading to an inferior user experience for our European customers." The other side: Companies that rely on the App Store to distribute their products have welcomed the DMA's requirements of Apple, saying they are long overdue for developers and other businesses to offer customers better features on their apps and devices.
France 24
3 days ago
- Business
- France 24
'There's a lot of misunderstanding' on freedom of speech: EU tech sovereignty commissioner
"Freedom of speech is one of our fundamental values in the European Union," Virkkunen remarks. "But it's not as if freedom of speech is above all other rights. Other people have rights also. So we have to be balanced. So if there is, for example, illegal hate speech, it has to be taken down. It's also very important to explain this approach, because there's a lot of misunderstanding." Pushing back on Trump's suggestions that the EU is treating US tech "unfairly", Virkkunen explains: "We have fresh statistics from the last eight months on why online platforms have been removing content, because under our Digital Services Act, they have to report in the European Union if they are removing content. And in 99 percent of cases they are doing that because the content is against their own terms and conditions. Only in 1 percent of cases was the removal based on trusted flaggers in the European Union." The EU Commission is actively enforcing the Digital Services Act, and has opened new investigations. "We are specifically focusing on the protection of minors," Virkkunen says. "We have now opened investigations against adult platforms to make sure that they are protecting minors and that they have the age verification in place. Online shopping is also something where we are facing challenges." As for enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Virkkunen mentions the fines recently applied to Meta and Apple, over non-compliance. "Meta and Apple have 60 days to comply with our rules and change the design of their services. We are all the time looking at all the companies who are operating in the European markets, to make sure that they are complying with our rules," she states. Virkkunen was recently in the US, where she met researchers and innovators. The commissioner says that she sees "a lot of interest towards the European Union, from students, researchers, industry startups and companies, because when there is so much uncertainty on the global scale, Europe is seen as a very reliable and stable and predictable place. Also, Europe is an ageing continent, and it's very important for us to attract talented people from all over the world." Virkkunen concedes that the EU is "often criticised for being too slow and bureaucratic. We want to make Europe faster and simpler and easier for businesses. We are looking at SMEs. We are implementing the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Act, and it's important that we do that in an innovation-friendly manner. So if there are parts of the AI Act that overlap with other rules, we are looking at simplifying that also." On startups, Virkkunen says: "This week we launched our startup and scale-up strategy, because we see that many companies have problems to scale up in the European Union. Often the challenge is access to finance, but we also have too many barriers between the member states. So we have to create one single market and use the full potential of the single market." Virkkunen insists that the building blocks for growth in research and innovation in the EU are already in place. "We have 30 percent more researchers than the US per capita when it comes to AI," she asserts. "We have a very strong research and scientific community. We have 7,000 startups working to develop AI. But the infrastructure is a challenge in the European Union, in that we don't have enough computing capacity because we don't have these big tech giants. That's why, with our member states, we are investing in supercomputers. We have identified 13 so-called AI factories, and we have now opened a call for interest on so-called gigafactories. So we want to have very powerful supercomputers in the coming years to make sure that our startups can develop AI. We also want to encourage more AI uptake by the public sector and by industry."
