This is a rundown of last week’s news updates on Antitrust:
Apple denies abuse of dominance in Indian app market
Tech giant Apple has sought the dismissal of a case filed against it by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) stating that it does not hold a dominant position in the Indian app market. It claimed that it holds a small share of 0-5% in the Indian app market which is dominated by Android creator Google which holds 95-100% of the market share. The filing by Apple was made in the light of the CCI reviewing complaints that the company is abusing its power in the market by forcing app developers to use its proprietary system that charges up to 30% commission for in-app purchases.
CCI suspends approval of Amazon’s investment in Future Group
The Competition Commission of India has suspended the deal between Amazon and Future Group, which was approved in 2019. The Commission has alleged that the US e-commerce giant has suppressed information regarding the actual scope and purpose of the combination and that it has misled the Commission through false statements and material omissions. A penalty of Rs. 200 crore was also imposed on the company.
US antitrust watchdog to investigate Meta’s investment in VR app
The Federal Trade Commission has launched an antitrust probe into Meta’s plan to purchase a Virtual Reality fitness app called Supernatural. The probe comes in the light of Meta already acquiring at least six other companies in the VR sector and its interest in acquiring most of the popular VR start-up companies. The social media giant is also facing antitrust charges in the US for securing its position in the market through its acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Nuance to be probed by UK regulators
United Kingdom’s antitrust regulator Competition and Market Authority has opened an investigation into Microsoft’s acquisition of speech recognition company Nuance Communications Inc. The authority stated that it needed to assess whether the acquisition will result in the reduction of competition in the market in the UK, hence violating antitrust regulations.
Authored by Rohan Jacob (Associate) and Maalavika S M (Intern).
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