Though Apple and Google have panned the legislation, it has received support from independent developers as well as the, a nonprofit alliance of developers formed last year to push for changes to app-marketplace rules. The measure, which would also empower the state attorney general to investigate complaints for alleged violations of the law, still has to be approved by the state senate before it heads to Republican Gov. and Australia, and submitting an antitrust complaint against Apple last month at the European Commission.Īrizona’s House of Representatives narrowly approved a bill Wednesday that would restrict operators of large software application marketplaces from requiring developers to exclusively use their payment processing systems for in-app purchases. The European Commission already took antitrust action against another major tech company this summer, when it fined Google 5 billion for anti-competitive behavior surrounding its Android product. has made similar claims, filing lawsuits against Apple in the U.S., U.K. “Fortnite" game developer Epic Games Inc. The EU cases into Apple stem from multiple complaints filed by app developers, including Spotify Technology SA, over its treatment of app developers, alleging that the company has tried to stifle competition. through the end of 2020, and the CMA on Thursday said that it is coordinating its investigation with the European Commission, the EU’s top competition enforcer, as well as with other antitrust agencies around the world.Īpple has said the complaints in the EU cases are baseless.Īt the core of the antitrust concerns is how much control and share of revenue technology giants should have in relation to popular apps. The EU case could involve some of Apple’s conduct in the U.K. The U.K.’s new investigation covers similar ground to a set of probes that the European Union opened into Apple’s App Store policies last June, while the U.K. FTC and other regulatory agencies in their review of the Amazon-iRobot merger.Andrea Coscelli, the regulator’s chief executive, said special scrutiny is warranted for “complaints that Apple is using its market position to set terms which are unfair or may restrict competition and choice-potentially causing customers to lose out when buying and using apps."Īpple said Thursday that it will work with the CMA, and defended the requirements it places on app developers when submitting apps, saying they are “applied fairly and equally to all developers" and are necessary “to protect customers from malware and to prevent rampant data collection without their consent." Consumer groups had voiced concerns after the deal was announced last year that it would further the e-commerce giant's dominance in the smart home market.Īmazon said it’s “working cooperatively with the relevant regulators in their review of the merger.”īedford, Massachusetts-based iRobot, which makes the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners, said it “continues to work cooperatively with both the U.S. by the Federal Trade Commission amid worries about Amazon's growing market power. The acquisition is already facing a review in the U.S. watchdog invited comments on the deal from “any interested party.” While the regulator hasn’t yet announced an investigation, it may focus on. The Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday that it's considering whether the deal will result in a “substantial lessening of competition” within the United Kingdom. antitrust scrutiny into how it uses data from smaller sellers on its site, the Financial Times reported, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.The Competition and Markets Authority has been analyzing Amazon’s business for months, according to the newspaper. LONDON - British antitrust regulators have started investigating Amazon's purchase of robot vacuum maker iRobot, adding further scrutiny to the $1.7 billion deal.
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