About this content About Emily Jarvie Emily began her career as a political journalist for Australian Community Media in Hobart, Tasmania. After she relocated to Toronto, Canada, she reported on business, legal, and scientific developments in the emerging psychedelics sector before joining Proactive in 2022. She brings a strong journalism background with her work featured in newspapers, magazines, and digital publications across Australia, Europe, and North America, including The Examiner, The Advocate, ...

Core Points - Apple has been denied a request to pause parts of a federal judge's order that mandates the company to open its App Store to increased competition [1][5] - The ruling is part of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit initiated by Epic Games, the maker of "Fortnite" [8][10] Group 1: Legal Proceedings - US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in contempt of a previous injunction related to the Epic Games case [2] - The judge's April order required Apple to cease practices that circumvented the injunction, including a 27% fee imposed on app developers for purchases made outside the App Store [3][9] - The court has prohibited Apple from restricting developers from placing links for external purchases [4] Group 2: Reactions and Implications - Apple expressed disappointment over the decision and plans to continue its appeal [3] - Epic Games claims that Apple's actions are an attempt to evade competition and continue collecting fees that have been barred [7] - Since the injunction, Epic noted a surge in competition as developers have improved payment methods and consumer choices [7]

Core Viewpoint - Alphabet's shares have experienced significant volatility in 2025, reflecting broader market trends, with a notable 37% increase in 2024 followed by an 8.9% rise in early 2025, before a sharp decline of around 30% in February due to escalating trade tensions [1][2]. Company Performance - By April 2025, Alphabet's shares rebounded, gaining 17% as of June 2, following easing trade tensions, and the company holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) with a strong Growth Score of A [2]. - The company faces uncertainty due to ongoing antitrust legal proceedings, with the Department of Justice concluding arguments that could have significant implications for Alphabet [3][4]. Legal Challenges - Alphabet lost a landmark antitrust case in August 2024, with a ruling that it illegally monopolized the search engine market, leading to potential drastic consequences for the company [4]. - Analysts predict that if a divestiture of the Chrome browser is ordered, Alphabet's shares could drop by 15% to 25%, and its earnings per share (EPS) could decrease by up to 30% due to Chrome's substantial user base of 4 billion and its contribution of 35% to Alphabet's search revenues [4][5]. Settlement and Compliance - Alphabet has agreed to a $500 million settlement to change its compliance structure as part of a resolution to a shareholder lawsuit alleging antitrust violations, with additional legal fees potentially reaching $80 million [7]. Investment Opportunities - The legal developments surrounding Alphabet are expected to create short-term volatility in its shares, prompting interest in ETFs with significant exposure to the company [8]. - Several ETFs with notable exposure to Alphabet include: - IShares Global Comm Services ETF with 11.97% exposure and an asset base of $415.5 million [9]. - Fidelity MSCI Communication Services Index ETF with 12.50% exposure and an asset base of $1.49 billion [11]. - Vanguard Communication Services ETF with 12.49% exposure and an asset base of $4.74 billion [12]. - MicroSectors FANG+ ETN with 9.74% exposure and an asset base of $445.9 million [13]. - Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund with 8.71% exposure and an asset base of $21.82 billion [14].

Core Viewpoint - The Federal Cartel Office of Germany has raised concerns that Amazon's pricing controls for third-party sellers may violate competition laws, potentially limiting product visibility and interfering with sellers' pricing freedom [2][3]. Group 1: Amazon's Pricing Mechanisms - Amazon's algorithms and statistical models set price caps for products, which can lead to demotion in search results or exclusion from the buy box for products deemed to have "too high" or "not competitive" prices [1][2]. - The Cartel Office indicated that Amazon's pricing practices could harm not only sellers but also deter other retailers from offering lower prices, thus affecting overall competition in the online retail market [3]. Group 2: Regulatory Responses - The Federal Cartel Office's preliminary assessment suggests that Amazon's influence over pricing on its platform is fundamentally questionable from a competition perspective, especially since Amazon competes with other retailers on its own marketplace [3]. - Amazon has the opportunity to respond to the Cartel Office's preliminary findings before a final decision is made [4]. Group 3: Previous and Ongoing Investigations - In 2022, Amazon reached a settlement with EU antitrust regulators regarding its use of seller data and buy box practices, agreeing to display a second buy box for competing offers in Europe [5]. - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is also investigating Amazon's pricing algorithms as part of a broader antitrust lawsuit, with a trial scheduled for October 2026 [6].

Core Viewpoint - Google plans to appeal a ruling against it for anti-competitive practices in online search, asserting that the original court decision was incorrect [2][4]. Group 1: Legal Proceedings - A federal judge in Washington found Google guilty of illegal practices to establish and maintain its monopoly in online search in the summer of 2024 [2]. - The judge's decision on potential remedies is expected by August 2025 [6]. Group 2: Proposed Remedies - The Justice Department is demanding significant remedies, including Google's divestiture from its Chrome browser and a ban on exclusivity agreements with smartphone manufacturers [3]. - Google has proposed more limited measures, such as allowing phone manufacturers to pre-install its Google Play app store but not Chrome or the search engine [5]. Group 3: Data Sharing and Consumer Impact - The Justice Department's proposal includes forcing Google to share data used to produce search results on Chrome, which Google argues would allow the government to control user data access [3][4]. - Google expressed concerns that the proposed remedies would benefit well-funded competitors like Bing but did not adequately address consumer benefits [4].

Core Points - The Department of Justice (DOJ) is concluding its antitrust case against Google, which may lead to significant changes in how the company operates, including the potential sale of its Chrome browser and changes to its default search engine agreements [1][2] - The DOJ argues that these measures are necessary to enhance competition in the online search market, while Google contends that the proposed remedies are excessive and that more targeted solutions would suffice [2] - The antitrust lawsuit was initiated in October 2020, with the DOJ alleging that Google monopolizes the search and advertising markets, controlling 80% of search queries in the U.S. [3] - A federal judge ruled in August 2024 that Google violated antitrust laws, emphasizing that the company paid $26.3 billion in 2021 to maintain its default search engine status, which reinforces its market dominance [4] - In November 2024, the DOJ suggested breaking up Google to mitigate its market dominance, proposing several remedies [5] - Proposed remedies include the forced sale of the Chrome browser, banning lucrative default search engine deals, and requiring Google to license its search index data to competitors [6] - Google criticized the DOJ's proposals as "radical" and "overbroad," claiming they would disrupt various popular products [7]

Meta Platforms (META 2.32%), the social media giant that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has been a growth beast in recent years. Its revenue is growing at a fast pace, and the stock is soaring. Since the start of 2023, the stock price is up 431%.But past performance, as they say, is no guarantee of future performance. Could there be trouble ahead for the company? A recent report from The Wall Street Journal discussed some significant shortcomings in Meta's business, which it says could make Meta vu ...

Core Viewpoint - Google is under investigation by the Justice Department for potential antitrust violations related to its partnership with Character.AI, particularly concerning the structuring of a deal to avoid regulatory scrutiny [1][3]. Group 1: Investigation Details - The DOJ is examining whether Google intentionally structured its deal with Character.AI to evade regulatory oversight [1]. - Google has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and the investigation is in its early stages, which may not lead to enforcement actions [3]. - The partnership involved Google hiring key members from Character.AI, including co-founders, and obtaining a non-exclusive license for its chatbot technology [1][3]. Group 2: Character.AI Legal Issues - Character.AI is facing a wrongful death lawsuit related to the suicide of a teenager, alleging that its chatbot led to an emotionally abusive relationship [4]. - A federal judge has allowed this lawsuit to proceed, rejecting Character.AI's First Amendment defense [5]. Group 3: Broader Context and Implications - The DOJ is considering the long-term implications of Google's AI products in relation to its monopoly over search [8]. - Comparisons have been made between Google's deal with Character.AI and "acqui-hire" transactions, which are scrutinized for potentially neutralizing competition [8][9]. - Google has previously lost two significant antitrust cases, with potential remedies including a breakup of the company [5].

Core Viewpoint - Apple is facing legal challenges due to its non-compliance with a court injunction related to an antitrust dispute with Epic Games, which could lead to sanctions against the company [1][2][12] Group 1: Legal Proceedings - A federal judge has ordered Apple to explain its refusal to comply with a 2021 injunction that required the company to ease restrictions on third-party developers in the App Store [1][2] - The judge has demanded that an Apple official responsible for compliance appear in court on May 27 if the issue is not resolved [2][7] - Epic Games has filed a motion to enforce the original injunction, which mandates that Apple allow developers to include external payment links in their apps [2][10] Group 2: Judge's Criticism - Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers criticized Apple for failing to honor the court's ruling and for imposing conditions that undermine the injunction's intent [3][5] - The judge specifically pointed out that Apple CEO Tim Cook ignored internal recommendations to comply with the injunction, leading to further legal complications [5][6] - Allegations have been made against Apple's vice president of finance for lying under oath during the trial, which has intensified scrutiny on the company's executive conduct [6][11] Group 3: Financial Implications - The court found that Apple had established a 27% commission fee for purchases made outside its ecosystem, which was seen as a tactic to exceed costs incurred by developers using third-party payment methods [10][11] - Internal documents revealed that Apple had finalized its external purchase fee structure by July 2023, contradicting previous sworn testimony regarding the timeline [11] Group 4: Industry Impact - The ongoing legal battle is seen as a significant moment for developers, with Epic Games' CEO stating that the ruling forces Apple to compete, aligning with the interests of developers [12]

“Fortnite” maker Epic Games said Friday that Apple has blocked its latest attempt to bring back the popular video game in the US version of its App Store.The Fortnite app is also unavailable Apple devices in the European Union, despite previously being downloadable there through the Epic Games store. Epic pinned the download failures in Europe on Apple as well.“Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union,” Epic G ...