Lord Pannick: Activision hires top KC for £55bn Microsoft takeover legal challenge May 10, 2023 Computer Games company Activision Blizzard has hired Boris Johnson’s former lawyer to represent it in a £55 billion legal battle with the competition watchdog. Lord David Pannick KC, who represented the ex-prime minister through the partygate hearings, will be representing the games giant at a Competition Appeal Tribunal, the Financial Times reported. It comes after [...]
Activision deal: Survey says CMA wrong to block Microsoft tie-up May 8, 2023 A quarter of the public thought the UK competition watchdog was wrong to block Microsoft’s $70b deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, a new poll has found. One in four of the public were opposed to the UK Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) decision to block the deal, while a further 16 percent thought it was [...]
UK antitrust agency probes AI market as calls for regulation grow louder May 4, 2023 The UK's competition regulator has launched a review into the advancement of artificial intelligence, it confirmed today, amid growing concerns over its unchecked power to potentially overhaul the jobs market and spread misinformation.
Google to change app store rules after UK competition agency flags concerns April 19, 2023 Google said it will allow app developers in the UK to use alternative payment options following an investigation by the UK’s competition regulator. The tech giant said it would present other payment options to Google Play’s billing system for in-app purchases “in a neutral manner” if its commitments are accepted by the UK Competition and [...]
Heathrow to appeal against CAA price cap as airport warns passengers will bear the brunt of ‘underinvestment’ April 19, 2023 Heathrow Airport has said it will launch an appeal against the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) decision on how much it can charge passengers until December 2026. The Competition and Markets Authority will review the airport’s grounds for appeal and decide if any can proceed. Last month the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed that the cap [...]
Under a cloud: Dominance of Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure questioned as Ofcom considers CMA referral April 5, 2023 Ofcom has proposed referring UK cloud services to the competition regulator, citing concerns that key players Amazon and Microsoft could stifle competition. The communications regulator said it has proposed referring the sector to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after it identified features which make it harder for customers to switch or use multiple providers. [...]
CMA drops concerns over Microsoft takeover of Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard… for now March 24, 2023 The UK competition watchdog has provisionally dropped concerns that Microsoft’s proposed takeover of Call Of Duty developer Activision Blizzard would damage the UK console gaming market. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last month warned the 68.7 billion dollar (£56.7 billion) deal could result in higher prices, fewer choices or less innovation for UK gamers. [...]
10 construction firms fined £60m for ‘illegally colluding’ to rig contracts including for Selfridges and 135 Bishopsgate March 23, 2023 The UK competition watchdog has fined 10 construction firms a total of almost £60 million for “illegally colluding” to rig bids for contracts. The construction firms have been punished over cartel agreements related to 19 contracts worth over £150 million on both public and private sector contracts. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the [...]
CMA: US chipmaker Broadcom’s £50bn VMware deal could hurt server competition March 22, 2023 Britain’s competition regulator said U.S. chipmaker Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware VMW.N could make servers more expensive, and it would refer the $61 billion deal (£49bn) to an in-depth inquiry unless its concerns were addressed. Broadcom AVGO.O agreed to buy the cloud computing and virtualisation company last year to diversify into enterprise software. Britain’s Competition and [...]
‘Intelligence received’ suggesting airports breaking competition law – regulator January 26, 2023 UK airports could be breaking competition law, according to information received by a regulator. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has written to airport operators warning of “serious consequences” for illegal information sharing. The letter, produced jointly with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), stated: “The CMA has recently received intelligence to suggest that some UK [...]