Competition watchdog green lights Microsoft’s £13.9bn snap up of Nuance Communications March 2, 2022 UK competition watchdog has given Microsoft’s $19.7bn (£13.9bn) acquisition of Nuance Communications the green light this morning, stating that it did “not give rise to a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition”. Tech giant Microsoft snapped up the US-headquartered software firm last April in a push to advance its software capabilities. Nuance offers [...]
Competition watchdog accepts Google privacy changes February 11, 2022 The UK competition watchdog has accepted Google’s changes to its privacy sandbox, following a year-long investigation into the tech giant. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched the inquiry in January 2021 over concerns that Google’s privacy sandbox – a set of new web standards that aim to protect people’s privacy more – would cause [...]
Competition watchdog brands Amazon as ‘grocery retailer’ enforcing UK supplier protection February 9, 2022 UK competition watchdog has branded Amazon as a “grocery retailer” after the ecommerce giant announced it would be increasing its activity in the sector, with plans to launch 15 new Amazon Fresh stores in London. The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) decision is aimed at protecting suppliers and ensuring fairer payment terms, forcing Amazon, as [...]
CMA finds Apple and Google have a ‘vice-like grip’ on phones December 14, 2021 The UK’s competition watchdog has warned Apple and Google have a “vice-like grip” on how consumers use mobile phones, stripping them from any meaningful choice and hampering competition in the sector. A preliminary investigation published by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today concludes that the two tech giants have dominated the market and have [...]
US platform buys Seedrs for $100m after CMA blocks Crowdcube merger on home turf December 1, 2021 UK crowdfunding platform Seedrs is being acquired by US investment platform Republic, just months after the UK’s competition watchdog blocked its plans to merge with homegrown rival Crowdcube. In a transatlantic deal that values Seedrs at approximately $100m (£75m), the two platforms are billing the combined entity as “the first global private investment marketplace with [...]
Google commits to play ball with CMA over anti-competitive ‘Sandbox’ November 26, 2021 Google has improved its commitments to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over its ‘Privacy Sandbox’ amid concerns that changes by the tech titan could reduce competition in the digital advertising market. The competition watchdog launched an investigation into alleged anti-competitive behaviour by Google at the start of the year, following proposed changes to its [...]
CMA to open EV charging competition on motorways November 17, 2021 The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is set to open up a competition for electric vehicle charging on motorways. Citing the necessity for drivers to have “a greater choice of chargepoints where they need them”, the CMA has set established for competing firms to offer legally-binding assurances, also known as commitments. For its part, [...]
Watchdog opens investigation into emergency services radio network October 25, 2021 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announces they will be investigating the Motorola Airwave network, the infrastructure and service provider that enables the police, fire and emergency services to communicate securely with each other. The decision to launch a market investigation follows a consultation, opened in July 2021, which set out concerns about the impact [...]
Streaming platforms like Spotify in the sights of competition watchdog October 19, 2021 An inquiry into the music industry, examining whether the rise of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music are fair and competitive for the industry is set to begin. The UK watchdog will look at the issues that exist for both listeners and artists, gathering evidence to decide the best course of action against [...]
CMA: UK businesses have until New Year to clean up greenwashing claims September 20, 2021 The UK’s competition watchdog has today given British businesses a deadline of the end of the year to resolve any misleading green marketing claims – so-called “greenwashing” – to avoid regulatory action. At the beginning of 2022, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will carry out a full review of the environmental declarations made [...]