CMA could put Hotpoint-Beko tie-up on ice over competition concerns September 28, 2023 A planned tie-up between the electrical and white goods giants behind Hotpoint and Beko in Europe could reduce choice and increase prices for UK consumers, Britain’s competition watchdog has warned. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it found competition concerns surrounding Turkish firm Arcelik’s takeover of Whirlpool’s European domestic appliances business. The regulator said [...]
Right-wing think tank claims digital markets bill is a ‘recipe for disaster’ September 19, 2023 Proposed legislation to regulate digital markets is a “recipe for disaster” and risks spooking tech companies by handing Britain’s competition watchdog unbridled power, according to a new paper by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). The right-wing think tank has today published a paper which warns the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers bill (DMCC) will [...]
New AI principles hint at pro-innovation future of UK regulation September 19, 2023 Britain’s competition watchdog has set out guidelines to steer the development of artificial intelligence (AI), which lawyers suggest could be a blueprint for a pro-innovation future of AI regulation. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has proposed seven principles to guide the use and development of the foundation models that underpin AI giants like OpenAI’s [...]
70 per cent drop in cartel whistleblowing to CMA since 2018 should cause ‘concern’ September 17, 2023 The UK’s competition watchdog should be concerned by a 70 per cent drop in whistleblowing on illegal cartels in the last five years, top lawyers have said. A freedom of information (FOI) request from law firm RPC showed the staggering drop in reporting, down from 1,442 calls in 2017 to just 427 in 2022, City [...]
Payally boss: Big Tech crackdown will kill London startups September 13, 2023 The UK needs to “loosen its grip” on Big Tech and steer away from copying the EU’s tough approach to the sector, the founder payments firm Payally has warned. “We need to be attracting big tech to London, not discouraging it,” Rafal Andzejevski told City A.M. “For right or for wrong, we left the EU, [...]
Adobe: AI expected to drive growth as Figma deal remains foggy September 11, 2023 Adobe is gearing up to post third quarter results on Thursday as the company pins its hopes on generative AI.
Heathrow: competition regulator says airport charges should be reconsidered after errors made September 9, 2023 The competition regulator has provisionally found that some errors were made in a decision on how much Heathrow Airport can charge airlines. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it proposes to require aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to reconsider certain aspects of its conclusion. In February, the CAA said the cap on [...]
Google faces £7bn UK legal claim over anti-competitive search engine practices September 7, 2023 Google is the subject of a new multibillion-pound legal claim in the UK which accuses the tech giant of shutting out competition in mobile search and driving up prices for consumers as a result. The claim, filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, is seeking around £7 billion in damages for UK consumers. It accuses the [...]
Will Microsoft and Activision Blizzard finally get the green light? August 22, 2023 Britain’s competition watchdog faces a tough call on whether to wave through Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s merger as the EU and the US have done, but a green light could be down the road, experts have suggested. Microsoft’s renewed $69bn acquisition offer for gaming giant Activision Blizzard has triggered a new probe by the Competition [...]
Microsoft offers new Activision Blizzard deal to UK competition watchdog August 22, 2023 Microsoft has put a fresh deal on the table for its $69bn (£55bn) acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard, triggering a new investigation by Britain’s competition watchdog. On Tuesday the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirmed it is blocking the original deal to protect consumer choice in cloud gaming. However, Microsoft has submitted a fresh [...]