EU Commission | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Tue, 12 Mar 2024 10:34:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png EU Commission | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Apple forced to reactivate Epic Games’ iOS developer account https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/apple-forced-to-reactivate-epic-games-ios-developer-account/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/apple-forced-to-reactivate-epic-games-ios-developer-account/#respond Mon, 11 Mar 2024 16:10:10 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=651157 Last week, Apple banned Epic Games' iOS development account once again, just days after reinstating access. Epic Games was quick to point this out publicly and the European Commission swiftly began asking Apple questions about the new ban. Now, Apple has reversed its decision. Within days of banning Epic once again, Apple has now reinstated …

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Last week, Apple banned Epic Games' iOS development account once again, just days after reinstating access. Epic Games was quick to point this out publicly and the European Commission swiftly began asking Apple questions about the new ban. Now, Apple has reversed its decision.

Within days of banning Epic once again, Apple has now reinstated the company's access to its iOS developer account. This means Epic Games can continue to work towards bringing Fortnite back to iOS, alongside its own store app.

In an update to the company's March 6th blog post revealing the ban, Epic Games said: “Apple has told us and committed to the European Commission that they will reinstate our developer account. This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable. We are moving forward as planned to launch the Epic Games Store and bring Fortnite back to iOS in Europe.”

Now whether or not Apple finds a new reason to ban Epic Games still remains to be seen. Apple first banned the company's accounts and Fortnite from iOS after Epic Games shipped an update to the game that implemented a discounted payment method, circumventing Apple Pay entirely. This sparked a years-long legal battle and debate amongst regulators who believe Apple and Google hold a monopoly in the mobile software market. The European Commission has since introduced new rules that will force Apple to open iOS up to competing services, something that the company isn't too happy about.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The most recent Epic-Apple drama can now be put to rest. I doubt we'll have to wait long for new issues to make their way into the public eye though. 

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The EU reportedly won’t reinvestigate Microsoft’s ActiBlizz deal following restructure https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-eu-reportedly-wont-reinvestigate-microsofts-actiblizz-deal-following-restructure/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-eu-reportedly-wont-reinvestigate-microsofts-actiblizz-deal-following-restructure/#respond Wed, 11 Oct 2023 16:20:41 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=633823 Earlier this month, reports claimed that Microsoft would obtain UK approval for its Activision Blizzard deal this week, with plans to close as soon as this coming Friday. However, given that the deal was tweaked after obtaining EU approval for the old deal, there have been questions as to whether the restructured transaction would have …

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Earlier this month, reports claimed that Microsoft would obtain UK approval for its Activision Blizzard deal this week, with plans to close as soon as this coming Friday. However, given that the deal was tweaked after obtaining EU approval for the old deal, there have been questions as to whether the restructured transaction would have to go through a new approval process. According to a new source this week, that won't be the case.

Bloomberg backs up earlier claims that the deal will close very soon, with the UK apparently set to approve the acquisition in the next few days. The report also claims that the EU Commission has concluded that the changes made to the deal to appease the UK's Competition & Markets Authority won't warrant a new investigation into the deal. With that in mind, there should be no hold-ups once the CMA's decision comes through, allowing Microsoft to close the deal ahead of its contracted October 18th deadline.

The reworked deal will see Microsoft obtaining Activision Blizzard King, but the company will transfer the cloud streaming rights to those games over to Ubisoft. Under the agreement, Ubisoft will be free to sub-license those games out to any company it chooses and it will be allowed to request ports from Microsoft to support specific platforms, such as cloud services that don't rely on Windows – however, there will be fees involved with ports.

The CMA did initially block the acquisition as while Microsoft had managed to beat the console theory of harm, the CMA still held concerns over the effect of the deal on the burgeoning cloud gaming market. With Ubisoft set to take control of Activision Blizzard games in the cloud market, those concerns have been squashed.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: At some point within the next week, this whole ordeal will finally come to an end. Either everything closes by the October 18th deadline (next Wednesday), or Microsoft takes a tough defeat and parts with roughly $5 billion in break-up fees with Activision.

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Apple’s Shazam acquisition hits a roadblock as EU investigation gets underway https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/apples-shazam-acquisition-hits-a-roadblock-as-eu-investigation-gets-underway/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/apples-shazam-acquisition-hits-a-roadblock-as-eu-investigation-gets-underway/#respond Wed, 07 Feb 2018 13:13:18 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=363306 It looks like Apple's plan to acquire Shazam for as much as $400 million has hit a roadblock. This week, the European Commission announced plans to investigate the acquisition deal over fears that it could negatively impact competition. Multiple countries, including Spain, Austria, France and Iceland requested that the EU Commission investigate the deal before …

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It looks like Apple's plan to acquire Shazam for as much as $400 million has hit a roadblock. This week, the European Commission announced plans to investigate the acquisition deal over fears that it could negatively impact competition. Multiple countries, including Spain, Austria, France and Iceland requested that the EU Commission investigate the deal before it goes through.

The goal is to investigate how much Apple's acquisition of Shazam could hurt local competing services in Europe and whether or not such a merger would be allowed under European law. Apple announced plans to acquire Shazam back in December, in an effort to bolster Apple Music and Siri with features from the well-known music discovery app.

Spotify in particular could lose out if Apple acquires Shazam and shuts the app down. Both Apple Music and Spotify gain referrals and link clicks through the Shazam app on iOS and Android. If Apple takes that away, then it would hurt Spotify, which as The Verge points out, could be part of the European Commission's concerns.

So far, Apple has not responded to the EU's plans to investigate the deal. However, the company will likely have to explain its side of things fairly soon in order to get the deal wrapped up.

KitGuru Says: The Shazam acquisition came out of the blue and seemed very sudden. However, it does make sense given that Shazam is already baked into Siri. Still, it looks like the deal could be stalled now that the EU is investigating it.

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The EU Commission is investigating Valve over geo-blocked games https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-eu-commission-is-investigating-valve-over-geo-blocked-games/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-eu-commission-is-investigating-valve-over-geo-blocked-games/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2017 18:16:32 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=320594 It looks like the European Commission has turned its attention away from the tech giants of the world and now has its sights set on Valve along with five other PC game publishers. The commission is launching an antitrust investigation into Valve's business practises alongside Zenimax (Bethesda parent company), Capcom, Bandai Namco, Koch Media and …

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It looks like the European Commission has turned its attention away from the tech giants of the world and now has its sights set on Valve along with five other PC game publishers. The commission is launching an antitrust investigation into Valve's business practises alongside Zenimax (Bethesda parent company), Capcom, Bandai Namco, Koch Media and Focus Home. The focus here appears to be the selective geo-blocking of certain game titles.

The Commission is looking to figure out whether or not these companies are in breach of the EU's antitrust rules by preventing consumers from accessing certain games based on region.

Here is the commission's official reasoning behind this investigation: “The investigation concerns geo-blocking practices, where companies prevent consumers from purchasing digital content, in this case PC video games, because of the consumer's location or country of residence. an “activation key” can grant access to a purchased game only to consumers in a particular EU Member State (for example the Czech Republic or Poland). This may amount to a breach of EU competition rules by reducing cross-border competition as a result of restricting so-called “parallel trade” within the Single Market and preventing consumers from buying cheaper games that may be available in other Member States.”

So it seems that the commission could potentially take issue with Valve's region-based activation keys for certain titles. There is no deadline for this investigation as things are still in the early stages and while Valve, Zenimax and other publishers could face fines, no formal charges have been placed yet.

Aside from that, the Commission is also launching two other investigations this week, one aimed at consumer electronic manufacturers and a second aimed at hotels.

KitGuru Says: It sounds like the EU doesn't like the idea of Steam locking users out of purchasing games from countries where currency may be weaker. The investigation is still in its early stages but it will be interesting to see how this turns out. 

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Getty Images accuses Google of promoting photo piracy https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/getty-images-accuses-google-of-promoting-photo-piracy/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/getty-images-accuses-google-of-promoting-photo-piracy/#comments Wed, 27 Apr 2016 16:21:43 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=290994 Getty Images, a well-known US-based photography agency has accused Google of promoting photo piracy and undermining its business. This will lead to yet another formal antitrust complaint being filed against the company with the European Commission, which already has two antitrust cases out against Google at the moment regarding Android and shopping results on Google …

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Getty Images, a well-known US-based photography agency has accused Google of promoting photo piracy and undermining its business. This will lead to yet another formal antitrust complaint being filed against the company with the European Commission, which already has two antitrust cases out against Google at the moment regarding Android and shopping results on Google Search.

This information is coming from a Time report (via: The Verge), which also says that Getty is targeting Google Images specifically in the complaint, stating that since the search scrapes its images together via third-party sites, it ends up promoting and enabling piracy by making images available to download without people obtaining the rights.

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Getty also claims that traffic to its own site has taken a dive since 2013, when Google updates its image search page to show much larger thumbnails of results without needing to click-through to another website. Google has so far declined to issue any public comment on the matter but this isn't the first time that Getty has brought up this issue with Google.

The two companies sought out to resolve this issue a few years ago but could not resolve anything. Apparently, Getty could either accept the new format that drew traffic away from its site, or it could opt-out of being on Google's image search entirely. Now Getty is alleging that this is a sign of Google abusing its market dominance and will now take its complaints to the EU.

KitGuru Says: Google already has a couple of issues with the European Commission but it looks like another investigation may end up happening. Do you guys think Google has abused its market dominance in this instance? 

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The EU Commission hits Qualcomm with antitrust charges https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/the-eu-commission-hits-qualcomm-with-antitrust-charges/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/the-eu-commission-hits-qualcomm-with-antitrust-charges/#respond Tue, 08 Dec 2015 20:21:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=277591 Earlier this year, we heard that the European Commission had begun investigating Qualcomm after receiving some anti-trust complaints. Now, it seems that investigation has wrapped up and the smartphone chip maker giant is facing antitrust charges. Right now, the EU Commission is also trying to pin similar charges on Google after receiving some complaints about …

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Earlier this year, we heard that the European Commission had begun investigating Qualcomm after receiving some anti-trust complaints. Now, it seems that investigation has wrapped up and the smartphone chip maker giant is facing antitrust charges.

Right now, the EU Commission is also trying to pin similar charges on Google after receiving some complaints about both the Google Search engine and Android OS.

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In a statement (via: Reuters) about the charges, the EU Commission said that following its preliminary investigation, it has come to light that Qualcomm has: “illegally paid a major customer for exclusively using Qualcomm chipsets and sold chipsets below cost with the aim of forcing its competitor Icera out of the market, in potential breach of EU antitrust rules.”

That is pretty serious, as forcing a competing company out of the market and paying off smartphone makers can certainly be considered anti-competitive behaviour, something that the EU takes a pretty strong stance against.

KitGuru Says: While elements of the antitrust complaints against Google are questionable, the situation with Qualcomm right now seems much more serious based on these allegations. Microsoft faced a hefty fine just for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, so I can only imagine that the fine for paying off customers and forcing competition out of the market would be much worse. 

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The US is investigating Google for anti-competitive behaviour https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/the-us-is-investigating-google-for-anti-competitive-behaviour/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/the-us-is-investigating-google-for-anti-competitive-behaviour/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2015 13:23:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=269307 Google is going to be fighting anti-trust legal battles on both sides of the Atlantic, as the FTC and US Justice Department have launched an official investigation in to Google's business practises with Android, similar to the one European Commission conducted over the last year. US regulators have apparently decided to launch the inquiry following …

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Google is going to be fighting anti-trust legal battles on both sides of the Atlantic, as the FTC and US Justice Department have launched an official investigation in to Google's business practises with Android, similar to the one European Commission conducted over the last year.

US regulators have apparently decided to launch the inquiry following complaints from rival tech companies, claiming that Google limits the exposure of third-party apps in favour of its own. Similar complaints have been voiced in the EU, which has led to Google having to present a defence to the European Commission.

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The investigation is currently in the early stages, according to Bloomberg's report. So it could be a while before we hear a conclusion. Right now in the US, Google's Android operating system accounts for 59 per cent of smartphones and tablets.

Most of these Android devices come bundled with Google's own services. Back when Windows 7 launched, Microsoft faced some trouble in the EU due to bundling Internet Explorer with the OS without providing competing options. There may be similarities between the scrutiny Microsoft faced back then and what Google is going through now.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It looks like Google may end up fighting an anti-trust battle both in the US and in the EU at this rate, though it may be a while before we hear the conclusion to the investigation in the US. The EU has also yet to give its verdict on its own anti-trust case against Google, though it has quite a while to examine the evidence and defence Google presented.

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India is also accusing Google of anti-competitive behaviour https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/india-is-also-accusing-google-of-anti-competitive-behaviour/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/india-is-also-accusing-google-of-anti-competitive-behaviour/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2015 16:32:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=265797 Just last week, Google officially responded to the European commission's allegations that the company has been rigging its search results to promote its own products and weaken the competition. The case in the EU likely won't be resolved for some time but now it looks like Google is also going to be dealing with similar …

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Just last week, Google officially responded to the European commission's allegations that the company has been rigging its search results to promote its own products and weaken the competition. The case in the EU likely won't be resolved for some time but now it looks like Google is also going to be dealing with similar accusations over in India as well.

According to The Economic Times, India's own regulator has filed a report, claiming that Google is rigging its search results to favour its own products. The Competition Commission of India is under the impression that some of Google's competitors should be getting higher search rankings than they actually are. The regulator also takes issue with Google placing sponsored links above more relevant search results.

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Apparently several large tech companies provided the Competition Commission of India with comments, corroborating its concerns. Companies that are said to have spoken out include Nokia, Facebook and Microsoft, though none of the comments are available publicly.

Google now has until the 10th of September to compile a new defence in response to India's claims. Alternatively, the company could ask for a bit more time, as it did with the EU. The Competition Commission of India will then hold hearings in order to determine if Google is complying with India's competition laws.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It looks like Google is facing the same battle on two different fronts. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, after all, if Google is found guilty then it will face a pretty hefty fine. 

Source: The Economic Times
Via: The Verge

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Google officially responds to EU anti-trust allegations https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/google-officially-responds-to-eu-anti-trust-allegations/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/google-officially-responds-to-eu-anti-trust-allegations/#respond Thu, 27 Aug 2015 18:00:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=265188 Earlier this year, after months of investigation, the European Commission formally accused Google of anti-trust practises, forcing the company to respond and give evidence that its business tactics aren't secretly squeezing out the competition. As you would expect, Google is arguing that the EU's allegations are “incorrect”. The European Commission's statement of objections accused Google …

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Earlier this year, after months of investigation, the European Commission formally accused Google of anti-trust practises, forcing the company to respond and give evidence that its business tactics aren't secretly squeezing out the competition. As you would expect, Google is arguing that the EU's allegations are “incorrect”.

The European Commission's statement of objections accused Google of using its power to de-rank competitors in its search results, which would have an adverse affect on consumers. In a blog post published today (Via: The Verge), Google officially responded to these allegations, saying:

“Our response provides evidence and data to show why the SO’s concerns are unfounded. We use traffic analysis to rebut claims that our ad displays and specialized organic results harmed competition by preventing shopping aggregators from reaching consumers.”

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A lot of the post focusses specifically on Google Shopping. Google argues that thanks to its shopping search engine, various services have seen “an enormous increase in traffic”, going on to say that “Google delivered more than 20 billion free clicks to aggregators over the last decade in the countries covered by the SO, with free traffic increasing by 227%”.

To sum up, Google does not think that its approach is anti-competitive: “We don’t think this format is anti-competitive. On the contrary, showing ads based on structured data provided by merchants demonstrably improves ad quality and makes it easier for consumers to find what they’re looking for. ”

This is just one of Google's battles though, the European Commission also has a bone to pick with Android as well, so Google will have to respond to those accusations separately. The European Commission likely won't conclude this specific case until closer to the end of the year.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The European Commission really seems to have it out for Google at the moment, with two separate cases on the go at once. It will be interesting to see how the EU responds to Google's blog post today. 

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EU Commission opens anti-trust case over geo-blocking https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/eu-commission-opens-anti-trust-case-over-geo-blocking/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/eu-commission-opens-anti-trust-case-over-geo-blocking/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2015 21:23:56 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=260697 The EU Commission has opened up some questionable anti-trust cases in recent times but it looks like it has finally launched one that we can all get on board with. The EU has launched an anti-trust investigation against several US movie studios and even Sky UK in an effort to put a stop to the …

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The EU Commission has opened up some questionable anti-trust cases in recent times but it looks like it has finally launched one that we can all get on board with. The EU has launched an anti-trust investigation against several US movie studios and even Sky UK in an effort to put a stop to the geographical blocking of content online.

More often than not, streaming services have different libraries of content in different territories, which is often due to complicated licensing agreements between media companies. This week in a statement of objections sent to Sky UK, NBC, Paramount, Sony, Fox, Warner Bros and Disney, the EU commission outlined its issues with geo-blocking practises.

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“European consumers want to watch the pay-TV channels of their choice regardless of where they live or travel in the EU. Our investigation shows that they cannot do this today, also because licensing agreements between the major film studios and Sky UK do not allow consumers in other EU countries to access Sky’s UK and Irish pay-TV services, via satellite or online.”

Under European rules, consumers should be able to access services regardless of where they are located within the continent. So this may not grant EU countries with the same content as the US, but the laws are there to make sure that every country in the EU has access to the same content.

To sum up, the EU Commission is aiming to end “unjustified geo-blocking”, which is also described as a “discriminatory practise used for commercial reasons”. Sky, along with the six US movie studios named in the objection notice, will now have to respond to the investigation. A final decision on the outcome will take a few months, according to Torrent Freak. 

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Ge0-blocking is definitely an annoying practise, though it is easy enough to get around. It would be nice if studios would start licensing their content to streaming services for the world wide web as a whole, rather than limiting certain shows and films to specific countries. 

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The EU Commission has now set its sights on Amazon https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/the-eu-commission-has-now-set-its-sights-on-amazon/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/the-eu-commission-has-now-set-its-sights-on-amazon/#respond Thu, 11 Jun 2015 15:09:50 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=253996 The European Commission has gone ahead with yet another anti-trust investigation. This time, its sights are set on Amazon due to its e-book deals and contracts with book publishers. The investigation was formally launched this week with the aim of ensuring that Amazon's publisher contracts don't “make it more difficult for other e-book distributors to …

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The European Commission has gone ahead with yet another anti-trust investigation. This time, its sights are set on Amazon due to its e-book deals and contracts with book publishers. The investigation was formally launched this week with the aim of ensuring that Amazon's publisher contracts don't “make it more difficult for other e-book distributors to compete”.

The EU Commission is also investigating Apple over its newly announced music streaming service and Google is more or less a constant target. Apparently the EU Commission has heard that Amazon's contracts may contain certain clauses that “shield Amazon from the competition”.

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Apparently Amazon has worked another clause in to its contract that makes publishers obliged to inform the company of more favourable offers from competing companies. Now the European Commission will be spending some time figuring out whether or not Amazon's business practises are fair or anti-competitive.

Amazon has been involved in e-book drama before, as has Apple. Not much else is known right now and Amazon has yet to respond to these latest accusations.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Another day, another EU Commission investigation. If found guilty, then Amazon could end up facing some pretty serious fines.

Via: Engadget

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The EU Commission aiming to get rid of geo-blocks https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/the-eu-commission-aiming-to-get-rid-of-geo-blocks/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/the-eu-commission-aiming-to-get-rid-of-geo-blocks/#comments Wed, 06 May 2015 19:21:38 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=248344 The European Commission has announced plans to create a single digital market that will stretch across Europe, removing geo-blocks for shows across the continent. Copyright laws will also be updated to fit in better with the digital age. The EU Commission has detailed 16 policies that will help it achieve its ambition to consolidate the …

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The European Commission has announced plans to create a single digital market that will stretch across Europe, removing geo-blocks for shows across the continent. Copyright laws will also be updated to fit in better with the digital age.

The EU Commission has detailed 16 policies that will help it achieve its ambition to consolidate the 28 markets across Europe in to one for digital content. The first step is to provide better access for consumers and business to digital goods and services in Europe. This will include removing geo-blocks on content, which will make services like Netflix more accessible between countries.

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To make this all work, the current copyright system will need a bit of a reform in order to ensure that those who buy content in one country can still access it anywhere else in Europe. The hope is that services like BBC Iplayer and Sky Go will also become available. The BBC has said in a statement that it will be looking in to removing restrictions for those wanting to use the Iplayer in the EU but so far, Sky and Netflix have not come out in support of the EU's new plans.

EU Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker said: “Today we lay the groundwork for Europe's digital future. I want to see pan-continental telecoms networks, digital services that cross borders and a wave of innovative European startups. I want to see every consumer getting the best deals and every business accessing the widest market – wherever they are in Europe.”

“Exactly a year ago, I promised to make a fully digital single market one of my top priorities. Today, we are making good on that promise. The 16 steps of our Digital Single Market Strategy will help make the single market fit for a digital age.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is a progressive first step. Hopefully if copyright reform pays off in the EU, other countries will follow and eventually lead to just having one global market for digital content, instead of licensing content on a per region basis.

Via: The Inquirer

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eBay CEO defends Google in EU anti-trust case https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ebay-ceo-defends-google-in-eu-anti-trust-case/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ebay-ceo-defends-google-in-eu-anti-trust-case/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2015 18:00:44 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=246908 You have probably heard by now that the European Commission really has it out for Google and recently escalated its case against the company, which could result in a massive fine. However, it looks like at least eBay has Google's back, as CEO, John Donahoe has debunked the EU's monopoly claims. The European Commission is …

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You have probably heard by now that the European Commission really has it out for Google and recently escalated its case against the company, which could result in a massive fine. However, it looks like at least eBay has Google's back, as CEO, John Donahoe has debunked the EU's monopoly claims.

The European Commission is claiming that Google's shopping service has a monopoly on the online retail market. However, Donahoe pointed out to The Financial Times that eBay is a “strong commerce competitor” to Google, adding weight to Google's own claim that Amazon and eBay pretty much dominate the online shopping.

google1-e1424524503913

In the European Commission's statement of objections, it said that it was concerned that Google has “given an unfair advantage to its own comparison shopping service, in breach of EU antitrust rules.”

Google's own statement, made in a blog post, says otherwise: “If you look at shopping, an area where we have seen a lot of complaints and where the EC has focused in its Statement of Objections, it's clear that (a) there’s a ton of competition (including from Amazon and eBay, two of the biggest shopping sites in the world) and (b) Google’s shopping results have not harmed the competition.”

Google still has around two months to change the EU's mind and convince the commission that it is not breaching anti-trust law. If it fails to do so, the company could be slapped with a huge fine.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The EU Commission's case against Google is widely seen as unfair but it doesn't look like it is being dropped any time soon. Google probably hopes that more companies will speak out in its defense in order to help prove its innocence in this case.

Via: The Inquirer 

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Google responds to anti-trust accusations from EU https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/google-responds-to-anti-trust-accusations-from-eu/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/google-responds-to-anti-trust-accusations-from-eu/#comments Thu, 16 Apr 2015 12:12:25 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=245428 Google has officially responded to the European Commission's accusations that the company is hurting online competition and engaging in anti-trust business practices by promoting its own products or services. Just yesterday, the EU Commission escalated its long running anti-trust case against Google, so the company now has to either prove its innocence or pay a …

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Google has officially responded to the European Commission's accusations that the company is hurting online competition and engaging in anti-trust business practices by promoting its own products or services. Just yesterday, the EU Commission escalated its long running anti-trust case against Google, so the company now has to either prove its innocence or pay a hefty fine.

Google is obviously going to argue its case, saying that users have more online choice now than ever before and that the idea that Google is harming competition has “proved to be wide of the mark”. Google's Senior Vice President of Search, Amit Singhal (Via: The Inquirer) has said: “While Google may be the most used search engine, people can now find and access information in numerous different ways.”

google1-e14245245039131

“If you look at shopping—an area where we have seen a lot of complaints and where the European Commission has focused in its Statement of Objections—it's clear that (a) there’s a ton of competition (including from Amazon and eBay, two of the biggest shopping sites in the world) and (b) Google’s shopping results have not harmed the competition.”

“It's why we respectfully but strongly disagree with the need to issue a Statement of Objections and look forward to making our case over the weeks ahead.”

Elsewhere on the interwebs, Google's VP of engineering pointed out that the company does a lot to help manufacturers of Android devices compete against the likes of Apple and Microsoft, which release their own devices with similar apps and services pre-installed.

Writing in a blog post, he also said that these distribution agreements were not exclusive and that Android device manufacturers were free to install their own apps or even apps from other third-parties. A good example of this being true is actually found on the Samsung Galaxy S6, which comes pre-installed with some Microsoft apps in certain territories.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The EU Commission seems to really be reaching to try and pin Google as anti-competitive. Android is an open-platform by nature and manufacturers are free to do what they want with the operating system. That said though, Google does control the Play Store and the Google Search engine, along with the results that pop up on those services, although there seems to be very little evidence that the company is fixing search results in its favor. 

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The EU is already probing Apple’s unannounced music streaming service https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/the-eu-is-already-probing-apples-unannounced-music-streaming-service/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/the-eu-is-already-probing-apples-unannounced-music-streaming-service/#respond Thu, 02 Apr 2015 19:00:40 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=243464 The European Commission is already taking a good hard look Apple’s long rumored but as of yet, unannounced, music streaming service on anti-trust grounds. Regulators are concerned that Apple could use its sheer size, influence, and relationships to push record labels to abandon rivaled streaming services, like Spotify. The Financial Times (Via The Inquirer), reports …

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The European Commission is already taking a good hard look Apple’s long rumored but as of yet, unannounced, music streaming service on anti-trust grounds. Regulators are concerned that Apple could use its sheer size, influence, and relationships to push record labels to abandon rivaled streaming services, like Spotify.

The Financial Times (Via The Inquirer), reports that the EU is taking a closer look at Apple’s dealings with music labels, to see whether the firm is unfairly limiting the success of services like Spotify, which offers a free tier supported by ads.

beats-apple
Image Source: 9to5Mac

The EU Commission usually launches these anti-trust investigations when a complaint is received, right now, this isn’t an ‘official investigation’ but rather, a probe to gather information ahead of time.

If the EU Commission does find that Apple has been using its relationships to get labels to abandon rival services, then it could require Apple to change how it is doing business or impose fines on the company.

The service is going to be built on Apple’s acquisition of Beats Music, which cost the company $3 billion. Speculation suggests that Apple’s streaming service will attempt to undercut rivals with a $7.99 a month subscription, while other services usually come in at $9.99.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Apple hasn’t formally announced its streaming service just yet but it has been expected for a while. An announcement is supposedly due this June, although with the EU Commission already sniffing around, Apple may have to rethink its plans for a European launch should they find any dirt.

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US concerned over EU proposal to break up Google https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/us-concerned-over-eu-proposal-to-break-up-google/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/us-concerned-over-eu-proposal-to-break-up-google/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2014 13:08:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=223637 Last week it was revealed that the European Parliament had drafted a motion that would call for the separation of Google's search engine from its other services, as a way of challenging the company's dominance. This motion has the support of Europe's two main political parties as a way of addressing anti-trust concerns according to …

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Last week it was revealed that the European Parliament had drafted a motion that would call for the separation of Google's search engine from its other services, as a way of challenging the company's dominance. This motion has the support of Europe's two main political parties as a way of addressing anti-trust concerns according to the Financial Times report but it looks like the US has some concerns of its own.

The United States Mission responded to the EU Union's plan by saying that anti-trust issues should not be “politicized”.  The European Parliament doesn't actually have the power to break up Google but if the motion came to pass then it would apply political pressure on the EU Commission, which sets the region's legislative agenda.

google-600x3071

The US Mission appears to be trying to protect Google in light of recent news. In an email sent to The Wall Street Journal, the Mission said that while it recognizes the EU's concern, these issues should not be brought in to the political domain:

“It is important that the process of identifying competitive harms and potential remedies be based on objective and impartial findings and not be politicized.”

All of this drama stems from the EU believing that Google could or already has used its dominant position as an internet company to stifle competition. The European Commission has investigated Google several times over the last few years following allegations that the company favored its own products in search results, down ranking the competition.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Since Google is such an overwhelmingly large company, it is bound to attract negative attention at points. Unfortunately for Google, the EU seems to have a never ending list of issues with the company. What do you guys think of all of this? 

Sources: Financial Times, WSJ and Cnet

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EU Commission is investigating ‘free to play’ games https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/eu-commission-is-investigating-free-to-play-games/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/eu-commission-is-investigating-free-to-play-games/#respond Fri, 28 Feb 2014 10:08:30 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=179787 Although EA's recent release and butchering of seminal classic Dungeon Keeper on mobiles was perhaps the worst example of a ‘free to play' game being anything but, the practice of tricking people into playing “free” games that turn out to be little more than an exercise annoying you enough to pay for something (anything), have been …

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Although EA's recent release and butchering of seminal classic Dungeon Keeper on mobiles was perhaps the worst example of a ‘free to play' game being anything but, the practice of tricking people into playing “free” games that turn out to be little more than an exercise annoying you enough to pay for something (anything), have been going on for some time, which is why the European Commission is now investigating the practice and will be meeting with industry professionals and enforcement authorities to try and apply a certain code of conduct to the marketing and production of games that come under the F2P banner.

All in all, the EUC will be dealing with representatives from the game development industry in the UK, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Denmark and France, with plans to push a fairer agenda (for the consumer) on all EU countries. That agenda will focus on the following:

  • Games advertised as “free” should not mislead consumers about the true costs involved
  • Games should not contain direct exhortations to children to buy items in a game or to persuade an adult to buy items for them
  • Consumers should be adequately informed about the payment arrangements and purchases should not be debited through default settings without consumers’ explicit consent
  • Traders should provide an email address so that consumers can contact them in case of queries or complaints

dungeon
Dodge, dip, duck, dive and dip into your college fund

Commissioner Neven Mimica, said that:  “Consumers and in particular children need better protection against unexpected costs from in-app purchases. National enforcement authorities and the European Commission are discussing with industry how to address this issue which not only causes financial harm to consumers but can also put at stake the credibility of this very promising market.” She also hoped that a solution to the current situation could be found shortly.

This isn't the first organisation to look into free to play mechanic abuses. The UK's Office of Fair Trading recently went after the industry and eventually came up with a set of guidelines for developers. That may be the only thing that comes out of the EUC's investigation, but you could at least have games certified to abide by the rules advertise the fact that they have done.

KitGuru Says: While I doubt many KitGuru readers would get conned into app purchases they don't want to make, I'm sure we've all downloaded a game only to find that you can't get passed the early levels without dropping a few quid on in-game currency. It would be really nice if that practice would end.

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British game developer tax breaks delayed again https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/british-game-developer-tax-breaks-delayed-again/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/british-game-developer-tax-breaks-delayed-again/#respond Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:00:56 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=132213 The oft promised tax breaks for British game developers have been delayed once again, this time because the European Commission has announced its intention to perform a full scale investigation into the scheme, suggesting that too hefty a tax cut, could give UK devs. too much an advantage over European competitors. The EU Commission went …

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The oft promised tax breaks for British game developers have been delayed once again, this time because the European Commission has announced its intention to perform a full scale investigation into the scheme, suggesting that too hefty a tax cut, could give UK devs. too much an advantage over European competitors.

The EU Commission went on to suggest that ultimately this would lead to other countries offering tax breaks and that across the whole of Europe, we'd see mass publicly subsidised game development. Is the European Commission aware that these sorts of things happen everywhere else in the world? Try importing cars into Brazil and selling them. It's practically impossible. No one's suggesting the tax breaks have to go that far, but is it so wrong for governments to give their own local produce a little helping hand?

“The market for developing video games is dynamic and commercially promising,” said Joaquin Almunia, European Commission vice-president (via GamesIndustry). “It is not clear whether the taxpayer should be subsidising this activity. Such subsidies could even distort competition.”

He went on to suggest that a market failure would be the only reason to implement such measures, something he argues has yet to take place.

taxbreak
“Tax break this!”
UKIE boss Jo Twist understandably, wasn't happen: “We are extremely disappointed that the European Commission has decided to open an in-depth investigation into production tax credits for the UK games industry,” she said.

“We believe this support is crucial in opening up the opportunity for developers to make culturally British games, but also as a vital incentive for development studios and large multinationals to base their development in the UK and nurture the talent here. We are still confident of having the scheme.”

So now that the investigation has begun, it's not known whether the tax breaks, one of the plus points of last year's budget, will come in to effect at all, let alone when that will – if they do.

KitGuru Says: Shame this one. It would have been nice to see British developers given a bit of a leg up. How do you guys feel about EU involvement in this type of thing?

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EU wants to force telecoms firms to work together https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/eu-wants-to-force-telecoms-firms-to-work-together/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/eu-wants-to-force-telecoms-firms-to-work-together/#respond Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:00:08 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=130152 If we've learned one thing from the way that our British telecoms companies handled the auction for the 4G spectrum, is that give and take isn't a phrase they're particularly fond of. The EU Commission is just as familiar with this practice and it's keen to put a stop to it, by forcing them to …

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If we've learned one thing from the way that our British telecoms companies handled the auction for the 4G spectrum, is that give and take isn't a phrase they're particularly fond of. The EU Commission is just as familiar with this practice and it's keen to put a stop to it, by forcing them to work together to increase product availability for customers.

The Commission is currently seeking feedback on a draft regulation that would attempt to alleviate bottlenecks for high speed network rollouts. The first of these is the creation of the physical space for cable to be laid: ductwork, cabinets, towers etc. This is often already in place because a previous Telecoms provider created it, but of course this being a competitive business they don't want to share – especially since they footed the bill. The EU is hoping to force them into cooperation, for a reasonably price of course.

EUC
Do you think the EUC all cooperate 100 per cent of the time?

Roadworks are another blockage to rollouts, since they are often required to lay the cable underground. To prevent this happening more than once in a short space of time, the EU also wants Telecoms firms to share the cost and time involved in tearing up the road. This makes local councils happier and should mean road users see less disruption.

Other non-cooperation aspects of the Commission's report include a reduction in red tape for Telecoms providers and a guideline that any new building constructions must factor in high speed broadband deployment.

The whole purpose of this report is to cut costs, time and make more products available to the customer at a better price. Neelie Kroes, current VP of the EU Commission, said that we: “waste a lot of time and billions of euros in the broadband planning stages. We must cut this waste out of the system”.

KitGuru Says: I don't want to encourage any governing body to infringe on the capitalist rights of a company to not hand over its hard work to the competition, but It is hard to argue against a bit of control on the Telecoms industry, where they all seem peerfectly happy to deny customers in order to deny the competition. What do you guys think?

[Cheers Wired]

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EU commission confirms piracy doesn’t harm music sales https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/eu-commission-confirms-piracy-doesnt-harm-music-sales/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/eu-commission-confirms-piracy-doesnt-harm-music-sales/#respond Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:00:22 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=128424 Echoing something most file sharers have claimed for a long time and several studies have brought to light, new research from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, has provided further evidence that there is in-fact a positive correlation between those that download music illegally and those that purchase music from a licensed outlet – essentially, those that …

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Echoing something most file sharers have claimed for a long time and several studies have brought to light, new research from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, has provided further evidence that there is in-fact a positive correlation between those that download music illegally and those that purchase music from a licensed outlet – essentially, those that download the most music also buy the most.

The name of the paper this research came out in was “Digital Music Consumption on the Internet: Evidence from Clickstream data,” with the goal to find out what effect, if any, illegal music downloads have on legitimate purchases. The ultimate conclusion, is that the effect is positive.

The study looked at 16,000 EU internet users and noted that of those that used illegal music download and sharing websites: “It seems that the majority of the music that is consumed illegally by the individuals in our sample would not have been purchased if illegal downloading websites were not available to them,.”

Research
The IPTS was behind the study

Streaming services were given a thumbs up in the study, which suggested that providing a legitimate option helped to bolster music sales further. Putting a figure on it, the study suggested streaming services boosted music sales by 7 per cent.

The most interesting result though was how illegal sites seemed to help stores too. That impact was less significant, but 2 per cent more music was said to be sold because illegal sharing sites were available.

It concludes by suggesting that online piracy is something the music industry shouldn't worry about, as it's not growing at any sort of exponential rate.

KitGuru Says: It's good to see more research like this coming out. Someone that isn't me, used to download a lot of movies. However, if you looked in his lounge, you'd find hundreds and hundreds of DVDs. The biggest media consumers do so legally and illegally. Any attempt to go after them in a court room or with threats, is an attack on a fan.

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Google submits anti-trust settlement proposal to EU Commission https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/google-submits-anti-trust-settlement-proposal-to-eu-commission/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/google-submits-anti-trust-settlement-proposal-to-eu-commission/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:11:14 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=123819 Google has been under the investigative eye of the European Commission for the past couple of years, where it has been threatened with anti-trust action, after claims that Google was using its search engine dominance to push its other products on consumers. Now though, Google has submitted a proposal that could offer a slew of …

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Google has been under the investigative eye of the European Commission for the past couple of years, where it has been threatened with anti-trust action, after claims that Google was using its search engine dominance to push its other products on consumers. Now though, Google has submitted a proposal that could offer a slew of changes that are enough to appease the Commission.

What is contained in the proposal remains to be seen, so presumably until the EUC makes a decision, we won't know the outcome or the contents. However, in the past year or so Google has made substantial efforts to change some of its practices according to the competition commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, who said (via the Telegraph) last December that the differences between the Commission and Google had been “substantially reduced.”

Google Anti
Google? Antitrust? But butterflies come out of its logo. It can't be evil.

Of course if Google goes against its recent trend and decides to buck the Commission, it could face legal action. While it no doubt has a big cash stockpile, Google won't want to tempt the wrath of the EU Commission, which has a history of doling out record breaking fines for anti-trust practices.

Some of these practices that Google stands accused of include: manipulating its own services in search results, copying reviews from rivals and preventing advertisers from working with other search engines.

KitGuru Says: What do you guys think of Google? It sometimes gets considered as the base hub of the internet and people rarely consider it as anything but a search engine.  Others would suggest it's hoarding data on all of us and should be watched like a hawk.

Where do your thoughts lie?

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EU Commission investigating net neutrality https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/eu-commission-investigating-net-neutrality/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/eu-commission-investigating-net-neutrality/#respond Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:00:54 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=102924 The European Commission has announced it is undergoing a public consultation that aims to look into the “aspects of transparency, traffic management,” with a view to keeping the internet free, and open. Net neutrality is a big issue for campaigners of internet freedom, since it prevents ISPs and other organisations from favouring certain traffic over …

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The European Commission has announced it is undergoing a public consultation that aims to look into the “aspects of transparency, traffic management,” with a view to keeping the internet free, and open.

Net neutrality is a big issue for campaigners of internet freedom, since it prevents ISPs and other organisations from favouring certain traffic over others. The worry with such a thing is that it would allow companies to purchase favourable treatment from ISPs, thereby leading to sponsored content becoming more easily accessible online than free content – making the internet far less open a platform.

However there are already some restrictions in play, mostly with regards to Peer to Peer traffic. Following on from a 2011 EU resolution that net neutrality should be adopted across the board, a traffic management survey from the Body of European Regulators of Electronic Communications (BEREC) has found that over 20 per cent of all EU web users have a contract that allows their ISP to throttle certain traffic, including P2P and VOIP.

Digital Agenda
EU Commission: Should the net remain free?

Vice president of the European Commission Neelie Kroes said (via Wired) when speaking of the consultation: “Today there is a lack of effective consumer choice when it comes to internet offers. I will use this consultation to help prepare recommendations that will generate more real choices and end the net neutrality waiting game in Europe. Input from this consultation will help turn Berec's findings into practical recommendations.”

As part of the public consultation, European citizens as well as companies have the right to make their voices heard on the subject of an open internet. To do so, you can fill out the form here.

KitGuru Says: It's good that their is a place where the public can let these groups know what they want from the internet. It's just a shame that the form is quite long, meaning many are unlikely to finish it.

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