Tag Archives: EU

Over the course of last year, European consumer rights authorities began taking a closer look at Nintendo and its digital eShop refund policies. The Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) got the ball rolling by saying that Nintendo’s strict no-refund policy was against EU consumer protection laws. Since Nintendo of Europe is …

Yesterday, we learned that a French judge had ruled that Valve is not allowed to prohibit users from re-selling their digital games, ordering that the clause be removed from the Steam policy and terms of service. Valve hadn’t responded at the time, but the company has since confirmed its intent …

A French Court has ruled that Valve must not prohibit Steam customers from re-selling digital games, but is a pre-owned market for digital games feasible in today's industry? What would this mean for other digital platforms and digital entertainment mediums?

Back in 2016, the European Commission ruled against Apple in a huge tax evasion case, ordering the company to pay around 13 billion Euros in back taxes. Apple did begin paying off the bill, with the money being held in an escrow account. Now this week, Apple will begin its …

Back in April, we learned that the European Commission was investigating major game publishers and platform holders over content geo-blocking. Valve/Steam, Capcom, ZeniMax, Koch Media, Bandai Namco and Focus Home Interactive were all named as part of the antitrust investigation. Most of the publishers plan to settle in an effort …

Earlier this year, Spotify filed an antitrust complaint against Apple with the European Union, spurring an investigation into the platform cut Apple takes on purchases and subscriptions made through the iOS App Store. Apple has already explained its case in a public letter but now an official response has been …

Back in March, we learned that Spotify had filed a new complaint with the European Union’s antitrust regulators, claiming that Apple’s App Store rules were anti-competitive. Spotify publicised this by putting out the open letter ‘Time to Play Fair’, which Apple swiftly responded to and tackled point by point. Now, …

The European Commission tends to launch several large antitrust investigations each year. While most of the ones we report on tend to fall in the tech realm, this week, the EU is turning its attention to gaming. More specifically, the commission is investigating publishers and platform holders over content geo-blocking, …

Earlier this week, Spotify filed a new complaint with the European Union’s antitrust regulators. The complaint was levied at Apple, calling out the company’s App Store tax, limitations placed on iOS developers, app update approval process and more. Apple has since responded, stating that Spotify “wants all the benefits of …

Huawei’s push into the 5G sector has been rejected by a number of government officials, with some going as far as to retroactively remove 3G and 4G infrastructures. After pledging $2 billion to alleviate security fears in the UK, Huawei has now stated that it would accept full supervision from …

While UK networks have previously stated that there are “no plans” to bring back data roaming charges, the government has formally announced that limitations would be immediately lifted in the event of a no-deal Brexit. This would allow companies to once again impose surcharges to UK customers using their mobile …

EU Member States have refused a compromise position on Article 13, further delaying negotiations of its final text.

The European Parliament is currently in talks with the European Council and Commission to implement Article 13, a law that would make YouTube directly responsible for the potential copyright infringement of its users. While the platform has already been vocal about its opposition to the proposal, Music chief Lyor Cohen …

Google maintains that it might retract its News feature from Europe, should the EU push Article 11's "link tax."

The European Union’s (EU) controversial Copyright Directive reared its head once again last month, after a period of amendment befell Articles 11 and 13. While the changes seem to have satisfied the approval process ahead of January’s Parliament vote, YouTube’s CEO has taken the time to warn content creators of …

Earlier this year, the European Commission planted a record breaking $5 billion fine on Google over antitrust charges. The EU took issue with Google’s use of pre-installed apps and services on Android smartphones, which stops consumers from seeking out alternatives and thus prevents competitors from rising up. Google is appealing …

Back in June, Microsoft announced plans to acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion. Since then, the code repository has found a new CEO and discussed plans for the future under the Microsoft banner, although the deal had to get through the EU’s antitrust commission before closing. Fortunately for Microsoft, a ruling …

It looks like Netflix is about to but heads with the EU, as the streaming service has begun calling out Europe’s ‘content quota’ plans for online video services. Apparently the EU is considering a new law that would require streaming services to “devote a minimum of 30 percent of their …

At the start of the year, the European Union (EU) introduced new laws intended to protect consumer rights, forcing companies to change their terms of service (ToS) in order to comply. While Facebook made effort in March to reluctantly adapt to the new regulations, it seems that the firm has …

Way back in 2014, the EU launched an investigation into Apple’s tax dealings in Ireland. It took a few years, but eventually the investigation culminated in a massive €13 billion bill for Apple. The Irish government expressed its disagreement with the ruling and Apple did launch an appeal. In the …

Back in June, Microsoft announced plans to acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion. Since then, the code repository has found a new CEO and discussed plans for the future under the Microsoft banner, although the deal isn’t 100 percent in the bag just yet. First, Microsoft needs to get through the …

Way back in June 2015, the European Union officially voted to remove data roaming charges for travelling citizens. This finally meant that networks could no longer gouge customers for using their data plans abroad in Europe. Unfortunately for those of us in the UK, Brexit may have thrown a spanner …

In July, the European Parliament voted against the intrusive Copyright Directive, sending Article 11 and 13 back to the drawing board. Amended versions of both have since been approved, continuing to carry the controversial “link tax” and “upload filter” respectively. Easily the most heavily discussed portion of the Copyright Directive …

Back in early 2017, the European Commission began investigating several hardware companies for price fixing, including ASUS, Philips, Pioneer and Denon & Marantz. Now that investigation has come to a close, with €111 million in fines being handed down. The European Commission announced today that it has issued fines in …

The Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) has been at the forefront of many battles against the world’s many platform holders. The NCC has taken on the likes of Valve, Sony, and EA for not doing their due diligence when it comes to pre-order policies. Now with the Switch gaining in popularity, …

Back in 2016, the European Commission ruled that Apple owed €13 billion in back-taxes, which the governing body branded as ‘illegal state aid’. While Ireland and Apple are still disputing the ruling, the iPhone manufacturer has now paid out €1.5 billion ($1.76bn) towards the overall sum. The money is currently …

Late last year, Apple announced plans to acquire Shazam, reportedly for as much as $400 million. However, it didn’t take long for anti-trust complaints to begin rolling in here in Europe, with multiple countries requesting that the European Commission investigate the deal. The EU launched an inquiry back in February, …

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is coming into place fairly soon here in the EU, which means companies around the world are preparing changes to fall in line with the new laws. Facebook might be trying to skirt around it, but Oculus will be going in a different direction …

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect on May 25th, clamping down on how privacy and data is handled throughout the online world. Of course, this hits Facebook hard in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, however, Zuckerberg and his company are still trying to find …

In February last year, the European Union began preparing new laws to do away with region blocking on services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video when traveling. It has taken a while, but the new law is finally in effect, allowing those who subscribe to streaming services to access their …