Tag Archives: FTC

In recent days and weeks we have seen an increased focus on the backlash surrounding Microsoft’s desire to acquire publishing giant Activision Blizzard. In order to help the transaction to pass, Microsoft previously claimed that they would keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for the next 10 years. Now, they …

The last week has been a rollercoaster for the gaming industry, as Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard has continued to make headlines. A few weeks ago it was reported that the FTC would sue to block the deal, but then a subsequent report claimed that the panel scrutinising the …

Recently, it was reported that the FTC is considering filing a lawsuit to block Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In the days that followed, Microsoft reportedly offered Sony a ten-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation and is planning to make formal concessions in order to get …

Politico previously reported that the EU would enter a phase 2 investigation into the Xbox Activision-Blizzard merger. Now, the site is reporting that the FTC is planning on filing a lawsuit against Microsoft to block the merger.  The FTC has been stricter on anti-trust cases recently. The commission previously filed …

Back in February, a few weeks after Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, the FTC, along with other regulators across the globe, launched investigations to figure out whether or not the deal should be approved. Now, It looks like the FTC's investigation will soon come to an end.  The …

Any major acquisition over a certain value faces regulatory scrutiny, although recent changes at the FTC have empowered the commission over fears that big tech corporations are getting too powerful. Just as Microsoft is facing an in-depth investigation over its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Sony is also facing an …

While Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have agreed to a merger, there are a number of hurdles still left to clear before the acquisition can happen. Aside from regulators, the deal also needs to be approved by Activision Blizzard shareholders.  Activision Blizzard shareholders will need to vote on whether to sell …

Nvidia has officially given up on its plan to acquire fellow chip maker Arm for a record-setting $40 billion. Arm parent company, SoftBank, announced that the deal has been scrapped this week following "significant regulatory challenges". 

Sony's newly announced acquisition of Bungie isn't the merger making headlines this week. Microsoft's recent deal with Activision Blizzard is now back in the news, as the FTC reveals plans to review the deal on antitrust grounds.  As reported by Bloomberg, the US Federal Trade Commission is conducting an antitrust …

Just one week ago, we learned that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had raised some concerns and began investigating Nvidia's proposed acquisition of Arm. Things have escalated since then, with the FTC suing Nvidia to block the acquisition. The FTC announced this move yesterday, with the commission's Bureau of …

It has been over a year since Nvidia first announced plans to acquire Arm in a $40 billion deal, but over the course of 2021, red flags have continued to be raised. Whether or not the deal should be allowed to go through is currently the subject of investigations around …

If you are a Twitter user and keep up to date with cryptocurrency news, then chances are you've seen some fake Elon Musk accounts claiming to give away thousands of dollars worth of Bitcoin or offering huge investment returns for just a little bit of cryptocurrency. This is an obvious …

Back in 2017, Apple attempted to break away from Qualcomm, filing a $1 billion lawsuit and accusing the company of anti-competitive practices with its licensing agreements. Following Apple's lead, the FTC also filed a case against Qualcomm, alleging anti-competitive behaviour. Apple dropped its side of the legal battle in 2019 …

 The US Federal Trade Commission is taking aim at Facebook this week, filing a lawsuit alleging that the company has engaged in systematic anti-competitive behaviour. The lawsuit comes following an cooperative investigation between attorney generals in 46 states.  The lawsuit alleges that Facebook's acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp …

There has been plenty of discussion around the ethics of loot boxes over the last couple of years, to the point where governments around the world have been launching their own investigations and some politicians have been calling for outright bans. In an effort to keep the games industry self-regulated, …

Apple and Qualcomm just recently settled their lawsuits against each other and forged a new licensing deal for the years ahead. However, the US FTC’s case against Qualcomm is still on-going and this week, a US Judge ruled that Qualcomm’s licensing terms are indeed anti-competitive. Qualcomm has been fined for …

Amazon has been combatting fake reviews for quite some time, even going as far as taking legal action against the sellers purchasing them. Merchants still don’t seem to take the hint, as the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has concluded its first successful case against fraudulent, paid Amazon reviews, fining …

Last year, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an investigation into loot boxes, attempting to gain an understanding of the practice to further protect children. While the results of this enquiry have yet to be made public, the regulator has announced that it will be holding a public forum …

While the UK Gambling Commission is still deliberating the effects of loot boxes in video games, it looks like the US Federal Trade Commission will be pushing forward with its own investigation. Chairman Joseph Simmons revealed the new development to the Senate Commerce Subcommittee, promising to protect children and ensure …

As tech enthusiasts, we’ve all come across ‘warranty void if removed’ stickers. They are very common on lots of electronic devices, ranging from games consoles, to PC parts and mobile devices. Last month, the FTC called out six companies over illegal warranty voiding practices. Most notably, the three major console …

As tech enthusiasts, we’ve all come across ‘warranty void if removed’ stickers. They are very common on lots of electronic devices, ranging from games consoles, to PC parts and other products, like TVs or mobile devices. Last month, the FTC called out six companies over warranty voiding practices, stating that …

Update (02/05/18): Late last month, the FTC began cracking down on companies using ‘warranty void if removed' stickers, amongst other tactics that are apparently illegal. This came as a surprise, because warranty void stickers are common practise across the tech world. At the time, the FTC had issued warnings to …

It seems that the conversation surrounding loot boxes and their relation to gambling has died down in recent months, but that hasn’t stopped authorities from keeping an eye on the developers that use the practice. The latest incident sees publishers Nexon, NextFloor and Netmarble being pulled up by South Korea’s …

It’s fair to say that the reveal of Cambridge Analytica’s Facebook data harvesting in the past couple of weeks has kicked off a worldwide concern over how data is handled online, placing many websites and platforms under the microscope. YouTube is the latest to be scrutinised, with 23 groups across …

Following its week of scandals, Facebook has come under fire from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has now launched an investigation into the platforms privacy practices. This will particularly concern whether the company has caused “substantial injury” to its 50 million affected users. Acting director of the FTC’s …

Back in 2015, Lenovo caught a lot of flack for shipping laptops with ‘Superfish' installed on them. This bloatware installer resulted in adware and spyware being installed on store-bought systems and as you would expect, customers weren't happy. Following this, the US Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation and now, …

The Apple VS Qualcomm lawsuit has taken another turn. This time around though, its Apple firing the shots, with the company accusing Qualcomm of infringing on its patents. This latest development turns the tables somewhat, as the patents in question relate to the Snapdragon 820 and Snapdragon 800 processors, which …

Qualcomm has been fighting various antitrust charges over the last couple of years. At first, the company was fined $975 million in China, then in 2016 regulators in South Korea fined the company over $850 million. The European Union has ruled against Qualcomm in an antitrust case and now, the …

The FTC settles for a slap on the wrist and calls for more disclosure.

VPNs are widely used these days, not just to get around geographical content blocks but also for general privacy on the web. Hotspot Shield is perhaps one of the biggest VPN providers to also offer a free user tier but according to a privacy advocacy group, the company may not …