Monopoly | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Tue, 28 Nov 2023 09:49:39 +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 Monopoly | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Gabe Newell ordered to in-person deposition as part of Wolfire Games’ lawsuit against Steam https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/gabe-newell-ordered-to-in-person-deposition-as-part-of-wolfire-games-lawsuit-against-steam/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/gabe-newell-ordered-to-in-person-deposition-as-part-of-wolfire-games-lawsuit-against-steam/#respond Mon, 27 Nov 2023 15:18:42 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=639022 Back in April 2021, Wolfire Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Valve, claiming that the company abuses its dominance of the PC gaming market and has formed a monopoly with Steam. Valve had initially managed to get the lawsuit dismissed , but after reviewing Wolfire's appeal, a judge reversed that decision. Now, Valve founder, Gabe …

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Back in April 2021, Wolfire Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Valve, claiming that the company abuses its dominance of the PC gaming market and has formed a monopoly with Steam. Valve had initially managed to get the lawsuit dismissed , but after reviewing Wolfire's appeal, a judge reversed that decision. Now, Valve founder, Gabe Newell, may have to make a rare in-person appearance in court. 

The lawsuit claims that 75 percent of all PC games are sold through Valve’s Steam Store and argues that the company’s 30% revenue cut is only made possible through suppressing competition in the market in order to maintain a monopoly. In a counter filing, Valve fired back at these claims, arguing that the lawsuit is “devoid of any factual support”. Unfortunately for Valve, it will now have to fight its case in court, as the lawsuit is set to continue.

Gabe Newell in particular will be facing some scrutiny during this process. Newell has been ordered to attend an in-person deposition to answer questions related to Valve's business practices. Typically, Valve likes to do everything it can to avoid legal issues, and even more to avoid sending its founder to a courtroom. Valve's legal team did try to sway the judge into granting a remote deposition, citing COVID-related health concerns but the court ruled that there was no evidence to suggest that Newell was at particularly high risk of contracting health issues. As a result, he will have to attend the deposition in person, as spotted by GI.biz.

While a good portion of this lawsuit centres on Valve's position as the top digital PC game vendor, along with its 30% revenue split, Valve has made some adjustments to its monetisation of developers. Under the latest rules, developers will pay less of a cut depending on the amount of revenue or sales a game generates. However, this primarily helps publishers that regularly sell millions of copies for big franchises, and does little to help out smaller developers like Wolfire Games or other indie developers.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Wolfire's big lawsuit against Valve will continue and it looks like Gabe Newell will have to face some tough questions. There is no trial date set yet though, so this will likely drag on well into 2024. 

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Judge approves Wolfire’s antitrust lawsuit against Valve over Steam ‘monopoly’ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/judge-approves-wolfires-antitrust-lawsuit-against-valve-over-steam-monopoly/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/judge-approves-wolfires-antitrust-lawsuit-against-valve-over-steam-monopoly/#respond Thu, 12 May 2022 14:03:02 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=560233 Back in April 2021, Wolfire Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Valve, claiming that the company abuses its dominance of the PC gaming market and has formed a monopoly with Steam. Valve had initially managed to get the lawsuit dismissed late last year, but after reviewing Wolfire's appeal, a judge has ruled that Valve may …

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Back in April 2021, Wolfire Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Valve, claiming that the company abuses its dominance of the PC gaming market and has formed a monopoly with Steam. Valve had initially managed to get the lawsuit dismissed late last year, but after reviewing Wolfire's appeal, a judge has ruled that Valve may actually be in violation of antitrust, and as a result, the lawsuit is back on. 

The lawsuit filed last year claims that 75 percent of all PC games are sold through Valve’s Steam Store and argues that the company’s 30% revenue cut is only made possible through suppressing competition in the market in order to maintain a monopoly. In a counter filing, Valve takes issue with a number of Wolfire Games’ claims, and argues that the lawsuit is “devoid of any factual support”. Valve managed to get a judge to agree on its view back in November, leading to the lawsuit being dismissed. However, after Wolfire's legal team amended the complaint, it was reviewed again and now, the lawsuit has been cleared to move ahead.

The amended lawsuit doesn't make any new allegations against Valve, but adds some additional evidence to back up the company's claims of market power abuse. As pointed out by GameDiscoverCo, one such piece of evidence points to when Valve acquired World Opponent Network in 2001, before shutting it down and launching Steam in its place. It is also claimed that a Steam account manager once informed Wolfire that games would be delisted if sold at a lower price on other platforms, although more evidence is needed to support this claim.

On Valve's end, the company defends its 30% cut due to the additional services and tools that Steam provides for developers. Valve also argues that the PC digital games market is competitive, with active competition from the likes of Epic Games, Microsoft and Amazon.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Wolfire's big lawsuit against Valve is back on, but there is still a long road ahead and Valve still has an opportunity to avoid an anti-trust trial. We'll keep an eye out for further updates on this in the coming months. 

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FTC to hold antitrust review of Microsoft’s $70 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ftc-to-hold-antitrust-review-of-microsofts-70-billion-activision-blizzard-acquisition/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ftc-to-hold-antitrust-review-of-microsofts-70-billion-activision-blizzard-acquisition/#respond Tue, 01 Feb 2022 11:41:41 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=548609 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 review of Microsoft's $68.7 billion …

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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 review of Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The deal, which was announced during the same week that the FTC and US Justice Department agreed to be stricter on acquisitions and mergers, is the largest in gaming history.

While the deal is absolutely massive, combining Xbox and Activision Blizzard's current revenues doesn't result in Microsoft becoming the largest video game publisher. Once merged, Xbox still falls behind Sony's PlayStation and Tencent when it comes to revenue.

Microsoft, Activision and the FTC have not publicly commented on this review yet. While questions are being asked by regulators much sooner than expected, Microsoft was always going to have to answer them eventually. Currently, Microsoft expects to complete the acquisition by June 2023.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Microsoft is still pretty far off from being a gaming monopoly, as competition between console makers and rival publishers remains fierce. Still, we'll have to wait and see what regulators have to say about the deal in the months to come. 

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Wolfire’s monopoly lawsuit against Valve has been dismissed https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/wolfires-monopoly-lawsuit-against-valve-has-been-dismissed/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/wolfires-monopoly-lawsuit-against-valve-has-been-dismissed/#respond Mon, 22 Nov 2021 13:00:41 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=540411 Back in April, Wolfire Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Valve, claiming that the company abuses its dominance of the PC gaming market and has formed a monopoly with Steam. It didn't take long for Valve to counter the suit with its own legal filing and now, the judge has sided with Valve, dismissing the …

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Back in April, Wolfire Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Valve, claiming that the company abuses its dominance of the PC gaming market and has formed a monopoly with Steam. It didn't take long for Valve to counter the suit with its own legal filing and now, the judge has sided with Valve, dismissing the case. 

The lawsuit filed back in April claims that 75 percent of all PC games are sold through Valve’s Steam Store and argues that the company’s 30% revenue cut is only made possible through suppressing competition in the market in order to maintain a monopoly. In a counter filing, Valve takes issue with a number of Wolfire Games’ claims, and argues that the lawsuit is “devoid of any factual support”.

Valve argued that the PC digital games market is competitive, with active competition from the likes of Epic Games, Microsoft and Amazon, concluding that the Wolfire Games failed “to allege unlawful conduct, antitrust injury, market power”.

A judge has now agreed with Valve, dismissing the case, but leaving the door open for Wolfire Games to address the issues highlighted in the dismissal within 30 days. If the studio can do so, then the case will be re-examined.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Wolfire Games has not commented publicly on the dismissal yet, but if it is going to re-file the case, then it will need to include a lot more evidence to support its claims of a monopoly. 

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Valve counters Steam ‘monopoly’ lawsuit https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/valve-counters-steam-monopoly-lawsuit/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/valve-counters-steam-monopoly-lawsuit/#respond Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:51:18 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=525245 Back in April, Wolfire Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Valve, claiming that the company abuses its dominance of the PC gaming market and has formed a monopoly with Steam. Valve didn't respond at the time, but the company has now countered the lawsuit, asking for the court to dismiss it.  The lawsuit filed back …

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Back in April, Wolfire Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Valve, claiming that the company abuses its dominance of the PC gaming market and has formed a monopoly with Steam. Valve didn't respond at the time, but the company has now countered the lawsuit, asking for the court to dismiss it. 

The lawsuit filed back in April claims that 75 percent of all PC games are sold through Valve's Steam Store and argues that the company's 30% revenue cut is only made possible through suppressing competition in the market in order to maintain a monopoly. In a counter filing, Valve takes issue with a number of Wolfire Games' claims, and argues that the lawsuit is “devoid of any factual support”.

Valve maintains that the PC digital games market is competitive, with active competition from the likes of Epic Games, Microsoft and Amazon. The filing concludes that the “plaintiffs fail to allege unlawful conduct, antitrust injury, market power”.

Valve's preferred outcomes include the judge dismissing the lawsuit entirely, or delay it so that Valve can address individual complaints through arbitration, a condition listed in the Steam Subscriber Agreement.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: A judge will have to weigh in and decide if this lawsuit can go ahead or not, a process that could take a few more months. 

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Amazon accused of illegally raising prices, faces antitrust lawsuit https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/amazon-accused-of-illegally-raising-prices-faces-antitrust-lawsuit/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/amazon-accused-of-illegally-raising-prices-faces-antitrust-lawsuit/#respond Tue, 25 May 2021 16:28:30 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=516430 Amazon is facing antitrust allegations again this week. This time around, a new lawsuit is alleging that Amazon unfairly raised prices and used anti-competitive business practices to supress competition from other stores. The lawsuit was filed by Washington DC Attorney General, Karl Racine, stating: “Amazon’s policies have prevented competing platforms, including sellers’ own websites, from …

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Amazon is facing antitrust allegations again this week. This time around, a new lawsuit is alleging that Amazon unfairly raised prices and used anti-competitive business practices to supress competition from other stores.

The lawsuit was filed by Washington DC Attorney General, Karl Racine, stating: “Amazon’s policies have prevented competing platforms, including sellers’ own websites, from competing on price and gaining market share. The loss of competition results in less innovation.”

As reported by The Verge, the lawsuit claims that Amazon maintained ‘monopoly power' by preventing independent sellers from offering products at lower prices on rival platforms. This portion of Amazon's terms of use is under the most scrutiny, as it forces sellers to use Amazon as the base line for their offerings, meaning better deals can't be offered elsewhere.

The lawsuit aims to force Amazon to end its price agreement scheme and pay damages. Amazon has yet to comment publicly on this matter.

KitGuru Says: This isn't the first time that Amazon has faced antitrust concerns in court – the ebook pricing scandal being a prime example.

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Ubisoft doubles down on Stadia, adding three more games to the service https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/uncategorized/mustafa-mahmoud/ubisoft-doubles-down-on-stadia-adding-three-more-games-to-the-service/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/uncategorized/mustafa-mahmoud/ubisoft-doubles-down-on-stadia-adding-three-more-games-to-the-service/#respond Sat, 14 Mar 2020 15:30:33 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=456855 Google Stadia hasn’t received the most warm response since its release back in November 2019. Despite this, Ubisoft is continuing to support the service, recently announcing that three more of the publisher’s titles would be coming to the service. The games in question are Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, The Crew 2, and Monopoly. These …

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Google Stadia hasn’t received the most warm response since its release back in November 2019. Despite this, Ubisoft is continuing to support the service, recently announcing that three more of the publisher’s titles would be coming to the service. The games in question are Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, The Crew 2, and Monopoly. These games join a number of other Ubisoft titles already available on Stadia such as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Just Dance 2020.

Ubisoft have been a supporter of Stadia since its first announcement back at GDC 2019, where Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was used to showcase the claimed strengths of the streaming service. It is therefore not surprising to see the publisher continue to support Stadia, despite its current reputation. Furthermore, some of the games being added will take advantage of Stadia’s more ‘unique’ features.

Arriving on the 17th of March, The Division 2 will take advantage of a number of Stadia’s features. Launching with the recently released ‘Warlords of New York’ expansion, The Division 2 will be the first Stadia title to feature both cross-play and cross-progression. This will be done through Ubisoft’s Uplay service. Furthermore, the game will feature Stadia’s ‘Stream Connect’ function, which allows you to “stream your teammate’s viewpoints onto a single screen”. Stream Connect was announced as one of Stadia’s USPs, though the feature wasn’t available at launch, instead arriving a month later in December, with one of Ubisoft’s other titles – Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. Still, it’s nice to see one of Stadia’s more standout features being implemented into more titles.

The second game announced to be arriving soon is The Crew 2. Arriving on the 25th of March, this 2018 open-world racing title allows you to take control of multiple vehicle types, from cars to boats to even planes. Though not the newest nor the most highly regarded title, The Crew 2 serves as the only open-world racing game on the service, offering users who enjoy those experiences to now have them on Stadia if they so desired.

The final game announced to be joining the service is Monopoly. A game which needs little introduction, Monopoly appears to be a suitable fit for the service in its current state, as due to its style of gameplay, even the slowest of internet speeds should be able to handle this title. Monopoly will join Stadia on the 28th of April.

These are all the new games announced by Ubisoft to be joining the service in the near future, though we already know that some of the publisher’s future titles will arrive upon their release – such as Watch Dogs Legion. Though none of the three titles set to join the service can be described as ‘new’ it is promising none-the-less to see Stadia’s library being fleshed out more.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of these additions? Do you think any of them will benefit from being on Stadia? What other studios would you like to see add their games to the service? Let us know down below.

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OfCom forces BT to open up its cable network to competitors https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ofcom-forces-bt-to-open-up-its-cable-network-to-competitors/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ofcom-forces-bt-to-open-up-its-cable-network-to-competitors/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2016 09:00:18 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=285273 Amid threats that it could still force BT to break up its businesses if it doesn't play ball, industry regulator OfCom is forcing the British Telecom firm to open up its copper wire and fibre network for more companies to take advantage of. The idea is to offer a more comprehensive and competitive line up …

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Amid threats that it could still force BT to break up its businesses if it doesn't play ball, industry regulator OfCom is forcing the British Telecom firm to open up its copper wire and fibre network for more companies to take advantage of. The idea is to offer a more comprehensive and competitive line up of products and services to consumers than is currently available.

OpenReach is a BT subsidiary that operates its entire cable system, controlling roll out, infrastructure and developments somewhat separately from BT and enjoys a near complete monopoly on it throughout the UK. This has prompted regulators and other businesses to call for it to be split-off from BT, but OfCom is now settling for it to be put at arms length from its parent firm.

It is also looking to make it possible for other firms to lay their own cables within OpenReach's underground cable ducts and along OpenReach telegraph poles (as per the BBC). Budget management may be changed too, with a drive to give OpenReach more independence with less oversight from the BT Group.

openreach

Source: Wikimedia

OfCom warned that the current climate of internet access in the UK was creating a digital divide, where certain parts had supremely fast internet access, while even relatively built up areas like some parts of London, still languished on outdated connections. Its most recent report suggested around eight per cent of all British households and businesses could not even access 10Mbps connections.

The regulator even described connections at a minimum of that speed to be a basic human right.

KitGuru Says: While it's probably harder to argue that internet access is a human right – even though some have ruled it that in the past – BT has had a strangle hold on expanding internet access for quite some time. Do you think it should be forced to split off OpenReach?

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Microsoft gets slap on wrist from Chinese authorities over anti-trust https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/microsoft-gets-slap-on-wrist-from-chinese-authorities-over-anti-trust/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/microsoft-gets-slap-on-wrist-from-chinese-authorities-over-anti-trust/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2015 08:04:28 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=269802 Giant tech firms have a history of getting hit with gut-shots during anti-trust cases, facing massive criticism and huge fines, but Microsoft seems to have mostly skated in its latest case in China, where it was given only a minor fine for breaching anti-trust law, as it was said not to have had much of …

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Giant tech firms have a history of getting hit with gut-shots during anti-trust cases, facing massive criticism and huge fines, but Microsoft seems to have mostly skated in its latest case in China, where it was given only a minor fine for breaching anti-trust law, as it was said not to have had much of an effect on the free market.

The anti-trust investigation is related to Microsoft's partnering with BesTV, a subsidiary of the Shanghai Media Group, in order to bring the Xbox One console into the country after the ban on systems like it was lifted in 2013. Neither company or their joint venture was found to have been in breach of major anti-trust laws, although they did fail to meet with officials.

As punishment for not meeting with anti-trust regulators, Microosft and BesTV have been fined 200,000 yuan (£20,700) each.

microsoft22
Image source: Wikimedia

Although this is a very minor infraction and one that Microsoft will may well have spent more on legal defence for than the actual fine, it may be that it is hit with further suits in the future. As Reuters reports, Microsoft is still under investigation in China for the way it sells Windows and Office software within the country. That investigation is unrelated to the one into Xbox sales, so this recent fine will not have any bearing on its development.

Microsoft was previously hit by a large anti-trust case in the late '90s in the U.S., charged with creating a monopoly by merging Internet Explorer with Windows. It was eventually settled with Microsoft agreeing to share its application programming interfaces with third-party companies.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It may be that Microsoft caught a lucky break here. I wonder how much it spent on lawyers defending itself. 

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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.

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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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Facebook’s Internet.org branded corrupt, elitist https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/facebooks-internet-org-branded-corrupt-elitist/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/facebooks-internet-org-branded-corrupt-elitist/#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2015 09:06:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=245818 Mark Zuckberg, much like the social network he founded, has always been a relatively hypocritical figure. Where once he called privacy dead, he later went on to buy the houses around his own, simply so no one could see into his garden. In a similar instance, now he's being called the same after claiming to …

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Mark Zuckberg, much like the social network he founded, has always been a relatively hypocritical figure. Where once he called privacy dead, he later went on to buy the houses around his own, simply so no one could see into his garden. In a similar instance, now he's being called the same after claiming to champion net neutrality on one hand, whilst helping restrict the internet in some nations on another.

Although arguably the Internet.org program is designed to make it easier for people in poorer countries around the world to access the internet, what it in-fact does is make accessing Facebook and a shortlist of approved partner websites easier. To make this happen, Facebook pays off corrupt ISPs in countries like India, to make Facebook and a few other sites exempt from local bandwidth caps, making them freely accessible. While that's great for Facebook, it in essence restricts the rest of the internet at the same time.

Not only does this contribute to the problem of non-neutrality in the region, it also creates a monpolising environment. One prime example is that Facebook bundles access to Bing, the search engine powered by Facebook shareholder Microsoft, rather than that of social networking rival Google.

internetorg
And technically they still aren't

These sorts of “zero services, ” aren't the altruistic efforts that Zuckberg likes to play them off as, with other organisations that do the same thing, like Indian firm Airtel, openly claiming that they do it to increase profits.

As Scroll points out too, Zuckerberg's big point in defence of the scheme was waxing on about impoverished children accessing the internet through the Facebook portal and being amazed. And yet, if he had been brought up in such an environment, he wouldn't have been able to develop Facebook.

Indeed perhaps the worst crime of such an organisation is that it paints its portal as the internet, rather than a internet. Those same impoverished children may think that Facebook and its small series of sites is all there is to offer, which gives them a myopic view at best. Not too unlike the scheme's founder it seems.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What people want to see Zuckerberg do in these sorts of countries, isn't to continue the status quo of limited internet, but help champion full access to information. The beauty of the internet is that everything is available, letting people find the flavour that they like the most. Giving someone a cross section of it through a site like Facebook is tarring it all with the same brush. It's unrepresentative of the real internet and the real world. 

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BT relaunches consumer mobile packages https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/bt-relaunches-consumer-mobile-packages/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/bt-relaunches-consumer-mobile-packages/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2015 09:02:36 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=241706 Even though it still has to wait some time for industry regulators to give approval to its purchase of the UK's largest mobile network EE, BT has relaunched its own mobile packages for consumers. Unlike other operators however, it won't be offering any contract packages right off the bat, instead hoping to encourage those with …

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Even though it still has to wait some time for industry regulators to give approval to its purchase of the UK's largest mobile network EE, BT has relaunched its own mobile packages for consumers. Unlike other operators however, it won't be offering any contract packages right off the bat, instead hoping to encourage those with already up to date phones to switch over to its sim-only offers, which come at a discounted price for those also signed up to BT's broadband.

This may end up being a bit too pre-emptive however, as other mobile operators are not happy with BT's intended buyout of EE, claiming that it would make the already giant corporation far too dominant in the fields of telecommunications. Considering BT is already the biggest provider of broadband and fixed telephone lines, allowing it to buy the biggest mobile network too its tantamount to a monopoly, they claim.

btmobile

Perhaps keeping in mind that the deal may fall through, BT is hoping to draw in its already existing customers with its new sim-only mobile packages. It's also offering 4G access to all customers without extra charge, something that other networks currently charge extra for.

BT's buyout of EE isn't the only deal that regulators may need to examine though, as an agreement was struck earlier this week for Spain's Telefonica to sell its stake in the UK's second largest mobile operator, O2, to Hong Kong investment firm Hutchison Whampoa. The deal is only a smidge smaller than BT and EEs, with the Li Ka-shing's owned company paying £10.25 billion for it according to Reuters.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Would any of you guys consider switching over to BT mobile? I imagine most of you are on contracts that lock you with one provider or another?

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Don’t let Pokemon and Zelda Monopoly tempt you into buying https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/dont-let-pokemon-and-zelda-monopoly-tempt-you-into-buying/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/dont-let-pokemon-and-zelda-monopoly-tempt-you-into-buying/#comments Wed, 09 Apr 2014 10:23:19 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=186722 Despite being an ancient game with outdated game mechanics, Monopoly sets are pumped out year after year and you'll find a copy of some sort stuffed in the back of every household's cupboard. However the creators want you to buy yet another version of the same game, this time by tempting gamers by releasing Pokemon …

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Despite being an ancient game with outdated game mechanics, Monopoly sets are pumped out year after year and you'll find a copy of some sort stuffed in the back of every household's cupboard. However the creators want you to buy yet another version of the same game, this time by tempting gamers by releasing Pokemon and Zelda themed versions.

This is a heinous trick to try and get you to buy the same game once again. It's the same reason that versions of local maps are put out and that there's a “dotcom” version (along with literally hundreds of others), publishers Hasbro, Waddingtons and Parker Bros get to sell the same game over and over just by updating the artwork.

monopoly2
zeldamonopoly
I do like the artwork though

If a video game developer tried that we'd revolt, but for some reason Monopoly ploughs on, despite breaking up just as many families as it's brought together.

If you like Monopoly though and it hasn't ruined your board gaming experience by bankrupting you only halfway through the game, then there's plenty of other games out there you'll enjoy far more if you give them a chance. Settler's of Catan is a classic with better rules for party play. How about Ticket to Ride for a similarly random but also more strategic experience?

But don't take my word for it, here's a load of games you're likely to enjoy more than ol' Monopoly:

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4nofYNC67s']

If you absolutely have to buy these new Pokemon and Zelda sets though, you're going to be waiting around for a while, as they don't release until 21st August.

KitGuru Says: Are any of you guys big board gamers? My group is just playing around with Space Cadets. Great fun.

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Adobe still leads the way in Rip Off Britain scores https://www.kitguru.net/professional/design-create/jules/adobe-still-leads-the-way-in-rip-off-britain-scores/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/design-create/jules/adobe-still-leads-the-way-in-rip-off-britain-scores/#comments Sun, 01 Dec 2013 10:52:54 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=165199 After running this morning's story about Crucial's inexplicable $50 bump for an SSD drive price when it gets sold to Brits, we got a timely reminder that there is one company that rips hard and faster than anyone else in this industry. KitGuru checks the sums before declaring Adobe the winner. While Crucial can try …

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After running this morning's story about Crucial's inexplicable $50 bump for an SSD drive price when it gets sold to Brits, we got a timely reminder that there is one company that rips hard and faster than anyone else in this industry. KitGuru checks the sums before declaring Adobe the winner.

While Crucial can try to claim that shipping etc might make a couple of dollars difference to the price of its drives in one part of the world or another, the ‘download pricing option' from Adobe means that not even that defence is available.

Maybe it's the cost of providing software in a different language?

Nope – no luck there. When the Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, they are carrying on a tradition from England in the 1500s – and they do it in English.

KitGuru has tried – and failed – to find a logical reason why Adobe software should be even $1 more expensive in the UK than it is in the USA.

The differences are WAY more than the sales taxes of any modern government, so we have focused on the numbers presented by Adobe on its various sites – for DOWNLOAD VERSIONS ONLY – so there are no material/postage costs.

Here's the comparison:-

Numbers will fluctuate +/- 20% with various taxes etc, but the differences here are WAY outside even that kind of movement. Impossible to explain.
Numbers will fluctuate +/- 20% with various taxes etc, but the differences here are WAY outside even that kind of movement.  They are impossible to explain.

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KitGuru says: It's lucky that Adobe doesn't have a monopoly on this kind of content creation software. Oh. Wait.

Comment below, in the KitGuru forums or join us online over at Facebook.

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EU considering Google proposal to dodge $5 billion fine https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/eu-considering-google-proposal-to-dodge-5billion-fine/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/eu-considering-google-proposal-to-dodge-5billion-fine/#respond Mon, 09 Sep 2013 12:28:50 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=151645 Google has submitted a new proposal to the European Commission, offering further concessions in an effort to avoid the biggest fine the EUC has ever threatened to give out: $5 billion. In it, Google offers to make it easier for advertisers to switch between search engines and for consumers to be given a link to …

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Google has submitted a new proposal to the European Commission, offering further concessions in an effort to avoid the biggest fine the EUC has ever threatened to give out: $5 billion. In it, Google offers to make it easier for advertisers to switch between search engines and for consumers to be given a link to competitors' results.

The reason Google is in such hot water, is because it stands accused of anti-trust violations, including the blocking search results of rivals like Microsoft, Expedia and several price comparison sites like Twenga and Foundem. These companies pushed the EU commission to investigate and have now been brought on board as consultants in the case.

gopogle

“Given the failure of Google to make a serious offer last time around, we believe it is necessary that customers and competitors of Google be consulted in a full, second market test,” FairSearch lawyer Thomas Vinje said in a statement.

So far the Commission has not commented on Google's proposal, merely stating that it had received it and was currently assessing its merits.

KitGuru Says: With a share of the search market that borders on a monopoly (as much as 80 per cent of all searches go through Google), it's no surprise that public watch dogs like the EUC are keeping such a close eye on Google, but do you guys think it should be forced to provide links to competitors? Or perhaps this is just an ass covering measure because it's been found with its hand in the cookie jar? What do you guys reckon?

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