Cook called Pelosi with ‘warning’ about antitrust bills…
After members of Congress introduced new antitrust legislation earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly called up House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and others with a few complaints.
Cook called Pelosi and other members of Congress after lawmakers introduced six antitrust bills, with the Apple executive looking to “deliver a warning” that the bills were “rushed” and “would crimp innovation,” The New York Times reports. He also reportedly argued that the legislation would disrupt Apple’s iPhone services and would hurt consumers.
‘The Ending Platform Monopolies Act’…
A new antitrust bill aimed at reducing conflicts of interest on online marketplaces could drastically decrease Big Tech companies giving preference to their own products and services and potentially even break up the tech giants.
The Ending Platform Monopolies Act, written by Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, would promote competition in online marketplaces, such as those run by Amazon or Google, by eliminating the “irreconcilable conflicts of interest” that arise from dominant platforms both controlling a marketplace and selling items on it.
“Each bill is an essential part of a bipartisan plan to level the playing field for innovators, entrepreneurs and startups and to bring the benefits of increased innovation and choice to American consumers,” Nadler, a New York Democrat, said in his opening statement.
Last year’s investigation was led by antitrust subcommittee Chair David Cicilline and ranking Republican Ken Buck, whose partnership has built remarkable bipartisan support for the six measures before the committee. Although the bills may have support to make it through the Judiciary Committee, it’s not clear that all of them could pass the House. And the Senate presents an even bigger hurdle because most legislation needs at least 10 Republicans to become law.
APPLE legal worries grow as long-dormant French case moves ahead…
PARIS — A French case against Apple that’s been gathering dust for years could soon add to the tech giant’s headaches.
The legal action, which focuses on the U.S. tech giant’s contracts with French app developers and echoes ongoing litigation in California, will move forward in the fall, according to the case file and people familiar with the case. The next hearing, scheduled in mid-September, will set a new timetable for the dispute’s final stretch, the people said.
France’s economy ministry first took Apple to the Paris commercial court four years ago and the case has been advancing quietly amid staunch opposition from the company. This month France Digitale, a trade association for startups that has become a prominent Apple opponent, was admitted as a co-claimant along with the French state, and has provided additional testimony on how it believes the tech company’s contracts harm developers, according to a court document seen by POLITICO. All parties will present their final arguments before the judge makes a decision at a date that will be determined in September.