![]() Apple had no further comment beyond pointing to its 2022 statement. Antitrust experts say Microsoft managed to avoid the hearing mostly because the company is good at flying under the radar when it comes to the scrutiny thats followed Big Tech for the last. The European Commission didn’t respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment. ![]() Its tap-to-pay tech, the NFC chip, allows payments to be processed via a card reader at a cash register.Īpple maintains strong restrictions on access to the NFC antenna, setting high standards for rival payment providers, which those competitors claim violates the EU’s competition rules.įollowing the EU’s statement of objections in May 2022, Apple said that it ensures “equal access to NFC while setting industry-leading standards for privacy and security.” Read More: Apple’s Push Into New Financial Services Hits Delays: Power OnĪpple’s digital wallet solution allows consumers to store virtual debit and credit cards on iPhones, in addition to ticket bookings. The EU is now examining the availability of other payments solutions across mobile devices, including the use of QR codes and bluetooth technologies, as alternatives to Apple’s near-field communications chip, according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The move, confirmed by a European Commission spokesperson, comes on the heels of formal EU antitrust charges against Cupertino, California-based Apple in May last year, which claimed that its actions restricted competition in the market for mobile wallets on iOS devices. 3:22-cv-08991.(Bloomberg) - Apple Inc.’s tap-to-pay technology faces a fresh round of European Union antitrust scrutiny, after the bloc’s competition investigators dispatched a series of questions to retailers as part of an ongoing probe into the iPhone maker’s closely guarded payments chip. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. "Unwinding the merger after consummation is highly problematic and disfavored, making divestiture post-consummation significantly more difficult." "The loss of competition cannot be reclaimed," the plaintiffs' attorneys said in a court filing. The plaintiffs' lawyers on Monday urged Corley to block the deal to allow a trial on the merits of the acquisition to take place. antitrust laws allow private consumers to sue over proposed acquisitions in lawsuits that are distinct from any federal regulatory actions.Ĭorley in March dismissed an earlier version of the plaintiffs' complaint, which she called "insufficient." She allowed the plaintiffs to refile a more robust complaint. Joseph Alioto, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the gamers have a "very strong complaint" challenging the acquisition.Ī Microsoft spokesperson said the plaintiffs' complaint contained "unsupported and implausible claims about the deal's effect on competition." Federal Trade Commission's case against the deal is pending at the agency. The deal, first announced in January 2022, separately faces intense regulatory scrutiny by U.S., European Union, UK and other competition law enforcers.īritain's antitrust regulator said in April it would block Microsoft's acquisition, after the company failed to assuage competition concerns. ![]() They have not cited a single case where a court has enjoined a merger based on alleged harms claimed by a few individual consumers," Microsoft's lawyers told Corley in a May 5 court filing. "What plaintiffs ask this court to do is unprecedented. Microsoft has defended the tie-up as benefiting gamers, and its lawyers have asked Corley to deny blocking the acquisition. The deal would mark the largest-ever in gaming if it is completed. District Judge Jacqueline Corley will weigh a request that she issue a preliminary injunction barring the proposed acquisition.
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