EU Court Largely Upholds $4Bln Google Android Antitrust Fine

Google exhibit building shows off a variety of devices with Google Assistant, including Android smartphones and Wear OS smartwatches during the CES tech show in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, Jan. 8, 2020. (AP)
Google exhibit building shows off a variety of devices with Google Assistant, including Android smartphones and Wear OS smartwatches during the CES tech show in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, Jan. 8, 2020. (AP)
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EU Court Largely Upholds $4Bln Google Android Antitrust Fine

Google exhibit building shows off a variety of devices with Google Assistant, including Android smartphones and Wear OS smartwatches during the CES tech show in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, Jan. 8, 2020. (AP)
Google exhibit building shows off a variety of devices with Google Assistant, including Android smartphones and Wear OS smartwatches during the CES tech show in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, Jan. 8, 2020. (AP)

One of the European Union's highest courts has largely upheld the bloc's biggest-ever antitrust fine, issued to Google by the bloc's competition enforcers in 2018 over its Android mobile operating system.

The European Court of Justice's General Court on Wednesday mostly confirmed a decision by the EU's executive Commission to slap Google with a fine of more than 4 billion euros ($3.99 billion) for stifling competition through the dominance of Android.

The court said that "in order better to reflect the gravity and duration of the infringement," it's appropriate to give Google a fine of 4.125 billion euros, according to a press summary of the decision. That's slightly lower than the original 4.34-billion-euro penalty, and the court said its reasoning differed “in certain respects” from the commission's.

The fine is one of three antitrust penalties totaling more than $8 billion that the European Commission hit Google with between 2017 and 2019.

In its original decision, the commission said Google’s practices restrict competition and reduce choices for consumers.

It determined that Google broke EU rules by requiring smartphone makers to take a bundle of Google apps if they wanted any at all and prevented them from selling devices with altered versions of Android.

The bundle contained 11 apps, including YouTube, Maps and Gmail, but regulators focused on the three that had the biggest market share: Google Search, Chrome and the company’s Play Store for apps.



Apple to Hold Fall Event on September 9, New iPhones Expected

People use Apple iPhone smartphones at a store in London, Britain, October 6, 2024. (Reuters)
People use Apple iPhone smartphones at a store in London, Britain, October 6, 2024. (Reuters)
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Apple to Hold Fall Event on September 9, New iPhones Expected

People use Apple iPhone smartphones at a store in London, Britain, October 6, 2024. (Reuters)
People use Apple iPhone smartphones at a store in London, Britain, October 6, 2024. (Reuters)

Apple said on Tuesday it would host its annual fall event on September 9, when the company is expected to unveil new iPhones, watches and other devices.

The event will be held at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park and serve as a showcase of the company's efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into its devices.

It will be closely watched by investors worried about the company ceding ground to faster-moving rivals in the race to deploy AI technology.

The announcement comes as Apple faces pressure from tariffs imposed on US imports from countries including its production hubs of China and India.

Media reports have said Apple will also unveil a slimmer version of its latest iPhone, possibly branded as the iPhone Air, echoing its iPad Air and MacBook Air lines.

The company is also expected to showcase new entry-level, high-end Apple Watches, upgraded iPad Pros and a faster version of the Vision Pro headset, Bloomberg News has reported.


Apple Watch Not a ‘CO2-Neutral Product’, German Court Finds 

An Apple logo adorns the facade of the downtown Brooklyn Apple store on March 14, 2020, in New York. (AP)
An Apple logo adorns the facade of the downtown Brooklyn Apple store on March 14, 2020, in New York. (AP)
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Apple Watch Not a ‘CO2-Neutral Product’, German Court Finds 

An Apple logo adorns the facade of the downtown Brooklyn Apple store on March 14, 2020, in New York. (AP)
An Apple logo adorns the facade of the downtown Brooklyn Apple store on March 14, 2020, in New York. (AP)

Apple can no longer advertise its Apple Watch as a "CO2-neutral product" in Germany, following a court ruling on Tuesday that sided with environmentalists in finding that the US tech company had misled consumers.

Apple had promoted the device online as "our first CO2-neutral product", a claim found by a panel of judges to be unfounded and in violation of German competition law, according to a statement from a regional court in Frankfurt.

Apple declined to comment on the ruling, which can be appealed.

Apple based its claim of carbon neutrality on a project it operates in Paraguay to offset emissions by planting eucalyptus trees on leased land.

However, the Frankfurt court said that leases for 75% of the project area were not secured beyond 2029 and that the company could not guarantee these contracts would be extended.

"There is no secure future for the continuation of the forest project," the statement said.

Environmentalist group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), which brought the case against Apple, hailed the ruling as a success against "greenwashing".

"The supposed storage of CO2 in commercial eucalyptus plantations is limited to just a few years, the contractual guarantees for the future are not sufficient and the ecological integrity of monoculture areas is not guaranteed," DUH head Juergen Resch said in a statement.


Elon Musk's xAI Sues Apple and OpenAI over AI Competition, App Store Rankings

02 November 2023, United Kingdom, London: Elon Musk looks on as he attends an event. (dpa)
02 November 2023, United Kingdom, London: Elon Musk looks on as he attends an event. (dpa)
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Elon Musk's xAI Sues Apple and OpenAI over AI Competition, App Store Rankings

02 November 2023, United Kingdom, London: Elon Musk looks on as he attends an event. (dpa)
02 November 2023, United Kingdom, London: Elon Musk looks on as he attends an event. (dpa)

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI sued Apple and ChatGPT maker OpenAI in US federal court in Texas on Monday, accusing them of illegally conspiring to thwart competition for artificial intelligence.

Apple and OpenAI have "locked up markets to maintain their monopolies and prevent innovators like X and xAI from competing," the lawsuit said.

The complaint said Apple and OpenAI conspired to suppress xAI's products, including on the Apple App Store. "If not for its exclusive deal with OpenAI, Apple would have no reason to refrain from more prominently featuring the X app and the Grok app in its App Store," xAI said.

Apple and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Earlier this month, Musk threatened to sue Cupertino, California-based Apple, saying in a post on his social media platform X that Apple's behavior "makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store.”

Apple’s partnership with OpenAI has integrated its AI platform ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads and Macs.

Musk's xAI Acquired X in March for $33 billion to enhance its chatbot training capabilities. Musk also has integrated the Grok chatbot into vehicles made by his electric automobile company Tesla.

Musk's xAI was launched less than two years ago and competes with Microsoft-backed OpenAI as well as with Chinese startup DeepSeek.

Musk is separately suing OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman in federal court in California to stop its conversion from a nonprofit to a for-profit business.

Musk cofounded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 as a nonprofit.

Apple’s App Store practices have been the focus of multiple lawsuits. In one ongoing case by “Fortnite” video game maker Epic Games, a judge ordered Apple to allow greater competition for app payment options.