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An illuminated Google logo is seen inside an office building in Zurich, Switzerland December 5, 2018. Rangel discussed how consumers were likely to stick with browsers on computers and mobile phones that were pre-installed as the default application. John Schmidtlein, a lawyer for Google, during cross-examination of Rangel, pointed out that a significant number of user search queries went to Google even when another search engine was the default. Google's clout in search, the government alleges, has helped Google build monopolies in some aspects of online search advertising. Search is free, so Google makes money through advertising.

Persons: Arnd, Antonio Rangel, Rangel, John Schmidtlein, Judge Amit Mehta, Diane Bartz, Mark Potter, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Justice Department, California Institute of Technology, Apple, Mozilla, Google, Big Tech, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, U.S

First out of the gate, the government questioned a former Google executive, Chris Barton, about billion-dollar deals with mobile carriers and others that helped make Google the default search engine. Google's clout in search, the government argues, has helped Google build monopolies in some aspects of online search advertising. In revenue-sharing deals with mobile carriers and Android smartphone makers, Google pressed for its search to be the default and exclusive. If Microsoft's search engine Bing was the default on an Android phone, Barton said, then users would have a "difficult time finding or changing to Google." Barton said on his LinkedIn profile that he was responsible for leading Google's partnerships with mobile carriers like Verizon (VZ.N) and AT&T, estimating that the deals "drive hundreds of millions in revenue."

Persons: Chris Barton, Barton, Bing, Hal Varian, John Schmidtlein, Judge Amit Mehta, Mehta, Diane Bartz, Nick Zieminski, Richard Chang, Howard Goller Organizations: Justice, Google, Inc, Apple, Mozilla, Verizon, Big Tech, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: U.S

Consumers, Google's lawyers will argue, can delete the Google app from their devices or simply type Microsoft's Bing, Yahoo or DuckDuckGo into a browser to use an alternative search engine. They will argue that consumers stick with Google because they rely on it to answer questions and are not disappointed. In the first, Judge Amit Mehta will decide if Google has broken antitrust law in how it manages search and search advertising. If Google is found to have broken the law, Judge Mehta will then decide how best to resolve it. He may decide simply to order Google to stop practices he has found to be illegal or he may order Google to sell assets.

Persons: Bing, Amit Mehta, Judge Mehta, Diane Bartz, Jamie Freed Organizations: Google, The U.S . Justice, Apple Inc, Mozilla, Yahoo, Big Tech, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: United States, Washington, The

Artificial Intelligence words are seen in this illustration taken March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Adobe (ADBE.O), IBM (IBM.N), Nvidia (NVDA.O) and five other firms have signed President Joe Biden's voluntary commitments governing artificial intelligence, which requires steps such as watermarking AI-generated content, the White House said. The original commitments, which were announced in July, were aimed at ensuring that AI's considerable power was not used for destructive purposes. Google, OpenAI and OpenAI partner Microsoft (MSFT.O) signed onto the commitments in July. "The president has been clear: harness the benefits of AI, manage the risks, and move fast – very fast," White House chief of staff Jeff Zients said in a statement.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Joe Biden's, Jeff Zients, Diane Bartz, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, IBM, Nvidia, Google, Microsoft, Thomson

DuckDuckGo, Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Yahoo are among a long list of Google competitors who will be watching the trial closely. “It would be difficult to overstate the importance of this case, particularly for monopolies and companies with significant market share,” antitrust lawyer Luke Hasskamp told Reuters. The lawsuit that goes to trial was brought by former President Donald Trump's Justice Department. read moreJudge Mehta will decide if Google has broken antitrust law in this first trial, and, if so, what should be done. Reporting by Diane Bartz; additional reporting by Mike Scarcella; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Toby Melville, DuckDuckGo, Kamyl Bazbaz, Luke Hasskamp, ”, Amit Mehta, Barack Obama, Donald Trump's, Joe Biden's, Mehta, Daniel McCuaig, Cohen Milstein, Diane Bartz, Mike Scarcella, Diane Craft Organizations: Google, REUTERS, U.S . Justice, Apple Inc, Mozilla, Microsoft, Yahoo, Big Tech, Facebook, Reuters, Apple, Twitter, Big, U.S, District of Columbia, Department, Android, U.S . Justice Department's Antitrust, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, WASHINGTON, United States, “

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo attends a press conference at the Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services near the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, in Shanghai, China August 30, 2023. "China is making it more difficult," Raimondo told CBS's Face the Nation. "I was very clear with China that we need to - patience is wearing thin among American business. "They suggested that they didn't know about it and they suggested that it wasn't intentional," she told CNN. And certainly they're having real, real significant challenges in the real estate sector," she told Face the Nation.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Aly, China, Raimondo, CBS's, " Raimondo, Diane Bartz, Phil Stewart, Mary Milliken, Deepa Babington Organizations: Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, REUTERS, Garden Holdings, WASHINGTON, . Commerce, CNN, HK, Thomson Locations: Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai, China, Washington, Canada, Mexico, Beijing, Southeast Asia, U.S

Research from the University of Southern California in 2021 found one in three neighborhoods in 30 populous U.S. cities were "pharmacy deserts." California Attorney General Rob Bonta has previously said he was "deeply concerned" about the proposed merger. "Post-transaction, Kroger will operate the pharmacies that are part of the Albertsons' stores that it acquires," the spokesperson said. Neither of the people who spoke with Reuters about pharmacy deserts knew if enforcers would file a lawsuit aimed at stopping the proposed transaction or when enforcers would decide what action to take on Kroger's plan to buy Albertsons. One source told the California attorney general's office that low income people were likely to lose access to pharmacy services, which include vaccinations, if the deal goes forward.

Persons: Kroger, Rob Bonta, Biden, Diane Bartz, Anna Driver Organizations: Albertsons, REUTERS, Rights, University of Southern, Reuters, Walmart, U.S, Kroger, Water Watch, Federal Trade Commission, Thomson Locations: Riverside , California, U.S, California, University of Southern California, Food

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Officials from seven U.S. states wrote to U.S. antitrust enforcers on Wednesday to ask for Kroger's (KR.N) proposed $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons (ACI.N) to be stopped. In a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, the secretaries of state said that the deal would give a combined Kroger/Albertsons nearly a quarter of the U.S. food retail market. Large, non-unionized competitors such as Walmart and Amazon would be the only parties to benefit if it were blocked, the spokesperson said. While federal antitrust agencies often work with state attorneys general on merger reviews, they do not usually work with secretaries of state, who in many states have a more limited business-oversight role. Reporting by Diane Bartz and Jasper Ward; editing by Susan Heavey, Sharon Singleton and Andy SullivanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Lina Khan, Diane Bartz, Jasper Ward, Susan Heavey, Sharon Singleton, Andy Sullivan Organizations: Kroger Co, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights, Albertsons, Federal Trade Commission, Kroger, Walmart, Amazon, FTC, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Colorado , Arizona , Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont

WASHINGTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Moderate Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have formed a working group on artificial intelligence aimed at tackling the issue of what restrictions, if any, should be put on the technology. The New Democrat Coalition announced the formation of the group on Tuesday, saying it would work with the Biden administration, companies and other lawmakers to develop "sensible, bipartisan policies to address this emerging technology." While artificial intelligence has been used for several years, it surged in popularity earlier this year with the rise of ChatGPT because of generative AI's ability to use data to create human-seeming prose. The group is to be headed by Representative Derek Kilmer, a Democrat from Washington state. In July, the White House announced that AI companies including OpenAI, Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Meta Platforms (META.O) had made voluntary commitments to implement measures such as watermarking AI-generated content to help make the technology safer.

Persons: Biden, Derek Kilmer, Don Beyer of Virginia, Jeff Jackson, Sara Jacobs of, Susie Lee of, Haley Stevens, Chuck Schumer, Diane Bartz, Nick Macfie Organizations: Moderate Democrats, U.S . House, New Democrat Coalition, White House, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington, North Carolina, Sara Jacobs of California, Susie Lee of Nevada, Michigan

[1/2] A customer leaves an Albertsons grocery store, as Kroger agrees to buy rival Albertsons in a deal to combine the two supermarket chains, in Riverside, California, U.S., October 14, 2022. It is unclear if the FTC will try to stop the transaction or when a decision would be reached. "Kroger and the FTC are focused on ensuring that any divested stores are positioned for success," the company said in a statement. Between them, Kroger and Albertsons operate nearly 5,000 stores with more than 800 in California. FTC staff spoke with the group in April.

Persons: Kroger, Biden, I'm, Rob Bonta, Chris Jones, We're, we're, Jones, Dan Waldvogle, Waldvogle, Sara John, Mayor Diego Plata, Diane Bartz, Chris Sanders, Anna Driver Organizations: Albertsons, REUTERS, Federal Trade Commission, Staff, FTC, Kroger, National Grocers Association, Walmart, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Center for Science, Safeway, Mayor, Thomson Locations: Riverside , California, U.S, Colorado, California, COVID, Colorado's Rocky, Gunnison, Plata

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) is set to meet next week with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ahead of a potential long-awaited antitrust lawsuit against the retailer, according to a source familiar with the matter. The FTC began probing Amazon during former President Donald Trump's administration when the government decided to investigate Amazon, Google, Faceboook and Apple for allegedly breaking antitrust law. The company has been criticized for allegedly favoring its own products and disfavoring outside sellers on its platform, among other allegations. Amazon is expected to argue at the meetings with the commissioners that the FTC should not file an antitrust suit against the company, a separate source said. The Justice Department has sued Google twice, once regarding its search business and a second time on advertising technology.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Donald Trump's, Lina Khan, David Shepardson, Diane Bartz, Chris Reese, Mark Potter, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Google, Apple, Amazon, Yale, Trump Justice Department, Facebook, Meta's Facebook, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France

Google (GOOGL.O) had asked for summary judgment on all the government's claims in the case, which is to go to trial next month. Google said Friday it appreciated the court's "careful consideration and decision to dismiss claims regarding the design of Google Search" in the case brought by the state attorneys general. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong praised the decision to allow the states Google search antitrust suit to proceed to trial. Mehta noted Google LLC operates the largest U.S. internet general search engine whose "brand name has become so ubiquitous that dictionaries recognize it as a verb." He noted Google in 2020 had nearly 90% market share and advertisers spend over $80 billion annually alone to reach general search users.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Judge Amit Mehta, Google's, Mehta, William Tong, Tong, Trump, Judge Mehta, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Mark Porter, Diane Craft Organizations: Google, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Justice Department, Big Tech, Microsoft Corp, Apple, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Verizon, Mozilla, Justice, Department, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, WASHINGTON, U.S, Washington, Connecticut, Virginia

REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Texas won a round in its antitrust lawsuit with Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google on Thursday after a U.S. judicial panel refused to pause its decision to return its lawsuit to federal court in Texas. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation had decided in June to agree to a Texas request to send the lawsuit alleging Google abused its dominance in advertising technology back to the Lone Star state. Texas has argued that a measure which became law in 2022, after the lawsuit was filed, granted state attorneys general the right to choose where an antitrust lawsuit will be litigated. The judicial panel did agree to stay the remand order for seven days to give Google time to appeal to the 2nd U.S. The Texas lawsuit accuses Google of violating the law by dominating the process that advertisers use to put ads online.

Persons: Charles Platiau, Diane Bartz, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Google, Viva Tech, REUTERS, Texas, The U.S, Multidistrict Litigation, Lone Star, U.S, Circuit, Appeals, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Texas, The, New York, Eastern

WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. senators, alarmed by the malevolent potential of artificial intelligence, will summon developers, executives and experts for hearings later this year on possible legislative safeguards, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday. Speaking on the Senate floor, Schumer, the chamber's leading Democrat, said the Senate would convene what he called "the first-ever AI Insight Forums" to hear what experts had to say. Democratic and Republican senators voiced alarm this week about artificial intelligence's potential use to create a biological weapon. Schumer said senators were briefed on AI on Wednesday by experts at the U.S. Energy Department, the National Science Foundation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, which had laid the groundwork for the internet. Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Diane Bartz, Howard Goller Organizations: Democratic, U.S . Energy Department, National Science Foundation, Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Senate Homeland Security, Governmental Affairs, Thomson

The update of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which first became law in 2000, would raise the age of children protected by the measure from 12 and under to 16 and under. The AM radio bill and the ticket-pricing bill both had strong bipartisan support and both have companion measures in the House of Representatives. Fees on ticket prices have become an increasing issue. They can comprise 21% to 58% of ticket prices for some events, according to studies from the New York Attorney General's office and Government Accountability Office. The AM radio bill would direct the Transportation Department to issue regulations mandating AM radio in new vehicles without additional charge.

Persons: Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Taylor Swift, that’s, David Shepardson, Diane Bartz, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S . Capitol, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Senate, Ticketmaster, New York Attorney, Transportation Department, BMW, Volkswagen, Ford, Lawmakers, National Association of Broadcasters, Alliance, Automotive Innovation, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) listens during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 18, 2023. In addition to creating the regulatory commission, the proposed law would tighten antitrust law to forbid the companies from preferencing their own products over those of rivals. "This bipartisan bill would create a new tech regulator and makes clear that reining in Big Tech platforms is a top priority on both sides of the aisle," said Warren in a statement. Graham said the creation of the regulatory commission was "the first step in a long journey to protect American consumers from the massive power these companies currently wield." Amazon declined comment while Facebook and Google did not respond to a request for comment on the proposal.

Persons: Elizabeth Warren, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Lindsey Graham, Warren, Graham, Diane Bartz, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, Capitol, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Democrat, Republican, Facebook, Google, Big Tech, Federal Trade Commission, Digital Consumer Protection, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Big Tech, Washington

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, July 21 (Reuters) - Top AI companies including OpenAI, Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Meta Platforms (META.O) have made voluntary commitments to the White House to implement measures such as watermarking AI-generated content to help make the technology safer, the Biden administration said. Congress is considering a bill that would require political ads to disclose whether AI was used to create imagery or other content. President Joe Biden, who is hosting executives from the seven companies at the White House on Friday, is also working on developing an executive order and bipartisan legislation on AI technology. Other commitments include developing AI solutions to scientific problems like medical research and mitigating climate change. Reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington and Krystal Hu in New York Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Biden, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden, Diane Bartz, Krystal Hu, Matthew Lewis Organizations: WASHINGTON, Microsoft, White, Thomson Locations: cybersecurity, U.S, Washington, New York

The U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have mounted an unprecedented number of legal challenges to mergers since Biden came to office in 2021. The Justice Department lost a merger in the insurance industry but won an effort to stop a book publisher merger. Deal advisers said companies had already braced for a tough antitrust regime under Biden and some had been emboldened by the regulators' recent court losses. "The (regulators' guidelines) do provide more transparency but that transparency also reveals some concerns that they are quite hostile to consolidation. The new antitrust guidelines also reflect the White House's focus on labor issues.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Joe Biden's, Biden, Department's, Kenneth Schwartz, Flom, Fiona Schaeffer, Milbank, Elizabeth Warren, Warren, Diane Bartz, Richard Chang, Chizu Nomiyama, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, U.S . Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard Inc, FTC, Meta, Justice Department, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines Inc, Amazon.com, Amazon, Flom LLP, Global, LSEG, Intelligence, Democrat, Congress, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, WASHINGTON, Skadden, Slate

The San Francisco federal court had ruled in favor of Microsoft on Tuesday, saying the FTC had failed to show the deal would be illegal under antitrust law. "The FTC asks this Court to enjoin the merger at issue pending resolution of the FTC’s appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The FTC had said it was seeking a preliminary injunction to temporarily stop the deal until an internal FTC judge could assess it. It is rare for a merger fight to go to an appeals court. The agency settled with the companies before the appeals court made a decision.

Persons: We're, Brad Smith, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Corley, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Kanishka Singh, Tim Ahmann, Josie Kao, Jamie Freed Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision, San, FTC, Ninth Circuit, Appeals, Nintendo, Britain's, Markets Authority, Foods, Oats, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, Britain, California

Still, any outstanding regulatory hurdle makes it more likely that the agreement between Microsoft and Activision will expire on July 18 without the deal having been completed. The FTC's court filing about the appeal gave no details, which will go before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the West Coast. The FTC may request a stay from the appeals court stopping the deal from closing. When U.S. antitrust agencies lose merger challenges in court, appeals are rare. The agency settled with the companies before the appeals court made a decision.

Persons: We’re, Brad Smith, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Corley, Diane Bartz, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision, Microsoft's, Ninth Circuit, FTC, Biden, Markets Authority, Japan's Nintendo, Foods, Oats, Thomson Locations: West Coast, San Francisco

WASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asked a federal court on Thursday for a stay that would prevent Microsoft (MSFT.O) from closing its $69 billion purchase of "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O). A federal judge had ruled for Microsoft on Tuesday, saying the agency had failed to show the deal would be illegal under antitrust law. The FTC appealed that loss late on Wednesday, and Microsoft has said it would fight that appeal. In its motion, the FTC asked for an order that would prevent the deal from closing until after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled on a separate stay request filed with that court.

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, Diane Bartz, Tim Ahmann, Josie Kao Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision, FTC, U.S, Circuit, Appeals, Britain's, Markets Authority, Thomson Locations: Britain, California

[1/2] The sun sets behind the U.S. Capitol dome in Washington, U.S., on midterm election day, November 6, 2018. It was not the first loss for the agency under Khan. In addition, an internal FTC judge ruled for Illumina's (ILMN.O) purchase of Grail (GRAL.O). Lawmakers are also expected to bring up the committee's requests for documents regarding the agency's review of billionaire Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter. Conservatives have accused social media companies, including Twitter before it was acquired by Musk, of seeking to stifle conservative voices.

Persons: James Lawler Duggan, Lina Khan, Jim Jordan, Trump, Black Knight, Amgen's, Elon Musk's, Diane Bartz, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Republican, Committee, FTC, Microsoft, Activision, Khan, Facebook, Illumina's, Black, Horizon Therapeutics, Twitter, Musk, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Washington

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday that Microsoft may go forward with its planned acquisition of videogame maker Activision Blizzard, turning aside antitrust enforcers' request for a preliminary injunction to temporarily stop the $69 billion deal. The FTC had originally asked the judge to stop the proposed deal, arguing it would give Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), maker of the Xbox gaming console, exclusive access to Activision (ATVI.O) games including the best-selling "Call of Duty." The deal would be the largest for Microsoft and the biggest in the history of the videogame business. The FTC's complaint had cited concerns about loss of competition in console gaming, as well as subscriptions and cloud gaming. And while much of the testimony in the recent trial focused on "Call of Duty," Activision produces other bestsellers like "World of Warcraft," "Diablo" and the mobile game "Candy Crush Saga."

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, Douglas Farrar, we'll, Brad Smith, Bobby Kotick, Satya Nadella, Diane Bartz, Caitlin Webber Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, Britain's, Markets Authority, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Microsoft Corp, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo, Sony Group, Activision Blizzard, PlayStation, Thomson Locations: U.S, San Francisco

Activision shares surged 10% on the day, as the U.S. and Britain have been the two countries opposed to what would be Microsoft's biggest deal ever and the largest transaction in the videogame industry's history. Microsoft shares rose 64 cents to $332.47. Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard's games characters in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. "It does seem like the Microsoft and the CMA could work out a deal within the next couple of weeks," said D.A. The FTC's complaint had cited concerns about loss of competition in console gaming, as well as subscriptions and cloud gaming.

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, ”, Joost Van Dreunen, University's, Corley, Douglas Farrar, we'll, Dado Ruvic, Biden, Brad Smith, Franco Granda, Satya Nadella, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Jaspreet Singh, Aditya Soni, Chris Sanders, Caitlin Webber, Matthew Lewis David Gregorio, Muralikumar Organizations: Activision, Microsoft, Biden, U.S, Markets Authority, University's Stern School of Business, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Nintendo, Sony Group, FTC, Sony PlayStation, REUTERS, FOCUS Gaming, CMA, Davidson &, PlayStation, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, U.S, British, Britain, San Francisco, New, Washington, Bengaluru

In its lawsuit filed in March aimed at stopping JetBlue's purchase of Spirit, the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) cited as evidence JetBlue's alliance with American at airports in New York and Boston several times. Calling the partnership a "de facto merger," the DOJ argued that JetBlue's proposed purchase of Spirit, a Florida-based ultra-low cost carrier, would lead to further industry concentration. On Wednesday, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said ending the partnership with American has taken the DOJ's "misplaced" concerns off the table and would help when the Spirit case goes to trial in October. New York-based JetBlue, however, views the Spirit deal as a way to expand its domestic footprint amid persistent labor and aircraft shortages. American, Delta (DAL.N), United (UAL.O) and Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) control nearly 80% of the U.S. airline industry.

Persons: JetBlue's, Robin Hayes, Eleanor Fox, Fox, William Kovacic, James Speta, Speta, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Richard Chang Organizations: JetBlue Airways, American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, U.S . Justice Department, DOJ, Wednesday, JetBlue, American, New York University School of Law, Spirit, Former Federal Trade, George Washington University, Virgin America, Alaska Air Group, LaGuardia, Frontier Group Holdings, Northwestern University, Northeast Alliance, Southwest Airlines, U.S, Thomson Locations: CHICAGO, WASHINGTON, American, New York, Boston, Florida, Boston . New York, New, U.S, Chicago, Washington

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