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☆ Amazon, Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft say they meet EU gatekeeper status
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, July 4 (Reuters) - Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google, Amazon (AMZN.O), Apple (AAPL.O), Meta Platforms (META.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) have notified the European Commission that they qualify as gatekeepers under new EU tech rules, EU industry chief Thierry Breton said on Tuesday. Samsung and TikTok owner ByteDance also said they meet the EU thresholds, Breton said. "Europe is completely reorganising its digital space to both better protect EU citizens and enhance innovation for EU startups and companies," Breton said in a statement. They will then have six months to comply with the DMA rules. Booking.com (BKNG.O) said it expects to meet the gatekeeper threshold by the end of the year and will then notify the EU executive.

Persons: Thierry Breton, ByteDance, Breton, Foo Yun Chee, Louise Heavens Organizations: Google, Apple, Microsoft, European Commission, Digital Markets, Samsung, EU, Companies, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Europe

☆ EU Commission revamps procedures to speed up Big Tech privacy probes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, July 4 (Reuters) - Stung by criticism of tardy privacy investigations and the Irish privacy regulator's outsized role in overseeing Big Tech, the European Commission on Tuesday announced new rules to help watchdogs work on cross-border cases at a faster clip. Critics say investigations take too long and fines are too low to deter privacy breaches by Big Tech companies, undermining the goal of landmark EU rules known as the General Data Protection Regulation which came into force in 2018. "The harmonisation of these procedural aspects will support the timely completion of investigations and the delivery of swift remedies for individuals," the Commission said. Privacy activist Max Schrems who has filed complaints against Meta Platforms (META.O) and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google criticised the new procedures. "The Commission proposal seems to be technically and materially flawed and rather strips citizens of existing rights than ensuring their enforcement," he said.

Persons: Max Schrems, Foo Yun Chee, Susan Fenton Organizations: Big Tech, European Commission, General Data, Irish Data Protection, Meta, Google, Tech, Computer & Communications Industry Association, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, EU, Ireland

☆ German antitrust watchdog can add privacy breaches to Meta probe, EU court says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, July 4 (Reuters) - Antitrust authorities can check whether companies such as Meta Platforms (META.O) comply with EU data protection rules during their investigations, Europe's top court said on Tuesday, a move likely to broaden regulators' scrutiny of Big Tech. At issue is whether the German antitrust agency overstepped its authority by using its antitrust power to address data protection concerns, which are the remit of national data protection authorities. Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, challenged the finding, prompting a German court to seek advice from the CJEU. The CJEU however said antitrust regulators must "take into consideration any decision or investigation by the competent supervisory authority pursuant to that regulation." The case is C-252/21 Meta Platforms and others (User conditions for a social network).

Persons: Foo Yun Chee, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Louise Heavens Organizations: Antitrust, Big Tech, Justice, European Union, Facebook, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Luxembourg, German, Amsterdam

☆ Exclusive: Microsoft faces EU antitrust probe after remedies fall short, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft added Teams to Office 365 in 2017 for free, with the app eventually replacing Skype for Business. Slack alleged that its rival had unfairly integrated workplace chat and video app Teams into its Office product. Microsoft kicked off talks with the European Commission last year in a bid to stave off an investigation. It recently offered to cut the price of its Office product without its Teams app. The European Commission has been seeking a deeper price cut than that offered by the U.S. software giant, the people said.

Persons: Slack, Foo Yun, Mark Potter, David Evans Organizations: Microsoft, EU, Salesforce, Skype, Business, European, European Commission, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, EU, U.S

☆ EU antitrust regulators set Aug. 7 deadline for Adobe, Figma deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, July 3 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators will decide by Aug. 7 whether to clear Adobe's (ADBE.O) $20 billion bid for cloud-based designer platform Figma after a preliminary review, according to a European Commission filing on Monday. Photoshop maker Adobe sought EU approval last Friday. A request made a month before the summer holidays suggests the company expects the EU competition enforcer to open a full-scale investigation following its initial scrutiny. The Commission earlier this year warned the deal threatens to significantly affect competition in the market for interactive product design and whiteboarding software. Britain's competition watchdog on Friday gave Adobe a week to offer remedies to address its concerns or face a deeper investigation.

Persons: Foo Yun Chee, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Adobe, Zoom Video Communications, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS

☆ Microsoft president goes to Europe to shape AI regulation debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Together with Twitter-owner and Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk, Smith has sought to court regulators and lawmakers with calls for regulating AI, a technology that has drawn massive public interest with the arrival of Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT. Big Tech has shared suggestions on how best to regulate AI, which could help to blunt some of the impact of such rules on their business. "Our intention is to offer constructive contributions to help inform the work ahead," Smith said in a blogpost. He said Microsoft's five-point blueprint for governing AI, which includes government-led AI safety frameworks, safety brakes for AI systems that control critical infrastructure and ensuring academic access to AI aligns with the EU's proposed legislation. Smith also urged the EU, the United States, G7 countries, India and Indonesia to work together on AI governance in line with their shared values and principles.

Persons: Brad Smith, Elon Musk, Smith, Foo Yun Chee, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Microsoft, Twitter, Big Tech, European, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, U.S, Brussels, Washington, United States, India, Indonesia

☆ Apple seeks to fend off EU antitrust charge triggered by Spotify at hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, June 29 (Reuters) - Apple (AAPL.O) will on Friday seek to fend off a revised EU antitrust charge and possible hefty fine linked to claims it prevents music streaming companies such as Spotify (SPOT.N) from informing users of other buying options outside its App Store. EU antitrust enforcers earlier this year boosted their case against the company's so-called anti-steering obligations, but dropped an earlier charge against Apple's requirement that developers use its in-app payment system. The Commission said the anti-steering obligations breach EU rules against unfair trading conditions, a relatively novel legal argument in an antitrust case. Apple has said there is no merit in the case triggered by a Spotify complaint in 2019, pointing to the Swedish music streaming service's dominant market share in Europe, where Apple Music trails in third or fourth place in most EU countries. Spotify, which will also attend the hearing, urged a speedy decision from the Commission.

Persons: Apple, Foo Yun Chee, Jan Harvey Organizations: Spotify, European Commission, Apple, Netflix, Commission, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, EU, Brussels, Europe

☆ Exclusive: NielsenIQ's GfK deal set for conditional EU antitrust approval
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, June 28 (Reuters) - Advent-owned NielsenIQ is set to secure EU antitrust clearance for its proposed acquisition of German market research firm GfK on the condition GfK sells its consumer panel business, people familiar with the matter said. U.S. consumer market research company NielsenIQ, which is present in more than 90 markets covering more than 90% of the world's population, announced the deal a year ago. GfK's consumer panel business covers 122,500 households and 1,800 retailers, with its data showing patterns, trends and predictions. The European Commission, which is scheduled to complete its preliminary review of the deal by July 4, declined to comment. The list includes French peer Ipsos, the UK's Kantar, YouGov, Dynata, Circana, Omnicon Group, Publicis Group, Cision and private equity firms such as H.I.G.

Persons: Ipsos, Foo Yun Chee, Jan Harvey, Barbara Lewis Organizations: European Commission, EU, Omnicon, Publicis, Equity, Bregal, Oakley, Symphony Technology, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, TowerBrook, Equistone

☆ Businesses criticise new EU data rules, consumer group sees missed opportunity
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 28 (Reuters) - Businesses and Big Tech on Wednesday criticised European Union data rules agreed between EU countries and lawmakers, saying they could hinder data flow and contractual freedom, while a pan-European consumer group said they did little for Europeans. The Data Act, agreed on Tuesday, sets out rights and obligations for how Big Tech and companies use European consumer and corporate data, focusing on that generated in smart devices, machinery and consumer products. Revelations by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 of mass U.S. surveillance have led to EU concerns about data transfers. Tech lobbying group Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) said the new rules disadvantage Big Tech -labelled as large online platforms under separate newly adopted EU tech legislation - and hence limits consumers' choice. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) lamented the agreement as a missed opportunity to do more for users.

Persons: Edward Snowden, Cecilia Bonefeld, Dahl, CCIA, Ursula Pachl, Foo Yun Chee, Alex Richardson Organizations: Big Tech, European Union, EU, Airbus, Google, Nokia, Qualcomm, Philips, SAP, Siemens, Sony, Tech, Computer & Communications Industry Association, Digital Markets, European Consumer Organisation, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, EU

☆ Zalando sues EU Commission over landmark online content rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 27 (Reuters) - Zalando (ZALG.DE), Europe's biggest online fashion retailer, on Tuesday sued the European Commission for putting it in the same category as Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google and Meta Platforms (META.O) regarding new and tough EU online content rules. Under rules known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) which came into force last year, Zalando was labelled a very large online platform (VLOP) because it has more than 45 million users. EU industry chief Thierry Breton in April labelled 19 online platforms and search engines including five Alphabet subsidiaries, two Meta units, two Microsoft (MSFT.O) businesses, Twitter, Alibaba's (9988.HK) AliExpress and Zalando as VLOPs. "The European Commission misinterpreted our user numbers and failed to acknowledge our mainly retail business model. The number of European visitors who connect with our Partners is far below the DSA's threshold to be considered as a VLOP," Zalando CEO Robert Gentz said in a statement.

Persons: Zalando, Thierry Breton, Germany's Zalando, Robert Gentz, Breton, Gentz, Foo Yun, Christina Fincher Organizations: Tuesday, European Commission, Google, Digital Services, Microsoft, Twitter, HK, Justice, European Union, Commission, Partners, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Luxembourg

☆ EU countries, lawmakers reach data rule deal targeting Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, June 27 (Reuters) - EU countries and EU lawmakers on Tuesday agreed on rules that govern how Big Tech and other companies use European consumer and corporate data, with safeguards against non-EU governments gaining illegal access. The European Commission proposed the Data Act last year to cover data generated in smart gadgets, machinery and consumer products, part of a raft of legislation aimed at curbing the power of U.S. tech giants. EU concerns about data transfers have grown following revelations by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 of mass U.S. surveillance. "Tonight's agreement on the Data Act is a milestone in reshaping the digital space...we are on the way of a thriving EU data economy that is innovative and open — on our conditions," EU industry chief Thierry Breton said in a tweet. It also gives consumers and companies a say on what can be done with the data generated by their connected products.

Persons: Edward Snowden, Thierry Breton, Damian Boeselager, Guido Lobrano, Foo Yun Chee, David Gregorio, Lincoln Organizations: Big Tech, EU, European Commission, Manufacturers, Siemens, SAP, Information Technology Industry, ITI, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Europe

☆ EU to meet on U.S. data transfer pact in mid-July - lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, June 26 (Reuters) - The European Commission is due to finalise a new data transfer pact with the United States by mid-July, a lawyer for Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), the bloc's lead regulator for many big tech firms, said on Monday. The European Union and United States agreed in March 2022 on the new mechanism to safely transfer EU citizens' personal data to the U.S. after Europe's top court threw out the two previous data transfer frameworks because of concerns about U.S. intelligence agencies accessing Europeans' private data. The two sides have since been working through the detail and Catherine Donnelly, a lawyer for the DPC, said the Irish regulator understood the pact will be presented to the College of Commissioners, the Commission's collective decision-making body, by mid-July. The social media giant said it expects the new pact to be fully implemented before it has to suspend transfers. Reporting by Padraic Halpin, additional reporting by Foo Yun Chee in Brussels, editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Catherine Donnelly, Meta, Denis McDonald, Padraic Halpin, Foo Yun Chee, Christina Fincher Organizations: DUBLIN, European, Data, European Union, United, College of Commissioners, Facebook, Irish High Court, Thomson Locations: United States, Dublin, Europe, Brussels

☆ EU's industry chief defends data rules criticised by Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 23 (Reuters) - European Union industry chief Thierry Breton on Thursday defended draft rules aimed at preventing non-EU governments from gaining illegal access to EU data, saying they were not protectionist. The draft Data Act, which Breton proposed early last year, is in the final stage of negotiations between the European Commission, EU countries and EU lawmakers. "Our European data strategy is to unlock a wealth of big data and set out how that data should be shared, stored and processed. Big U.S. tech companies have said the Data Act could impede international data transfer, and European companies have also criticised it. He will seek to persuade them to sign up to his AI Pact that aims to get companies to implement EU AI rules ahead of their enforcement in two years' time.

Persons: Thierry Breton, Breton, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, Foo Yun Chee, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Union, European Commission, EU, Big U.S, Siemens, SAP, Twitter, Meta, Nvidia, Singapore, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, San Francisco, Asia, Europe

☆ Amazon's iRobot deal faces EU antitrust investigation, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 22 (Reuters) - Amazon's (AMZN.O) $1.7 billion acquisition of robot vacuum cleaner maker iRobot (IRBT.O) faces a full-scale EU antitrust investigation, people familiar with the matter said, weeks after the U.S. online retail giant won UK approval for the deal. IRobot made its first Roomba robot vacuum in 2002. IRobot shares fell about 10%, their largest percentage drop since February last year, while Amazon shares trimmed gains after the Reuters story was published. Amazon has previously said the vacuum cleaner market is very competitive, with lots of Chinese players. It blocked Microsoft's Activision deal while the Commission cleared the deal conditional on Microsoft's licensing deals with rival streaming platforms.

Persons: IRobot, Foo Yun Chee, Alison Williams, Kirsten Donovan, Jan Harvey Organizations: Amazon, European Commission, Activision, Antitrust, Big Tech, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS

☆ EU countries back draft media rules, publishers want easier merger provisions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 21 (Reuters) - EU countries on Wednesday agreed to draft media rules aimed at safeguarding editorial independence, prompting publishers to complain that governments did not do enough to boost consolidation so media companies could compete with Big Tech. EU countries and EU lawmakers are due to negotiate the act with the commission in the coming months before it can become final legislation. EU countries met on Wednesday to agree a common position. Trade body News Media Europe criticised this stand, saying it did not facilitate mergers and acquisitions that would help media outlets compete against big technology companies. "We see dangerous loopholes that refer to national security, which can put journalists and their sources at risk," the EBU said in a statement.

Persons: –, Foo Yun Chee, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Big Tech, European Commission, Media, European Broadcasting Union, EU, News Media Europe, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS

☆ China firmly opposes Huawei ban by some EU countries
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING/STOCKHOLM, June 16 (Reuters) - China firmly opposes some EU countries' ban on Huawei and said the European Commission has no legal basis nor factual evidence to prohibit the Chinese telecom giant, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday. EU industry chief Thierry Breton on Thursday urged more EU countries to join the 10 that have restricted or banned China's Huawei (HWT.UL) and ZTE (000063.SZ) from their 5G telecoms networks, citing risks to the bloc's collective security. Huawei has criticised the move saying this was not based on a verified, transparent, objective and technical assessment of 5G networks. Publicly singling out an individual entity as HRV without legal basis is against principles of free trade, a Huawei spokesperson said. "As an economic operator in the EU, Huawei holds procedural and substantial rights and should be protected under the EU and Member States’ laws as well as their international commitments," the person said.

Persons: Thierry Breton, Supantha Mukherjee, Foo Yun Chee, Andrew Cawthorne, Toby Chopra Organizations: Huawei, European Commission, EU, Telecom, Member, Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, STOCKHOLM, China, Germany, Europe, Member States, Stockholm, Brussels

☆ EU countries right to ban Huawei, ZTE from networks, Breton says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, June 15 (Reuters) - The decision by some European Union countries to ban China's Huawei (HWT.UL) and ZTE (000063.SZ) from their 5G telecoms networks is justified and in line with the bloc's guidelines, EU industry chief Thierry Breton said on Thursday. Breton has in recent weeks voiced concerns that some EU countries still have perceived high risk components in their 5G core network, citing intrusive third-country laws on national intelligence and data security - a veiled reference to China. Breton said only 10 of the 27 EU countries had restricted or blocked high-risk vendors. "This is too slow, and it poses a major security risk and exposes the Union's collective security, since it creates a major dependency for the EU and serious vulnerabilities," he said. Huawei, ZTE and Beijing have strongly rejected Western allegations that the companies' equipment might be used for spying.

Persons: Thierry Breton, Breton, Foo Yun, Mark Potter Organizations: Union, Huawei, EU, ZTE, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, China, Beijing

☆ EU regulators checking if Vivendi jumped gun in Lagardere acquisition
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, June 15 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators are checking whether French media conglomerate Vivendi (VIV.PA) closed its acquisition of French publisher Lagardere (LAGA.PA) before securing regulatory approval, the European Commission said on Thursday. Such so-called gun jumping can result in fines of up to 10% of a company's group aggregate turnover. The EU executive said it was alerted by media reports but has not opened a formal investigation yet. "The Commission was made aware of allegations of gun jumping, which have been reported in the press. The Commission can confirm that it is looking into the matter," the EU executive said in an email.

Persons: Lagardere, Foo Yun Chee, Mathieu Rosemain, Jan Harvey Organizations: Vivendi, European Commission, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, EU, Paris

☆ Google faces EU break-up order over anti-competitive adtech practices
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] The logo for Google LLC is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 17, 2021. Its 2022 advertising revenue, including from search services, Gmail, Google Play, Google Maps, YouTube adverts, Google Ad Manager, AdMob and AdSense, amounted to $224.5 billion. EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said Google may have to sell part of its adtech business because a behavioural remedy is unlikely to be effective at stopping the anti-competitive practices. The Commission said it took issue with Google favouring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of competing providers of advertising technology services, advertisers and online publishers. Google is the world's dominant digital advertising platform with a 28% market share of global ad revenue, according to research firm Insider Intelligence.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Margrethe Vestager, Foo Yun Chee, Sudip Kar, Philip Blenkinsop, Gupta, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Google LLC, Google, Chelsea, REUTERS, Gmail, European, EU, The, AdX, Intelligence, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, BRUSSELS, AdSense, United States

BRUSSELS/STOCKHOLM, June 14 (Reuters) - EU lawmakers on Wednesday voted for tougher landmark draft artificial intelligence rules that include a ban on the use of the technology in biometric surveillance and for generative AI systems like ChatGPT to disclose AI-generated content. The lawmakers agreed the amendments to the draft legislation proposed by the European Commission which is seeking to set a global standard for the technology used in everything from automated factories to bots and self-driving cars. Microsoft, which has called for AI rules, welcomed the lawmakers' agreement. However, the Computer and Communications Industry Association said the amendments on high-risk AIs were likely to overburden European AI developers with "excessively prescriptive rules" and slow down innovation. The lawmakers will now have to thrash out details with European Union countries before the draft rules become legislation.

Persons: Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Brando Benifei, Thierry Breton, Foo Yun Chee, Bart Meijers, Supantha Mukherjee, Emelia Sithole Organizations: European, Microsoft, Elon, Big Tech, Union, Computer and Communications Industry Association, AIs, The Commission, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, STOCKHOLM, Europe, United States, China, Brussels, Stockholm

"This would be the nail in the coffin for Huawei in Europe," said Paolo Pescatore, an analyst at PP Foresight. China has asked for Huawei to be one of the main points on the agenda, one of the sources familiar with the matter said. Germany's China hawks expressed outrage in March when a Reuters story revealed that German state rail operator Deutsche Bahn was using Huawei gear to digitalise its operations. Berlin in 2021 passed a law setting high hurdles for makers of telecommunications equipment for the "critical components" of 5G networks. It is estimated it would cost billions of euros to rip out and replace Huawei equipment in European countries, potentially burdening telecom companies already sitting on huge debts.

Persons: Paolo Pescatore, Andrew Small, Mikko Huotari, Sweden's, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Supantha Mukherjee, Foo Yun Chee, Sergio Goncalves, Mark Potter Organizations: European, Huawei, Deutsche Telekom, Foresight, Deutsche Bahn, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Telecom, Nokia, Sweden's Ericsson, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, STOCKHOLM, Germany, Brussels, Berlin, Beijing, Europe, China, China's, Denmark, Portugal, West, U.S, Stockholm, Lisbon

☆ EU regulators may demand Google to sell part of ad-tech business - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 12 (Reuters) - European Union antitrust regulators may order Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google to sell a part of its advertising-technology business, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday. However, frustration has been mounting after Google failed to address competition concerns, the source said. The Commission and Google did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Google is the most dominant digital advertising platform in the world with a 28% market share of global ad revenue, according to research firm Insider Intelligence. Google's dominance in online advertising has been increasingly questioned over the past few years.

Persons: Nilutpal Timsina, Akriti Sharma, Maju Samuel, Rashmi Organizations: Union, Google, Reuters, European Commission, Commission, Intelligence, United, Wall, Thomson Locations: United States

☆ Exclusive: Broadcom set to win EU nod for $61 bln VMware deal, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The EU antitrust watchdog, which is scheduled to decide on the deal by July 17, and Broadcom declined to comment. One of the remedies focuses on Fibre Channel Host-Bus Adapters (FC HBAs) and is targeted at rival Marvell Technology, one of the people said. Marvell Technology did not respond to a request for comment. FC HBAs are storage adapters that connect servers to storage located outside the server on a storage-area network using the fiber channel protocol, typically through a switch. Broadcom is a leading supplier of FC HBAs.

Persons: Foo Yun Chee, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: chipmaker Broadcom, VMware, Broadcom, HBAs, Marvell Technology, FC HBAs, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, EU

☆ EU countries amend draft proposal on gig workers' rights, companies unhappy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Toby MelvilleBRUSSELS, June 12 (Reuters) - EU countries on Monday tweaked draft rules aimed at giving workers at online companies such as Uber (UBER.N) and Deliveroo (ROO.L) employee benefits, ahead of negotiations with EU lawmakers who want more comprehensive rules than both EU governments and the European Commission. In their draft version agreed on Monday, EU countries propose that companies will be considered employers if they meet three out of seven criteria. The EU executive said the rules would cover some 4.1 million of the 28 million workers at online platform companies across the 27-country European Union. Uber criticised the proposals from both EU countries and lawmakers. EU countries, EU lawmakers and the Commission will now thrash out the details before the draft becomes legislation.

Persons: Toby Melville BRUSSELS, Uber, Anabel Diaz Calderon, Glovo, Foo Yun Chee, Susan Fenton Organizations: Chopin, REUTERS, European Commission, EU, Union, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Europe, EU

MILAN/BRUSSELS, June 12 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators who raided Kering's (PRTP.PA) Gucci and other fashion firms in April are looking into how they set prices of handbags and leather goods for distributors, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Kering confirmed at the time that Gucci was cooperating with the EU regulators after Reuters previously reported the European Union dawn raid on its site in Milan, which makes such products. The Commission, which did not name the companies it raided, said at the time that they may have breached EU antitrust rules against cartels and restrictive business practices, but did not provide details. Such practices are illegal under EU antitrust rules and breaches can lead to fines up to 10% of a company's global turnover. U.S. clothing company Guess (GES.N) was hit with a 40 million euro ($43 million) fine in 2018 for preventing retailers from setting the retail price of its products independently.

Persons: Gucci, Kering, Foo Yun Chee, Emilio Parodi, Silvia Aloisi, Alexander Smith Organizations: MILAN, Reuters, European, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Kering's, Milan, Paris

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