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☆ Amazon has a secret workaround to scrape Microsoft's GitHub for AI model training data, leaked memo shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Microsoft is likely to be unhappy when it discovers that its arch rival Amazon is leaning hard on GitHub for AI training data. "Our LLMs are trained on data from a variety of sources, including licensed and proprietary data, open-source datasets, and publicly available data where appropriate. It also said Amazon employees should create a "classic personal token," not a "fine-grained personal token," when signing up. Tech companies, hungry for even more training data, are also granting themselves new permissions to use a lot more of consumers' information. Though Amazon's legal team has approved the GitHub data scraping workaround, the move could put Amazon in a tricky position.

Persons: —, Rohit Prasad NurPhoto, Rohit Prasad, Amazon, Amazon's, Andy Jassy, Prasad, Matthew Butterick, Joseph Saveri, Joseph Saveri's, Butterick, Copilot Organizations: Service, Business, General Intelligence Group, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Meta, GitHub, News Corp, Tech, Alexa Locations: GitHub

"Plaintiffs' general allegation that the merger may cause 'higher prices, less innovation, less creativity, less consumer choice, decreased output, and other potential anticompetitive effects' is insufficient," wrote U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Corley. The decision does not affect the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) regulatory challenge to the largest-ever gaming industry deal. Microsoft announced its bid last year, and it also faces competition scrutiny in the EU and UK. A spokesperson for Microsoft and lawyers for the company did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The case is Demartini v. Microsoft Corp, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 3:22-cv-08991.

☆ Grocery consumers sue to block Kroger’s $25 bln buy of Albertsons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Mike Scarcella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Kroger is the biggest grocer in the U.S. by revenue, and Albertsons is the second-largest supermarket chain. Nearly 5,000 grocery stores would be under one corporate umbrella if the deal, announced in October, goes through. A representative for Albertsons declined to comment on Friday, and a Kroger spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Kroger operates stores under banners including Harris Teeter, Pay Less and King Soopers. U.S. antitrust law lets private consumers sue over proposed mergers and acquisitions, apart from any enforcement action brought by a state or federal agency policing competition laws.

☆ Video gamers sue Microsoft in US court to stop Activision takeover
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Microsoft Corp was hit on Tuesday in US court with a private consumer lawsuit claiming the technology company’s $69 billion bid to purchase “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard Inc will unlawfully squelch competition in the video game industry. The private lawsuit also seeks an order blocking Microsoft from acquiring Activision. It was filed on behalf of 10 video game players in California, New Mexico and New Jersey. The proposed acquisition would give Microsoft “far-outsized market power in the video game industry,” the complaint alleged, “with the ability to foreclose rivals, limit output, reduce consumer choice, raise prices, and further inhibit competition.”A representative for Microsoft did not immediately comment on Tuesday. The FTC previously said it sued to stop “Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio.” The agency said the merger would harm competition among rival gaming platforms from Nintendo Co Ltd and Sony Group Corp.

☆ Video gamers sue Microsoft in U.S. court to stop Activision takeover
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Mike Scarcella | Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It was filed on behalf of 10 video game players in California, New Mexico and New Jersey. A Microsoft representative on Tuesday defended the deal, saying in a statement that it "will expand competition and create more opportunities for gamers and game developers." After the FTC sued, Microsoft President Brad Smith said, "We have complete confidence in our case and welcome the opportunity to present our case in court." Private plaintiffs can pursue antitrust claims in U.S. court, even while a related U.S. agency case is pending. The FTC previously said it sued to stop "Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio."

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