Antitrust – News Analysis India

Trump Slams EU’s $3.5 Billion Fine on Google, Threatens Retaliation

News Analysis India — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Former U.S. President Donald Trump strongly criticized the European Union’s (EU) hefty $3.5 billion fine imposed on Google, calling it unfair. He stated that his administration would not tolerate this ‘discriminatory action.’ The European Commission (EC) announced the fine on Friday, citing anti-competitive practices in the online advertising technology (ad tech) sector. According to the EC, Google violated EU antitrust rules by favoring its own online ad tech services, thus distorting competition within the ad tech industry. Trump, in multiple posts on his social media platform, Truth Social, argued that the fine drained funds that should be invested in American ventures and job creation. He also highlighted that the fine adds to the multiple penalties and taxes levied against Google and other American tech companies. Threatening to initiate ‘Section 301’ proceedings to nullify the fine against American companies, Trump urged the EU to cease these practices, pointing out that Google had previously paid $13 billion in ‘false claims and charges’.

Google Ordered to Share Secret Data with Competitors After Antitrust Case

News Analysis India — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Google has received a significant reprieve from a U.S. court in its antitrust case. Following a ruling last year that found Google guilty of illegal monopolistic practices in the internet search market, recommendations for strict actions against the company were made. One potential consequence was the forced sale of Google’s Chrome browser. However, the court has now ruled that Google is not required to sell Chrome.

Instead, the company must share information with its competitors. This means Google must implement significant changes to its data-sharing policies following the court’s order. The case centered on Google’s own products, such as Android, Chrome, and the setting of Google as the default search engine on even Apple devices. According to reports, Google will neither have to sell its Chrome browser nor its Android operating system, which runs on most smartphones globally.

Elon Musk Threatens Legal Action Against Apple Over Alleged Antitrust Violations Related to ChatGPT

News Analysis India — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Apple is facing potential legal challenges from Elon Musk, who has accused the tech giant of violating antitrust laws. Musk, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), alleged that Apple is making it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to achieve the top position in its App Store, suggesting preferential treatment for OpenAI. The accusations come amid rising competition between xAI’s large language model, Grok, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. xAI recently launched Grok 4, claiming superior performance compared to competitors. Musk also questioned Apple’s decision to exclude X and Grok from the App Store’s ‘Must Have’ section, despite X being the number one news app and Grok ranking fifth among all apps. Musk’s concerns highlight the dominance of ChatGPT, which has consistently held a top spot in Apple’s overall charts. Musk argues that Apple’s editorial content and integration of OpenAI’s technology into Apple Intelligence, Siri, and writing tools demonstrate bias. The situation sets the stage for a potential battleground between OpenAI and xAI on Apple’s platform. Whether Musk’s legal threats will materialize remains to be seen, given his past pronouncements.