EU’s top court rules in favour of Amazon and Luxembourg in €250m tax dispute – Have a mailbox in Lux and a massive corp tax haven!

The Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled on Thursday against the appeal of the EU Commission. The Commission challenged a 2021 decision of the General Court of the European Union, which annulled the Commission’s illegal state aid charges against Amazon. […] In a statement from October 2017, the EU Commission concluded that Luxembourg granted undue Read more about EU’s top court rules in favour of Amazon and Luxembourg in €250m tax dispute – Have a mailbox in Lux and a massive corp tax haven![…]

MEPs exclude audiovisual sector in geo-blocking regulation reassessment – Sabine Verheyen shows who’s pocket she is in.

In 2018, the European Parliament voted to ban geo-blocking, meaning blocking access to a network based on someone’s location. Geo-blocking systems block or authorise access to content based on where the user is located. On Wednesday, following a 2020 evaluation by the Commission on the regulation, MEPs advocated for reassessing geo-blocking, taking into account increased Read more about MEPs exclude audiovisual sector in geo-blocking regulation reassessment – Sabine Verheyen shows who’s pocket she is in.[…]

European Commission agrees to new rules that will protect gig workers rights – hopefully in ~2 years they will get the rights they need

Gig workers in the EU will soon get new benefits and protections, making it easier for them to receive employment status. Right now, over 500 digital labor platforms are actively operating in the EU, employing roughly 28 million platform workers. The new rules follow agreements made between the European Parliament and the EU Member States, Read more about European Commission agrees to new rules that will protect gig workers rights – hopefully in ~2 years they will get the rights they need[…]

Jury finds Google’s Play store is illegal monopoly – now… Apple?

The case was heard by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. As The Register has reported, the matter tested Epic’s allegations that Google stifles competition by requiring developers to pay it commissions even if they use third-party payment services, and paid some developers to secure their exclusive presence on the Read more about Jury finds Google’s Play store is illegal monopoly – now… Apple?[…]

Greedflation: corporate profiteering ‘significantly’ boosted global prices, study shows

Profiteering has played a significant role in boosting inflation during 2022, according to a report that calls for a global corporation tax to curb excess profits. Analysis of the financial accounts of many of the UK’s biggest businesses found that profits far outpaced increases in costs, helping to push up inflation last year to levels Read more about Greedflation: corporate profiteering ‘significantly’ boosted global prices, study shows[…]

Sam Altman May Have Found a Loophole to Cash in at OpenAI – buying his products from another company

Sam Altman reportedly has no equity in OpenAI, a strange move for a tech founder, but new reporting from Wired this weekend shows the CEO would profit from an OpenAI deal to buy AI chips. OpenAI signed a previously unknown deal back in 2019 to spend $51 million on advanced chips from a startup Sam Read more about Sam Altman May Have Found a Loophole to Cash in at OpenAI – buying his products from another company[…]

HP’s CFO tells world: we are locking in customers for more profit

[…] Tech vendors – software, hardware, and cloud services – generally avoid terms that suggest they’re perhaps in some way pinning down customers in a strategic sales hold. But as Marie Myers, chief financial officer at HP, was this week talking to the UBS Global Technology conference, in front of investors, the thrust of the Read more about HP’s CFO tells world: we are locking in customers for more profit[…]

Roundcube Open-Source Webmail Software Merges With Nextcloud

The open-source Roundcube webmail software project has “merged” with Nextcloud, the prominent open-source personal cloud software. In boosting Nextcloud’s webmail software capabilities, Roundcube is joining Nextcloud as what’s been described as a merger. In 2024 Nextcloud is to invest into Roundcube to accelerate the development of this widely-used webmail open-source software. Today’s press release says Read more about Roundcube Open-Source Webmail Software Merges With Nextcloud[…]

Google reportedly struck a special with Spotify that let it skip Play Store fees revealed in Epic vs Google lawsuit

Spotify struck a special deal with Google that lets it pay no commission to Google when people sign up for subscriptions using the music streaming service’s own payment system on Android, according to new testimony in the ongoing Epic v. Google trial first reported by The Verge. As part of the same deal, Spotify paid Read more about Google reportedly struck a special with Spotify that let it skip Play Store fees revealed in Epic vs Google lawsuit[…]

The EU DMA will finally free Windows users from Bing (but not Edge) and allow 3rd parties into the widgets

Microsoft will soon let Windows 11 users in the European Economic Area (EEA) disable its Bing web search, remove Microsoft Edge, and even add custom web search providers — including Google if it’s willing to build one — into its Windows Search interface. All of these Windows 11 changes are part of key tweaks that Read more about The EU DMA will finally free Windows users from Bing (but not Edge) and allow 3rd parties into the widgets[…]

The Oura Ring Is a $300 Sleep Tracker Suddenly needs a Subscription

[…] Now in its third iteration, the Oura Ring tracks and analyzes a host of metrics, including your heart-rate variability (HRV), blood oxygen rate, body temperature, and sleep duration. It uses this data to give you three daily scores, tallying the quality of your sleep, activity, and “readiness.” It can also determine your chronotype (your Read more about The Oura Ring Is a $300 Sleep Tracker Suddenly needs a Subscription[…]

The Netherlands wants EU measures against misleading “discounts” on altered prices

From January 1, 2023, a seller may no longer increase the price of a product for a short period of time, then reduce the price and then present this ‘before’ price as an offer or a significant discount. Despite this tightening, consumers are still faced with misleading discounts, especially in the run-up to the holidays. Read more about The Netherlands wants EU measures against misleading “discounts” on altered prices[…]

Google Witness Spills on Apple’s Cut From Safari Search Revenue

Google pays Apple 36% of its search advertising revenue from Safari, according to new details brought to light in Google’s search antitrust trial on Monday as reported by Bloomberg. The mere utterance of the number, which Google and Apple have tried to keep sealed, caused Google’s main litigator John Schmidtlein to visibly cringe. “Like the Read more about Google Witness Spills on Apple’s Cut From Safari Search Revenue[…]

Korean Financial Regulator Chief: About 100 Stocks Targeted in Naked Short Selling, Indicating Pervasive Illegality

In response to criticism suggesting that the ban on short selling implemented on Nov. 6 is a “political decision” aimed at next year’s general election, Lee Bok-hyun, the head of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), directly refuted the claims, stating, “About 100 stocks were identified as targets for naked short selling.” He said that it Read more about Korean Financial Regulator Chief: About 100 Stocks Targeted in Naked Short Selling, Indicating Pervasive Illegality[…]

Amazon and Meta to stop using rivals marketplace data to undercut their products.

Amazon and Meta have agreed to not use data collected from their marketplaces to unfairly benefit themselves, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority announced on Friday. The monopoly watchdog launched separate investigations into both internet giants’ business practices, and accused the Big Tech duo of not only gathering up information about sellers using their respective Read more about Amazon and Meta to stop using rivals marketplace data to undercut their products.[…]

Unredacted documents in the FTC’s Amazon lawsuit shed light on the company’s secret price-gouging algorithm

It looks like Amazon is hellbent on keeping its spot as the biggest online retailer — even if that means hurting both sellers and customers. In September, the FTC filed a long-expected antitrust lawsuit against Amazon over its alleged use of illegal strategies to stay on top. Details of the suit were previously withheld from Read more about Unredacted documents in the FTC’s Amazon lawsuit shed light on the company’s secret price-gouging algorithm[…]

Audi Will Make You Pay A Subscription For More Features You Already Bought Starting Next Year

Over the summer, BMW finally backed down on its heated seat subscription program from sheer public outrage and bad press. This response apparently hasn’t deterred its rival Audi, however, as the German car company plans to make more new software features paid options on its next generation of vehicles. Pioneered on the E-Tron and E-Tron Read more about Audi Will Make You Pay A Subscription For More Features You Already Bought Starting Next Year[…]

Google CEO Defends Paying $26b in 2021 to Remain Top Search Engine

Google CEO Sundar Pichai upheld the company’s decision to pay out billions of dollars to remain the top global search engine at the U.S. anti-trust trial on Monday, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Pichai claimed he tried to give users a “seamless and easy” experience, even if it meant paying Apple Read more about Google CEO Defends Paying $26b in 2021 to Remain Top Search Engine[…]

Amazon Used Secret ‘Project Nessie’ Algorithm To Raise Price

Amazon used an algorithm code-named “Project Nessie” to test how much it could raise prices in a way that competitors would follow, according to redacted portions of the Federal Trade Commission’s monopoly lawsuit against the company. From a report: The algorithm helped Amazon improve its profit on items across shopping categories, and because of the Read more about Amazon Used Secret ‘Project Nessie’ Algorithm To Raise Price[…]

Booking.com not passing on payments to hotels for months on end

Travel website Booking.com has left many hotel operators and other partners across the globe thousands of dollars out of pocket for months on end, blaming the lack of payment on a “technical issue”. The issue is widespread in Thailand, Indonesia and Europe among hoteliers who are venting their frustrations in Facebook groups as rumours swirl Read more about Booking.com not passing on payments to hotels for months on end[…]

Amazon Partially Wins Against EU Digital Services Act

Amazon has partially won in an EU court case related to European Union ecommerce market regulation laws, which come under the Digital Services Act (DSA). On Thursday, the EU General Court ruled in favour of Amazon, by agreeing to suspend a requirement under the DSA that Amazon is obligated to follow and make an ads Read more about Amazon Partially Wins Against EU Digital Services Act[…]

Essential Tips for Achieving Audit Readiness

In the world of business, “audit readiness” is not just another buzzword—it’s a critical aspect of maintaining financial integrity and ensuring smooth operations. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or a small business owner, understanding what audit readiness entails can make the difference between success and financial turmoil. In this article, we’ll delve into the ins Read more about Essential Tips for Achieving Audit Readiness[…]

FTC and 17 states finally go after Amazon monopoly in new antitrust lawsuit

The FTC – and 17 state attorneys general – have come out swinging at Amazon with a lawsuit accusing the ecommerce giant of being a monopolist. Amazon, the FTC alleges, engages in anticompetitive conduct in two markets: online ecommerce and also the market for marketplace services used by sellers. The tactics used by Amazon to Read more about FTC and 17 states finally go after Amazon monopoly in new antitrust lawsuit[…]

EU reinstates $400 million fine on Intel for blocking sales of competing chips

The European Commission has imposed a €376.36 million ($400 million) fine on Intel for blocking the sales of devices powered by its competitors’ x86 CPUs. This brings one part of the company’s long-running antitrust court battle with the European authority to a close. If you’ll recall, the Commission slapped the chipmaker with a record-breaking €1.06 Read more about EU reinstates $400 million fine on Intel for blocking sales of competing chips[…]

Amazon Will Stick Ads on Prime Video Unless You Pay Up MOAR – wasn’t the model to pay to not have ads in the first place?

Amazon has always handled its streaming video slate a little differently than the competition. Other companies have slyly introduced a cheaper ad-free option while slowly raising prices on non-ad-based subscription tiers, Prime Video is taking a different tack. The streaming service plans to hold ad-free watching hostage, and it’s demanding a $3 ransom starting early Read more about Amazon Will Stick Ads on Prime Video Unless You Pay Up MOAR – wasn’t the model to pay to not have ads in the first place?[…]