Futurum senior analyst Olivier Blanchard takes a look at Apple’s latest filing in the Epic Games vs. Apple legal battle, in which Apple was ordered to allow developers to point consumers to alternate forms of payment outside of its App store. In this overview, Blanchard explains why the next phases of the appeal process could be critical to the future of ecommerce platforms, including Google Play and Amazon, as well as the U.S. retail ecosystem as a whole.
US Antitrust Action against Google Could Come Sooner than Expected
At the heart of Google’s US antitrust troubles is the search giant’s staggering advantage in online search: Google processes roughly 90% of all online searches in the US. But there’s a difference between hypercompetitive behavior and anticompetitive behavior, and I believe that’s what this case is about. As this plays out, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the DOJ’s antitrust case against Google rubbing up against the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent ruling in FTC vs. Qualcomm. Interesting times ahead, to be sure.
Google $2.1 Billion Fitbit Acquisition Hits EU Snag
Fears about Google’s use of Fitbit data to potentially gain an unfair advertising advantage cause EU regulators to take a closer look at the potential anticompetitive effects of the deal. I don’t see much cause for alarm here, and here’s why.