cma

Paul Sawers / TechCrunch: The UK CMA launches a formal Phase 2 of its review of the Vodafone and Three UK's $19B merger, after finding competition and pricing concerns in Phase 1 — The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that it's launching a formal “phase 2” investigation into the planned merger between Vodafone and Three UK. Paul Sawers / TechCrunch: The UK CMA launches a formal Phase 2 of its review of the Vodafone and Three UK's $19B merger, after finding…

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching a formal probe into the proposed merger between Vodafone and Three UK. The news hardly comes as a surprise, given that the £15 billion ($19 billion) joint venture would reduce the U.K.’s main infrastructure-owning mobile networks from four to three (the other two being EE and O2), and the duo had already allowed until the end of 2024 for the deal to conclude. That is some 18 months form when they first revealed their plans back in…

Microsoft and its deal to buy Activision Blizzard didn’t go over well with the UK’s CMA at first. And it was that block of the acquisition that caused Microsoft to go back to the drawing board and restructure the deal to meet the CMA’s standards. Initially, Microsoft’s President Brad Smith and other employees from both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard weren’t too pleased with the CMA’s decision. Smith noted that the CMA blocking the deal before the restructuring was a “dark day” for the company within the UK. But fast…

Microsoft president Brad Smith wasn’t happy with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last year, after the regulator blocked Microsoft’s giant Activision Blizzard deal. Now that Microsoft has restructured its deal and won approval in the UK, Smith has kinder words for the CMA, describing the regulator as “tough and fair” in an interview with the BBC’s Radio 4 Today program.Smith originally criticized the CMA and said confidence in the UK had been “severely shaken” after the regulator moved to block Microsoft’s…

Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg (Getty Images)Adobe and Figma mutually agreed to end their acquisition plans on Monday after European regulators found the deal would hurt competition in the digital design space. The $20 billion acquisition would have combined the world’s leading product design software, Figma, and the world’s largest and most recognized supplier of design applications, Adobe.Generating Video Via Text? | Future Tech“Adobe and Figma strongly disagree with the recent regulatory findings, but we believe it is in…

If you are like us, you probably hate it when you visit a website for the first time, and even before you have managed to read a word on the page, an annoying pop-up shows up asking you to accept or reject third-party cookies before continuing. There is good news for you if you do feel the same. Google also shares your sentiments and is planning to block them entirely from Google Chrome. But the reason is bigger than sheer annoyance. Google thinks it is not good enough for your privacy and wants to replace it with…

The UK is considering an investigation into Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI to decide if it has resulted in an "acquisition of control" that's subject to antitrust law, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) wrote today. The regulator said it's considering "recent developments," no doubt referring to the Sam Altman CEO ouster drama in which Microsoft played a large role.  "The CMA is now issuing an ITC to determine whether the Microsoft/OpenAI partnership, including recent developments, has resulted in a relevant…

Apple Inc. faces a revived full-blown probe into its dominance in mobile browsers and cloud gaming after London judges reversed a decision to block the investigation. The Competition and Markets Authority acted lawfully when it ordered a market investigation into the iPhone maker, judges at London's Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday. They said the antitrust tribunal's decision to overturn it would have had “serious consequences” for the UK agency's powers. The regulator was fighting against a Competition Appeal Tribunal…

Wynonna Judd read the comments about her performance at the 57th CMA Awards, and she’s ready to “come clean.”On Wednesday, the Judds singer sparked concern among fans and viewers when she held onto duet partner and Jelly Roll during their performance of “Need a Favor.” Shortly after making her entrance, Judd motioned to Jelly Roll and held onto him for the rest of their lively 3½three-and-a-half-minute rock performance. Fans on social media quickly noticed the stagnant nature of the duo’s performance, with some X users…

Xbox maker Microsoft closed its $69 billion (nearly Rs. 5,75,620 crore) deal for Activision Blizzard on Friday, swelling its heft in the video-gaming market with best-selling titles including Call of Duty to better compete with industry leader Sony.Originally unveiled in January 2022, the biggest deal in the gaming industry cleared its final big hurdle — an approval from Britain — earlier in the day after Microsoft agreed to sell streaming rights for Activision's games to allay competition concerns.The completion is a…