US District Judge Amit Mehta threw out separate antitrust lawsuits filed by Chegg and Penske Media against Google, both alleging that AI Overviews and related features harmed their website traffic. Mehta found that Google had no formal agreement with either company to send them search traffic, so antitrust law did not apply to the dispute. The same judge previously ruled against Google in the DOJ's broader search antitrust case, though penalties there were lighter than prosecutors sought.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-01
US District Judge Amit Mehta dismissed lawsuits from Penske Media Corporation and Chegg that accused Google of using AI Overviews to siphon traffic from their sites and harm ad revenue. Mehta ruled both companies failed to show Google violated antitrust law, stating that an expectation of search traffic is not an agreement Google broke.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-01
A federal judge approved Paramount's consent decree settling an antitrust lawsuit brought by 12 states over its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, removing the last major legal obstacle to the $81 billion deal. The merger is expected to close on October 6, and Paramount announced Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz will join as co-CEO alongside David Ellison once the deal completes.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-01
US District Judge Amit Mehta threw out antitrust lawsuits from Chegg and Penske Media Corporation, which had accused Google of forcing publishers to supply free content for AI Overviews under threat of losing search visibility. Mehta ruled the publishers' claims didn't meet the legal standard for antitrust violations, saying an expectation of referral traffic is not a binding agreement.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-01
McDonald's is using an AI-driven pricing platform that suggests menu prices for individual franchise locations based on local customers' willingness to pay, according to Reuters. The system tracks whether franchisees deviate from its recommendations, and researchers found a Big Mac priced 21% higher at one Fresno store than another just two miles away. McDonald's says the tool offers recommendations rather than mandates and called the reporting 'speculative and uninformed.'
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-29
Google has filed appeals with the EU's General Court challenging binding instructions issued under the bloc's rules, which required it to open up Android to rivals and share search data with competing search engines. The company confirmed the appeals target obligations tied to interoperability and data-access requirements imposed by EU regulators.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-29
The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal has allowed a renewed version of a consumer class action against Apple and Amazon to proceed in part, after previously refusing to certify the case last year over funding and independence concerns. The lawsuit, led by academic Christine Riefa, alleges a 2018 agreement between the two companies restricted which third-party sellers could offer Apple and Beats products on Amazon's UK marketplace, reducing competition and raising prices for consumers.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-29
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White certified a class of banks and credit unions that issued Apple Pay-enabled cards and paid transaction fees to Apple, allowing them to jointly pursue a 2022 lawsuit. The judge also rejected Apple's bid to strike expert testimony plaintiffs say demonstrates Apple's monopoly over mobile wallets. The suit claims Apple has collected up to $1 billion a year by requiring card issuers to pay 0.15% on credit transactions and half a cent on debit transactions while blocking rival wallets from the iPhone's NFC chip.
macrumors.com
· 2026-09-26
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White has certified a class-action lawsuit allowing payment card issuers to jointly sue Apple over fees charged for Apple Pay transactions. The suit, backed by law firm Hagens Berman, alleges Apple collects roughly $1 billion annually by charging 0.15% on credit transactions and 0.5 cents on debit transactions, while blocking rivals from building competing contactless payment systems on iOS. The judge also rejected Apple's bid to exclude expert testimony supporting claims of Apple's monopoly power in mobile wallets.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-25
A coalition including Free Press, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and the Committee for the First Amendment filed a court brief arguing that California's settlement with Paramount Skydance over its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery offers the public 'virtually nothing.' The filing asks Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, who had earlier found the deal likely to substantially reduce competition, to reject the settlement that California Attorney General Rob Bonta and eleven other states agreed to this week. The League of United Latin American Citizens raised similar objections in a separate filing.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-25
Several states have agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit that sought to block the combination of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, removing the last major legal obstacle to the deal. Shares of both companies rose sharply following news of the settlement, as investors now expect the merger to move forward quickly.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-22
Paramount Skydance reached a settlement with state attorneys general who had sued to block its $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, avoiding a trial that was scheduled for next spring. As part of the deal, Paramount agreed to boost domestic production, follow certain theatrical release rules, and create a new board to oversee editorial independence at CBS News and CNN. CEO David Ellison told staff the company now expects to close the merger within about two weeks.
cnbc.com
· 2026-09-22
GoKawiil