Computer
Apple Gets Fined Nearly $2 Billion By The EU For Hindering Music Streaming Competition
LONDON — On Monday, the European Union imposed its first antitrust penalty against Apple, fining the US tech behemoth almost $2 billion for unfairly favouring its own music streaming service by prohibiting rivals such as Spotify from informing users how to pay for cheaper subscriptions outside of iPhone apps.
Apple prohibited streaming services from informing users about payment options available through their websites, which would avoid the 30% fee charged when people pay through apps downloaded from the iOS App Store, according to the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer.
Apple Gets Fined Nearly $2 Billion By The EU For Hindering Music Streaming Competition
“It’s illegal. And it has had an impact on millions of European consumers who were unable to freely choose where, how, and at what price to purchase music streaming subscriptions,” said Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner, at a news conference in Brussels.
Apple, which opposes the judgment, acted in this manner for a decade, resulting in “millions of people who have paid two, three euros more per month for their music streaming service than they would otherwise have had to pay,” she said.
It culminates a heated, years-long battle between Apple and Spotify for music streaming domination. Five years ago, a complaint from the Swedish streaming service sparked the investigation that resulted in the 1.8 billion euro ($1.95 billion) penalty.
The ruling comes the same week that new laws are implemented to prevent tech behemoths from dominating digital markets.
The EU has spearheaded global attempts to push down on Big Tech companies, including three fines totalling more than 8 billion euros for Google, charges against Meta for distorting the online classified ad market and forcing Amazon to reform its business practices.
The commission stated that Apple’s sanction is so hefty because it includes an additional lump sum to dissuade it from repeating the offence or other internet companies from committing similar offences.
It is not the only punishment that the tech behemoth could face. Apple is also attempting to resolve a second EU antitrust investigation into its mobile payments service by committing to open up its tap-and-go mobile payment system to competitors.
Apple fired back at the commission and Spotify, announcing it would appeal Monday’s penalties.
“The decision was reached despite the Commission’s failure to uncover any credible evidence of consumer harm, and ignores the realities of a market that is thriving, competitive, and growing fast,” the business said in a press release.
It claimed that Spotify would gain from the EU’s stance, citing that the Swedish streaming behemoth met with the commission over 65 times throughout the probe, has a 56% share of Europe’s music streaming market, and does not pay Apple for using its app store.
“Ironically, in the name of competition, today’s decision just cements the dominant position of a successful European company that is the digital music market’s runaway leader,” Apple said in a statement.
Spotify hailed the EU penalties but did not answer Apple’s charges.
“This decision sends a powerful message — no company, not even a monopoly like Apple, can wield power abusively to control how other companies interact with their customers,” Spotify wrote in a post on its website.
Apple Gets Fined Nearly $2 Billion By The EU For Hindering Music Streaming Competition
The commission’s examination was initially focused on two concerns. One example was the iPhone maker’s policy of forcing app developers selling digital material to utilize its in-house payment system, which charges a 30% commission on all subscriptions.
However, the EU later shelved that to focus on how Apple restricts app developers from informing their users about cheaper options to pay for subscriptions that do not require using an app.
According to the research, Apple prohibited streaming businesses from informing users about the cost of subscription offers outside of their apps, including links to pay for alternative subscriptions, and even contacting customers about alternate pricing alternatives.
“As a result, millions of European music streaming users were left in the dark about all available options,” Vestager stated, adding that the commission’s inquiry revealed that slightly over 20% of consumers who would have signed up for Spotify’s premium service did not do so due to the restrictions.
The fine comes just before new EU laws to stop big corporations from dominating digital markets are slated to take effect.
The Digital Markets Act, which goes into force on Thursday, imposes a set of do’s and don’ts on “gatekeeper” corporations such as Apple, Meta, Google parent Alphabet, and TikTok parent ByteDance, putting them under the prospect of heavy fines.
The EU fines Apple nearly $2 billion for impeding music streaming competition.
The DMA’s restrictions are intended to deter tech titans from engaging in the type of behaviour at the centre of the Apple inquiry. Apple has previously stated that it will comply by allowing iPhone customers in Europe to use app stores other than its own and allowing developers to offer alternative payment mechanisms.
Vestager warned that the commission would closely monitor how Apple followed the new guidelines.
“Apple will have to open its gates to its ecosystem to allow users to easily find the apps they want, pay for them in any way they want and use them on any device that they want,” she said.
SOURCE – (AP)
Computer
Actor Ian McKellen, 85, Is In ‘Good Spirits’ And Expected To Recover From Fall Off Stage In London
LONDON — Actor Ian McKellen is expected to recover fully after falling from a London stage during a fight scene and being hospitalized, according to producers.
According to a representative for the Noel Coward Theatre production, McKellen, 85, was in “good spirits” after medics indicated a scan showed he was likely to recover completely following his fall on Monday night.
Ian Mckellen | AP news Image
Actor Ian McKellen, 85, Is In ‘Good Spirits’ And Expected To Recover From Fall Off Stage In London
According to producers, McKellen’s Tuesday performance was canceled, but he was anticipated to return to the stage on Wednesday.
The stage and screen veteran, who played Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” movie, yelled out in pain following the fall, according to a BBC correspondent at the theatre.
McKellen was cast as the rogue John Falstaff in “Player Kings,” a Robert Icke-directed dramatization of William Shakespeare’s two “Henry IV” history plays.
Ian Mckellen | AP news Image
Actor Ian McKellen, 85, Is In ‘Good Spirits’ And Expected To Recover From Fall Off Stage In London
McKellen lost his balance and fell off the stage in a scene with Toheeb Jimoh’s Prince Hal and Samuel Edward-Cook’s Henry Percy, which surprised the audience.
“Sir Ian seemed to trip as he moved downstage to take a more active part in the scene,” audience member Paul Critchley told the PA news agency, describing it as a surprise. “He picked up momentum as he moved downstage which resulted in him falling off the stage directly in front of the audience.”
Staff and two medics in the audience assisted the actor, according to a statement from the theatre.
The theatre was evacuated, and the play was canceled.
Ian McKellen | AP News Image
Actor Ian McKellen, 85, Is In ‘Good Spirits’ And Expected To Recover From Fall Off Stage In London
McKellen, who played Magneto in the “X-Men” films, is a well-known Shakespearean actor in Britain, having performed in Richard III, Macbeth, and King Lear.
He has received a Tony Award (for “Amadeus”), six Olivier Awards, and nominations for two Academy Awards, five Emmys, and several BAFTA awards.
SOURCE – (AP)
Aegis Space Law is providing a free online Space Regulatory Calculator to help US businesses negotiate the complex regulatory landscape.
The Space Regulatory Calculator, which was unveiled on June 4, is intended to assist early-stage space companies in complying with space-related regulations issued by the Commerce Department, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the State Department.
“Aegis works with a lot of space startups,” Bailey Reichelt, Aegis Space Law’s partner and co-founder, told SpaceNews via email. “The common denominator is that they don’t consider regulations as something to plan for until they have the engineering and financing in place. Unfortunately, regulatory timelines can be significantly longer than other timelines.”
Reichelt, who developed the Space Regulatory Calculator with Aegis colleague Will Lewis, advises founders to consider regulatory permission as soon as they start designing space technology and seeking funds “to maximize the chances of that business succeeding.”
Costly mistakes
Failure to address regulations early in the planning process might result in costly and time-consuming mistakes. For example, a satellite company may choose a foreign antenna array based on its cost and ground-station compatibility, unaware that the operating frequency would entail “a lengthy and expensive regulatory burden,” Reichelt said.
Furthermore, federal acquisition regulations governing current contracts may prohibit the use of foreign-sourced components.
“This kind of setback happens all the time when you have no idea what regulations apply to you,” Reichelt stated.
Legal Advice
Traditionally, space corporations used attorneys to identify which restrictions related to their operations. Many new space enterprises cannot afford “the sophisticated legal advice required to navigate this many agencies,” Reichelt stated.
“This leaves companies vulnerable to missteps that can cost time and money.” Mistakes in regulatory compliance can potentially jeopardize the firm’s or mission’s viability, she said.
It is “entirely unreasonable for a company with no cash flow to spend tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers before they even have paid employees,” Reichelt stated.
“If we want the space industry to prosper, and the United States’ technological sector to continue leading innovation globally, we must lower legal and regulatory hurdles across the board.
The Space Law Calculator is intended to assist entrepreneurs in determining what kind of licenses and permissions they will require, how long the approval process will typically take, and what costs they will incur to assure regulatory compliance.
“A small business looking to launch its first satellite, for example, would see, among other things, that it may need to plan at least two years in advance to ensure required licenses are obtained prior to launch,” according to the announcement.
Aegis attorneys want to update the Space Regulatory Calculator when regulations change.
Attorneys from Aegis Space Law in Washington contributed to the formation of the nonprofit Association of Commercial Space Professionals. Additionally, Aegis attorneys teach at the Association’s Space Regulatory Bootcamp.
By Debra Werner
Debra Werner is a correspondent for SpaceNews based in San Francisco. Debra earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. She… More by Debra Werner
NEW YORK — The Associated Press was informed by Live Nation executives that Jennifer Lopez has canceled her 2024 North American tour.
They said, “Jennifer is taking time off to be with her children, family, and close friends.”
Jennifer Lopez | NBC News Image
Jennifer Lopez Cancels Summer Tour: ‘I Am Completely Heartsick And Devastated’
In support of her first solo album in ten years, “This Is Me… Now,” and its accompanying film, she was scheduled to embark on her first tour in five years.
The tour was supposed to begin in Orlando, Florida on June 26 and end in Houston on August 31.
Jennifer Lopez | AP News Image
Jennifer Lopez Cancels Summer Tour: ‘I Am Completely Heartsick And Devastated’
Those who bought tickets through Ticketmaster will receive an immediate refund, according to a statement from Live Nation.
On her OntheJLo website and newsletter, Lopez addressed the fans with the following statement: “I am completely heartsick and devastated about letting you down.” Please understand that if I didn’t think this was absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t have done it.
Jennifer Lopez | Billboard Image
Jennifer Lopez Cancels Summer Tour: ‘I Am Completely Heartsick And Devastated’
Her successful album “This Is Me… Then” was released twenty years ago, and this year, she released “This Is Me… Now.” According to Lopez, the new record is a “miracle” and “a second chance,” as she told the AP. And I wish I could freeze this instant in time the same way that album did.
SOURCE – (AP)
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