lawsuit

It has finally happened. After repeatedly being investigated again and again over alleged anticompetitive business practices, Google was finally hit with a formal antitrust lawsuit by the US Justice Department, specifically over what is being described as an unfair monopolistic advantage in the Internet search market. Of course, Google didn't simply take the charges sitting down, given how high-profile and potentially disruptive it could be, and has now published a point-by-point rebuttal over what it calls a deeply flawed lawsuit.

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It just launched new products and services today but next week might have a different atmosphere over at Google HQ. Although it has long been accused of anti-competitive practices in many countries around the world, Google has yet to face a formal lawsuit that could truly shake and shape its search and advertising business for the future. That lawsuit might finally come next if the US Department of Justice pushes through with its alleged schedule. The bigger question, however, is whether state attorneys general will be onboard with it.

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A legal document released this week showed TikTok argue in court that "a wide swath" of the content on their platform has "no economic value at all." This was part of a request for injunction VS Donald Trump and the US government's order to stop TikTok operations in the United States. The executive order signed by Trump called upon IEEPA - which they pointed out cannot regulate or prohibit (directly or indirectly) any personal communication "which does not involve a transfer of anything of value."

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It seems to be open season on tech companies in the US, big or small, and it's no surprise that the biggest ones are in the government's crosshair. While Facebook's election scandal hasn't exactly been closed fully, the US has launched several actions to ban several Chinese companies and start new investigations into the app store business. Google has almost been always involved in these, one way or another, but it might soon be the sole focus of the US Department of Justice's next lawsuit this September.

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Though it's been five years since Beats and Apple released Powerbeats 2, the wireless earbuds are working their way back into the news today with the settlement of a lawsuit levied against Apple. The lawsuit alleged that Powerbeats 2 were essentially defective, as they stopped holding a charge or just stopped working entirely after a short period of time.

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The war between Apple and Epic escalated in a serious way last week, as Epic accused Apple of threatening to ban its Unreal Engine from Apple platforms. That was a surprising move in this ongoing feud between the two companies because banning Unreal Engine would have an adverse effect on more than just Epic - it would be a major setback for anyone developing games for Mac or iOS using the engine.

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When Epic Games blasted Google last year over its revenue cut for Play Store apps, its CEO Tim Sweeney pretty much conceded that Apple deserved its 30% share because of the work it puts into its App Store. The events of the past few days, however, suggests that Epic Games may have actually had a different opinion as it set off a sequence of events that now includes not one but two lawsuits. Epic, however, isn't content to stop there and the two's bickering is already going beyond legal, technical, or even financial grounds.

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Today the Apple vs Epic Games war is ramping up a bit, with Epic claiming that Apple is about to ban Unreal Engine from all Apple platforms. Epic broke Apple's rules by placing in-app purchases in their game Fortnite, resulting in Apple removing the game Fortnite from their app store. Apple apparently also aims to remove all Epic Games software from their platforms, including development tools for Unreal Engine.

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In just a few hours, the mobile app and gaming market exploded into a flurry of news, removals, and two lawsuits, all revolving around a single game: Fortnite. Epic Games, who has spoken out and moved against the status quo in the game and app store markets, made a daring move to implement its own direct payment system to bypass Google's and Apple's revenue split system. It isn't surprising that both Apple and Google have quickly removed Fortnite from their respective app stores but it's rather curious that Epic Games quickly sued both afterward.

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It's been a busy day for Apple and Epic Game. This morning, Epic rolled out a new direct payment feature in the iOS and Android versions of Fortnite. This, as you might have already guessed from the phrase "direct payment," allowed Epic to sidestep the App Store and Google Play Store, keeping the 30% cut that both stores would have taken on any and all in-app purchases.

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Apple has long been accused of using its position as owner and curator of the only app store authorized on its own mobile platform to create a monopoly that eventually kills off competing apps. Most of those complaints, however, haven't gone beyond just that but Apple has lately come under legislative or even legal scrutiny over that business practice. In at least one case in Russia, however, Apple was indeed formally charged and now found guilty of anti-competitive practices specifically in crippling third-party parental control apps in favor of its own built-in feature.

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Apple's partially bitten apple logo has remained practically unchanged since the beginning except for the color. Given how it is one of the most iconic logos today, it isn't surprising that it will fight tooth and nail to protect it against trademark violators and copycats, of which there are many. What you might expect, however, is for Apple to attack any company, big or especially small, that uses any fruit for a logo, which is apparently what it has been doing almost silently until a certain Prepear app decided they won't take things sitting down.

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