On September 18, the European Union's second-ranking court declared that a fine of about 1.5 billion Euros, i.e., 1.7 billion US dollars approximately levied against Google by regulatory authorities must be overturned, supporting the American technology company in its appeal against the sanction according to a report by Reuters.

This decision is a significant victory for Google, as it directly affects the company’s advertising practices and its relationship with the European Union (EU) regulators, while Qualcomm failed to repeal a penalty.

The ruling underlines outgoing EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager's complicated record in defending her crackdown on Big Tech in court. She scored two major wins last week against Google in a separate case and against Apple's tax deal with Irish authorities.

Further, it is to be noted that the European Commission in its 2019 decision said Google had abused its dominance to prevent websites from using brokers other than its AdSense platform that provided search adverts. The practices it said were illegal and they primarily took place from 2006 to 2016.<o:p></o:p>

The Luxembourg-based General Court mostly agreed with the European Union competition enforcer's assessments of the case, but annulled the fine, saying that the Commission had failed to take into account all the relevant circumstances.

"The Commission has also not demonstrated that the clauses in question had, first, possibly deterred innovation, next, helped Google to maintain and strengthen its dominant position on the national markets for online search advertising at issue, and, last, that they had possibly harmed consumers," the judges said.

Google’s take on the judgement<o:p></o:p>

Google said the case was about a narrow subset of text-only search ads placed on a limited number of publishers’ websites. "We made changes to our contracts in 2016 to remove the relevant provisions, even before the Commission's decision. We are pleased that the court has recognised errors in the original decision and annulled the fine," the company said in an email.

What are the options left for the Commission?<o:p></o:p>

The Commission, which can appeal to the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) on points of law, stated that it would study the judgment and reflect on possible next steps.

The AdSense fine, one of a trio of fines that have cost Google a total of 8.25 billion Euros, was triggered by a complaint from Microsoft in 2010.<o:p></o:p>

Last week, the company lost its final fight against a 2.42 billion Euro fine levied for using its price comparison shopping service to gain an unfair advantage over smaller European rivals. Whereas in Qualcomm's case, the US chipmaker only managed to convince the General Court to trim its EU antitrust fine to 238.7 million Euros from 242 million Euros.<o:p></o:p>

The deciding judges rejected all its arguments. Further, the Commission imposed the fine in 2019, saying that Qualcomm sold its chipsets below cost between 2009 and 2011, in a practice known as predatory pricing, to hamper the British phone software maker ICERA, which is now part of the Nvidia Corporation. 

"Qualcomm respectfully disagrees with the judgment and the Commission’s decision and believes that we have always remained in compliance with European competition law," the chipmaker said. The Commission said it had also taken note of that ruling. Qualcomm can appeal to the CJEU on points of law.

<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>

On September 18, the European Union's second-ranking court declared that a fine of about 1.5 billion Euros, i.e., 1.7 billion US dollars approximately levied against Google by regulatory authorities must be overturned, supporting the American technology company in its appeal against the sanction according to a report by Reuters.

On September 18, the European Union's second-ranking court declared that a fine of about 1.5 billion Euros, i.e., 1.7 billion US dollars approximately levied against Google by regulatory authorities must be overturned, supporting the American technology company in its appeal against the sanction according to a report by Reuters. This decision is a significant victory for Google, as it directly affects the company’s advertising practices and its relationship with the European Union (EU) regulators, while Qualcomm failed to repeal a penalty. The ruling underlines outgoing EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager's complicated record in defending her crackdown on Big Tech in court. She scored two major wins last week against Google in a separate case and against Apple's tax deal with Irish authorities. Further, it is to be noted that the European Commission in its 2019 decision said Google had abused its dominance to prevent websites from using brokers other than its AdSense platform that provided search adverts. The practices it said were illegal and they primarily took place from 2006 to 2016. The Luxembourg-based General Court mostly agreed with the European Union competition enforcer's assessments of the case, but annulled the fine, saying that the Commission had failed to take into account all the relevant circumstances. "The Commission has also not demonstrated that the clauses in question had, first, possibly deterred innovation, next, helped Google to maintain and strengthen its dominant position on the national markets for online search advertising at issue, and, last, that they had possibly harmed consumers," the judges said. Google’s take on the judgement Google said the case was about a narrow subset of text-only search ads placed on a limited number of publishers’ websites. "We made changes to our contracts in 2016 to remove the relevant provisions, even before the Commission's decision. We are pleased that the court has recognised errors in the original decision and annulled the fine," the company said in an email. What are the options left for the Commission? The Commission, which can appeal to the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) on points of law, stated that it would study the judgment and reflect on possible next steps. The AdSense fine, one of a trio of fines that have cost Google a total of 8.25 billion Euros, was triggered by a complaint from Microsoft in 2010. Last week, the company lost its final fight against a 2.42 billion Euro fine levied for using its price comparison shopping service to gain an unfair advantage over smaller European rivals. Whereas in Qualcomm's case, the US chipmaker only managed to convince the General Court to trim its EU antitrust fine to 238.7 million Euros from 242 million Euros. The deciding judges rejected all its arguments. Further, the Commission imposed the fine in 2019, saying that Qualcomm sold its chipsets below cost between 2009 and 2011, in a practice known as predatory pricing, to hamper the British phone software maker ICERA, which is now part of the Nvidia Corporation. "Qualcomm respectfully disagrees with the judgment and the Commission’s decision and believes that we have always remained in compliance with European competition law," the chipmaker said. The Commission said it had also taken note of that ruling. Qualcomm can appeal to the CJEU on points of law.

Google wins appeal against EU antitrust fine, Qualcomm suffers a setback

Amazon's ambitious $1.4 billion deal to acquire iRobot, the robot vacuum manufacturer, is facing a potential veto from European Union (EU) antitrust regulators. Sources reveal that the European Commission, concerned about potential market competition restrictions in the robot vacuum sector, warned against the deal. 

Amazon, however, chose not to provide remedies to address these concerns, leading to increased scepticism from regulators. The decision on the deal is expected by February 14, with indications pointing toward a blockage of the acquisition.<o:p></o:p>

The European Commission's primary apprehension lies in the possibility of Amazon using its dominance on the online marketplace to suppress iRobot's competitors, particularly in key European markets such as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The concerns revolve around potential anti-competitive practices that could emerge, impacting the broader landscape of robot vacuum cleaners. Both the European Commission and Amazon have refrained from commenting on the ongoing developments.<o:p></o:p>

Notably, Amazon's defiance of the European Commission's warnings and its reluctance to provide remedies have fuelled speculations about the deal's viability. The regulator is scheduled to make a decision in mid-February, with mounting indications that it will block the acquisition. 

One source suggests that the recently enacted EU tech rules, known as the Digital Markets Act, could potentially address concerns arising from the deal. However, given the untested nature of this legislation and the prolonged enforcement process, regulators are leaning towards an outright rejection of the Amazon-iRobot merger.<o:p></o:p>

In response to the uncertain fate of the deal, iRobot shares experienced a significant downturn, plummeting by 30 per cent in late trade. <o:p></o:p>

(With inputs from Reuters)<o:p></o:p>

Amazon's ambitious $1.4 billion deal to acquire iRobot, the robot vacuum manufacturer, is facing a potential veto from European Union (EU) antitrust regulators. Sources reveal that the European Commission, concerned about potential market competition restrictions in the robot vacuum sector, warned against the deal.

Amazon's ambitious $1.4 billion deal to acquire iRobot, the robot vacuum manufacturer, is facing a potential veto from European Union (EU) antitrust regulators. Sources reveal that the European Commission, concerned about potential market competition restrictions in the robot vacuum sector, warned against the deal. Amazon, however, chose not to provide remedies to address these concerns, leading to increased scepticism from regulators. The decision on the deal is expected by February 14, with indications pointing toward a blockage of the acquisition. The European Commission's primary apprehension lies in the possibility of Amazon using its dominance on the online marketplace to suppress iRobot's competitors, particularly in key European markets such as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The concerns revolve around potential anti-competitive practices that could emerge, impacting the broader landscape of robot vacuum cleaners. Both the European Commission and Amazon have refrained from commenting on the ongoing developments. Notably, Amazon's defiance of the European Commission's warnings and its reluctance to provide remedies have fuelled speculations about the deal's viability. The regulator is scheduled to make a decision in mid-February, with mounting indications that it will block the acquisition. One source suggests that the recently enacted EU tech rules, known as the Digital Markets Act, could potentially address concerns arising from the deal. However, given the untested nature of this legislation and the prolonged enforcement process, regulators are leaning towards an outright rejection of the Amazon-iRobot merger. In response to the uncertain fate of the deal, iRobot shares experienced a significant downturn, plummeting by 30 per cent in late trade. (With inputs from Reuters)

EU Antitrust regulators set to block Amazon's $1.4 bn iRobot deal

Illumina, the US genetic testing company has been fined by the European Union for a record 432 million euros (USD 476 million) on Wednesday (July 12). The fine has been imposed for closing its takeover&nbsp;of cancer test maker Grail without obtaining EU antitrust approval. &nbsp;

Illumina was forced to seek EU competition watchdog's approval in 2021 despite the deal fell short of the bloc's turnover threshold for scrutiny. Illumina has been fighting with the competition watchdog on several fronts since&nbsp;then.

In September 2022, the deal was eventually blocked. Regulators were concerned that Illumina, after acquiring Grail, would have an incentive to cut off Grail's rivals from accessing its technology to develop blood-based early cancer detection tests to compete with Grail.

The European Commission said that the size of the fine amounts to 10 per cent of Illumina's global revenue and it is the maximum allowed under EU merger rules for such infringements. The EC said that this underscored the seriousness of the offence and aimed to deter such conduct.&nbsp;

By closing the deal prematurely, Illumina was able to exercise a decisive influence over Grail, which it did, the EU enforcer said, calling the move unprecedented and a very serious infringement.

"If companies merge before our clearance, they breach our rules. Illumina and Grail knowingly and deliberately did so by implementing their tie-up as we were still investigating," EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

For its active role in the infringement, Grail was given a symbolic 1,000 euro fine. This marks the first time a target company has been sanctioned.

<h2>Fine unlawful, disproportionate, says Illumina&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

Illumina has criticised the fine as "unlawful, inappropriate, and disproportionate". The company has said that it would appeal the penalty. It has set aside USD 458 million which represents 10 per cent of its consolidated annual revenue in fiscal year 2022.

"We closed the transaction in 2021 because there was no impediment to closing in the U.S. and the deal timeframe would have expired before the EC could reach a decision on the merits," the company said in a statement.

"The deal timeframe relied on the EC's public statements that it would not assert jurisdiction over mergers of this type until new guidelines were issued, yet the EC nonetheless asserted jurisdiction over the merger before issuing the promised guidelines."

Illumina has challenged the EU veto of the deal as well as its decision to examine the deal despite it not meeting the EU merger criteria and also the EU order to keep the Grail separate so that the deal con be unwound.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Illumina, the US genetic testing company has been fined by the European Union for a record 432 million euros (USD 476 million) on Wednesday (July 12). The fine has been imposed for closing its takeover of cancer test maker Grail without obtaining EU antitrust approval.

Illumina, the US genetic testing company has been fined by the European Union for a record 432 million euros (USD 476 million) on Wednesday (July 12). The fine has been imposed for closing its takeover of cancer test maker Grail without obtaining EU antitrust approval. Illumina was forced to seek EU competition watchdog's approval in 2021 despite the deal fell short of the bloc's turnover threshold for scrutiny. Illumina has been fighting with the competition watchdog on several fronts since then. In September 2022, the deal was eventually blocked. Regulators were concerned that Illumina, after acquiring Grail, would have an incentive to cut off Grail's rivals from accessing its technology to develop blood-based early cancer detection tests to compete with Grail. The European Commission said that the size of the fine amounts to 10 per cent of Illumina's global revenue and it is the maximum allowed under EU merger rules for such infringements. The EC said that this underscored the seriousness of the offence and aimed to deter such conduct. By closing the deal prematurely, Illumina was able to exercise a decisive influence over Grail, which it did, the EU enforcer said, calling the move unprecedented and a very serious infringement. "If companies merge before our clearance, they breach our rules. Illumina and Grail knowingly and deliberately did so by implementing their tie-up as we were still investigating," EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. For its active role in the infringement, Grail was given a symbolic 1,000 euro fine. This marks the first time a target company has been sanctioned. Fine unlawful, disproportionate, says Illumina Illumina has criticised the fine as "unlawful, inappropriate, and disproportionate". The company has said that it would appeal the penalty. It has set aside USD 458 million which represents 10 per cent of its consolidated annual revenue in fiscal year 2022. "We closed the transaction in 2021 because there was no impediment to closing in the U.S. and the deal timeframe would have expired before the EC could reach a decision on the merits," the company said in a statement. "The deal timeframe relied on the EC's public statements that it would not assert jurisdiction over mergers of this type until new guidelines were issued, yet the EC nonetheless asserted jurisdiction over the merger before issuing the promised guidelines." Illumina has challenged the EU veto of the deal as well as its decision to examine the deal despite it not meeting the EU merger criteria and also the EU order to keep the Grail separate so that the deal con be unwound. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

EU slaps record $476 million fine on Illumina for Grail deal without antitrust approval

The European Union’s antitrust regulators have targeted Google’s highly successful advertising technology model and asked the United States-based tech giant to address its concerns over anti-competitive practices, on Wednesday (June 14). Additionally, the European Commission has also threatened the company with its harshest regulatory penalty to date.&nbsp;

<h2>What did the EU say about Google’s practices?</h2>

The 27-nation bloc’s executive branch and top antitrust regulators have set out charges against Google two years after opening an investigation into the tech giant’s behaviour over favouring its own advertising services. In line with this, the EU on Wednesday said Google has “abused its dominant positions” over ad tech to crush the competition.&nbsp;

The announcement was made by EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, on Wednesday, who called for Google to sell part of its ad tech business citing the investigation she believes that a behavioural remedy would not be effective at stopping the tech giant’s supposed anti-competitive practices.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/eus-new-antitrust-charges-to-strike-googles-most-successful-ads-model-603673">EU’s new antitrust charges to strike Google’s most successful ads model</a>

The commission said its preliminary view after the investigation is that “only the mandatory divestment by Google of part of its services” would satisfy the concerns it holds about the company’s advertising practices.&nbsp;

“Of course, I know this is a strong statement but it is a reflection of the nature of the markets, how they function and also why a behavioural commitment seemed to be out of the question,” said Vestager, at a press conference.&nbsp;

In line with this, the EU antitrust chief also suggested that “Google could divest its sell-side tools, DFP and AdX. By doing so, we would put an end to the conflicts of interest.” The move could have far-reaching implications for the tech giant, potentially resulting in significant fines and regulatory action.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-launches-antitrust-probe-against-google-over-online-ads-393180">EU launches antitrust probe against Google over online ads</a>

The Commission has also said Google’s favouring of its own online services is detrimental to those of competing providers of advertising technology services, advertisers and online publishers.

<h2>What’s at stake for Google?</h2>

The stakes are high for Google as its ad tech business accounted for 79 per cent of its total revenue last year. Meanwhile, the fine against the company is reported to be as much as 10 per cent of Google’s annual global turnover.

It is also worth noting that Google, according to research firm Insider Intelligence, is the world’s dominant digital advertising platform with a 28 per cent market share of global ad revenue. Last year, Google’s total advertising revenue amounted to $224.5 billion, reported Reuters.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-european-union-to-develop-ai-pact-ahead-of-new-artificial-intelligence-rules-says-eu-industry-chief-596140">Google, European Union to develop AI pact ahead of new Artificial Intelligence rules, says EU industry chief</a>

Meanwhile, the EU will continue to investigate the tech giant’s introduction of a privacy sandbox set of tools which reportedly block third-party cookies on its Chrome browser and its plan to stop making the advertising identifier available to third parties on Android smartphones, said Vestager.&nbsp;

This also comes as the EU has recently expanded its crackdown on big tech companies including Facebook parent company Meta and Google with fines amounting to billions of dollars.&nbsp;

<h2>How has Google responded to these accusations?</h2>

In response to these charges, Google has said that it disagrees with the commission and will respond accordingly. In a statement, Dan Taylor, Google’s vice president of global ads, said “The Commission’s investigation focuses on a narrow aspect of our advertising business and is not new. We disagree with the EC’s view.”

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-parent-company-meta-to-face-more-than-800mn-fine-by-eu-over-data-transfer-to-us-reports-594857">Explained | EU fines Facebook parent company Meta record $1.3 billion over data transfer to US</a>

<h2>EU vs Google: An ongoing saga</h2>

Earlier, the EU launched an investigation against Google back in 2021, which aimed at examining whether Google obstructed rivals’ access to user data for online advertising and if it unfairly ring-fenced data for its own use.&nbsp;

This also comes as Google is actively contesting antitrust fines imposed by the EU in court, including a landmark penalty of 4.34 billion euros ($4.7bn) for its management of the Android mobile operating system, which it is currently challenging in the highest court within the EU.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
 
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The European Union’s antitrust regulators have targeted Google’s highly successful advertising technology model and asked the United States-based tech giant to address its concerns over anti-competitive practices, on Wednesday (June 14).

The European Union’s antitrust regulators have targeted Google’s highly successful advertising technology model and asked the United States-based tech giant to address its concerns over anti-competitive practices, on Wednesday (June 14). Additionally, the European Commission has also threatened the company with its harshest regulatory penalty to date. What did the EU say about Google’s practices? The 27-nation bloc’s executive branch and top antitrust regulators have set out charges against Google two years after opening an investigation into the tech giant’s behaviour over favouring its own advertising services. In line with this, the EU on Wednesday said Google has “abused its dominant positions” over ad tech to crush the competition. The announcement was made by EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, on Wednesday, who called for Google to sell part of its ad tech business citing the investigation she believes that a behavioural remedy would not be effective at stopping the tech giant’s supposed anti-competitive practices. ALSO READ | EU’s new antitrust charges to strike Google’s most successful ads model The commission said its preliminary view after the investigation is that “only the mandatory divestment by Google of part of its services” would satisfy the concerns it holds about the company’s advertising practices. “Of course, I know this is a strong statement but it is a reflection of the nature of the markets, how they function and also why a behavioural commitment seemed to be out of the question,” said Vestager, at a press conference. In line with this, the EU antitrust chief also suggested that “Google could divest its sell-side tools, DFP and AdX. By doing so, we would put an end to the conflicts of interest.” The move could have far-reaching implications for the tech giant, potentially resulting in significant fines and regulatory action. ALSO READ | EU launches antitrust probe against Google over online ads The Commission has also said Google’s favouring of its own online services is detrimental to those of competing providers of advertising technology services, advertisers and online publishers. What’s at stake for Google? The stakes are high for Google as its ad tech business accounted for 79 per cent of its total revenue last year. Meanwhile, the fine against the company is reported to be as much as 10 per cent of Google’s annual global turnover. It is also worth noting that Google, according to research firm Insider Intelligence, is the world’s dominant digital advertising platform with a 28 per cent market share of global ad revenue. Last year, Google’s total advertising revenue amounted to $224.5 billion, reported Reuters. ALSO READ | Google, European Union to develop AI pact ahead of new Artificial Intelligence rules, says EU industry chief Meanwhile, the EU will continue to investigate the tech giant’s introduction of a privacy sandbox set of tools which reportedly block third-party cookies on its Chrome browser and its plan to stop making the advertising identifier available to third parties on Android smartphones, said Vestager. This also comes as the EU has recently expanded its crackdown on big tech companies including Facebook parent company Meta and Google with fines amounting to billions of dollars. How has Google responded to these accusations? In response to these charges, Google has said that it disagrees with the commission and will respond accordingly. In a statement, Dan Taylor, Google’s vice president of global ads, said “The Commission’s investigation focuses on a narrow aspect of our advertising business and is not new. We disagree with the EC’s view.” ALSO READ | Explained | EU fines Facebook parent company Meta record $1.3 billion over data transfer to US EU vs Google: An ongoing saga Earlier, the EU launched an investigation against Google back in 2021, which aimed at examining whether Google obstructed rivals’ access to user data for online advertising and if it unfairly ring-fenced data for its own use. This also comes as Google is actively contesting antitrust fines imposed by the EU in court, including a landmark penalty of 4.34 billion euros ($4.7bn) for its management of the Android mobile operating system, which it is currently challenging in the highest court within the EU. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

EU orders Google to break up ad tech model for ‘abusing its dominant position’

European Union might slap Facebook with charges as the bloc's antitrust enforcers are all set to prepare a case against the social media giant, over the anti-competitive abuses on its marketplace platform, media outlet POLITICO reported citing sources.&nbsp;

The antitrust regulators are apparently drawing up charges against Meta over its use of customer data and the tying of classified advertisements service known as Marketplace, the sources mentioned.&nbsp;

Facebook Marketplace, which is Meta's classified ads business, was launched in 2016. It is used in 70 countries to buy and sell items.&nbsp;

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News agency Reuters also reported it, noting that the European Commission can impose fines up to 10 per cent of a company's global turnover for antitrust violations.&nbsp;

The news agency also said that Meta has declined to comment on this update.&nbsp;

As per the report by POLITICO, the EU regulator might probe how the firm could use data obtained from its advertisers to give an advantage to the Marketplace over competing services unfairly.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/twitter-blue-paywall-advertisers-how-musk-plans-to-bring-in-more-money-532894">Twitter Blue, paywall, advertisers: How Musk plans to bring in more money</a>&nbsp;

Urgent calls have been made by EU regulators to the rivals of Facebook to provide evidence of the abuse. The calls were made to know where the alleged harmful conduct across Facebook’s Marketplace actually occurs.&nbsp;

The investigation began into the social network company in June of last year and Britain's competition agency also began an enquiry on the same day. Now it is also reported that the charge sheet might be issued before the Christmas break.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;Twitter to become an 'everything app'? Twitter entering the payments markets?&nbsp;

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European Union might slap Facebook with charges as the bloc's antitrust enforcers are all set to prepare a case against the social media giant, over the anti-competitive abuses on its marketplace platform, media outlet POLITICO reported citing sources.

European Union might slap Facebook with charges as the bloc's antitrust enforcers are all set to prepare a case against the social media giant, over the anti-competitive abuses on its marketplace platform, media outlet POLITICO reported citing sources. The antitrust regulators are apparently drawing up charges against Meta over its use of customer data and the tying of classified advertisements service known as Marketplace, the sources mentioned. Facebook Marketplace, which is Meta's classified ads business, was launched in 2016. It is used in 70 countries to buy and sell items. ALSO READ | Zoom video calls on Tesla cars soon to be a reality? News agency Reuters also reported it, noting that the European Commission can impose fines up to 10 per cent of a company's global turnover for antitrust violations. The news agency also said that Meta has declined to comment on this update. As per the report by POLITICO, the EU regulator might probe how the firm could use data obtained from its advertisers to give an advantage to the Marketplace over competing services unfairly. ALSO READ | Twitter Blue, paywall, advertisers: How Musk plans to bring in more money Urgent calls have been made by EU regulators to the rivals of Facebook to provide evidence of the abuse. The calls were made to know where the alleged harmful conduct across Facebook’s Marketplace actually occurs. The investigation began into the social network company in June of last year and Britain's competition agency also began an enquiry on the same day. Now it is also reported that the charge sheet might be issued before the Christmas break. WATCH | Twitter to become an 'everything app'? Twitter entering the payments markets? × You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

European Union antitrust regulators to hit Facebook with new charges: Report

Amazon&nbsp;has offered to share marketplace data with sellers and boost the visibility of rival products on its platform, trying to persuade EU antitrust regulators to close their investigations without a fine by the end of the year, people familiar with the matter said.

The world's largest online retailer is hoping its concessions will stave off a potential European Union fine that could be as much as 10 per cent&nbsp;of its global turnover.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amazon-to-pull-the-plug-on-kindle-in-china-amid-growing-coemption-harsh-data-privacy-rules-484631">Amazon to pull the plug on Kindle in China amid growing coemption, harsh data privacy rules</a>

The European Commission 2020 charged&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;with using its size, power and data to push its own products and gain an unfair advantage over rival merchants that sell on its online platform.

It also launched an investigation into&nbsp;Amazon's possible preferential treatment of its own retail offers and those of marketplace sellers that use its logistics and delivery services.

Watch |&nbsp;Amazon stocks plunge as it reports $3.8 billion quarterly loss

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Amazon's process for choosing which retailer appears in the "buy box" on its website and which generates the bulk of its sales also came under the spotlight.

Amazon&nbsp;has now proposed to allow sellers access to some marketplace data while its commercial arm will not be able to use seller data collected by its retail unit, the people said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/employee-sues-amazon-after-being-fired-for-contracting-long-covid-and-asked-to-repay-12273-476148">Employee sues Amazon after being fired for contracting 'long Covid' and asked to repay $12,273</a>

The company will also create a second buy box for rival products in the event an&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;product appears in the first buy box, the people said.

The EU competition enforcer is expected to seek feedback from rivals and users in the coming weeks, which could lead to tweaks in the proposal and a final decision by the end of the year, the people said.

The Commission and&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;declined to comment.

The company had previously said it disagreed with the watchdog's assertions and that it represents less than 1 per cent&nbsp;of the global retail market.

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Amazon has offered to share marketplace data with sellers and boost the visibility of rival products on its platform, trying to persuade EU antitrust regulators to close their investigations without a fine by the end of the year, people familiar with the matter said.

Amazon has offered to share marketplace data with sellers and boost the visibility of rival products on its platform, trying to persuade EU antitrust regulators to close their investigations without a fine by the end of the year, people familiar with the matter said. The world's largest online retailer is hoping its concessions will stave off a potential European Union fine that could be as much as 10 per cent of its global turnover. Also read | Amazon to pull the plug on Kindle in China amid growing coemption, harsh data privacy rules The European Commission 2020 charged Amazon with using its size, power and data to push its own products and gain an unfair advantage over rival merchants that sell on its online platform. It also launched an investigation into Amazon's possible preferential treatment of its own retail offers and those of marketplace sellers that use its logistics and delivery services. Watch | Amazon stocks plunge as it reports $3.8 billion quarterly loss Amazon's process for choosing which retailer appears in the "buy box" on its website and which generates the bulk of its sales also came under the spotlight. Amazon has now proposed to allow sellers access to some marketplace data while its commercial arm will not be able to use seller data collected by its retail unit, the people said. Also read | Employee sues Amazon after being fired for contracting 'long Covid' and asked to repay $12,273 The company will also create a second buy box for rival products in the event an Amazon product appears in the first buy box, the people said. The EU competition enforcer is expected to seek feedback from rivals and users in the coming weeks, which could lead to tweaks in the proposal and a final decision by the end of the year, the people said. The Commission and Amazon declined to comment. The company had previously said it disagreed with the watchdog's assertions and that it represents less than 1 per cent of the global retail market. Watch WION LIVE HERE:

Amazon offers to share data, boost rivals to dodge EU antitrust fines

Facebook&nbsp;has won the first round of its court battle against what it says are excessive demands from European Union antitrust regulators after Europe's second-top court temporarily halted such requests until it makes a final ruling.

The US&nbsp;social media group is being investigated by the European Commission for its trove of data and online marketplace, which may lead to hefty fines and orders to change its business practices.

On July 15, Facebook&nbsp;sued the EU competition enforcer at the Luxembourg-based General Court, saying that the Commission was seeking information beyond what is necessary, including highly personal details.

It also asked for interim measures to stop a May 4 information request. Failure to comply could expose it to a daily penalty payment of $9.4 million.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/trump-campaign-runs-facebook-advertisements-asking-if-he-should-ban-tiktok-314800">Trump campaign runs Facebook advertisements asking if he should ban TikTok</a>

The Court in a judgment dated July 24 suspended the EU request while waiting for the Commission's comment and its ruling on&nbsp;Facebook's application for interim relief.

It said such a move would "prevent a situation whereby the contested material is disclosed in violation of the fundamental right to privacy of the applicant’s management and employees, depriving of any effect any order for interim measures that may eventually be granted".

EU regulators are trawling documents looking for about 2,500 search phrases which include "big question", "shut down" and "not good for us", and which could be found in employees' health information or even job applications, said a person familiar with the matter.

Facebook has won the first round of its court battle against what it says are excessive demands from European Union antitrust regulators after Europe's second-top court temporarily halted such requests until it makes a final ruling.

Facebook has won the first round of its court battle against what it says are excessive demands from European Union antitrust regulators after Europe's second-top court temporarily halted such requests until it makes a final ruling. The US social media group is being investigated by the European Commission for its trove of data and online marketplace, which may lead to hefty fines and orders to change its business practices. On July 15, Facebook sued the EU competition enforcer at the Luxembourg-based General Court, saying that the Commission was seeking information beyond what is necessary, including highly personal details. It also asked for interim measures to stop a May 4 information request. Failure to comply could expose it to a daily penalty payment of $9.4 million. Also read: Trump campaign runs Facebook advertisements asking if he should ban TikTok The Court in a judgment dated July 24 suspended the EU request while waiting for the Commission's comment and its ruling on Facebook's application for interim relief. It said such a move would "prevent a situation whereby the contested material is disclosed in violation of the fundamental right to privacy of the applicant’s management and employees, depriving of any effect any order for interim measures that may eventually be granted". EU regulators are trawling documents looking for about 2,500 search phrases which include "big question", "shut down" and "not good for us", and which could be found in employees' health information or even job applications, said a person familiar with the matter.

Facebook gains temporary court reprieve on EU antitrust data demand

European Commission's anti-trust regulators on Saturday said that it's investigating Google's collection of data, according to news agency Reuters. Google has again come under the lens of EU's anti-trust regulators despite record fines in recent years.

European Commission's anti-trust regulators on Saturday said that it's investigating Google's collection of data, according to news agency Reuters. Google has again come under the lens of EU's anti-trust regulators despite record fines in recent years. The EU executive said it was seeking information on how and why Alphabet unit Google is collecting data. "The Commission has sent out questionnaires as part of a preliminary investigation into Google's practices relating to Google's collection and use of data. The preliminary investigation is ongoing," the EU regulator was quoted as saying as per Reuters report. EU's focus is on data related to local search services, online advertising, online ad targeting services, login services, web browsers and others, the report added. European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has handed down fines totalling more than 8 billion euros to Google in the last two years and ordered it to change its business practices. Google claimed that it uses data to better its services and that users can manage, delete and transfer their data at any time.

EU antitrust regulators investigating Google's data collection: Report

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