Japan joins US and Europe in Apple & big tech antitrust scrutiny efforts

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in General Discussion
Japan will be working with regulators in the United States and Europe to put Apple and other major tech companies under greater scrutiny, as part of an international effort to curb antitrust violations.

The Apple Store in Kyoto, Japan
The Apple Store in Kyoto, Japan


Announced on Monday by the Japanese Fair Trade Commission chairman Kazuyuki Furuya, the regulator is starting its own efforts to try and regulate the operators of major platforms, including Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google. The effort would also take an interest in any acquisition or merger of sufficient size that could sway the balance of markets further in favor of the tech giants.

"If the size of any merger or business tie-up is big, we can launch an anti-monopoly investigation into the buyer's process of acquiring a startup," said Furuya to Reuters. "We're closely watching developments including in Europe."

As part of the initiative, Furuya claims the regulator will "work closely with our U.S. and European counterparts, and respond if to any moves that hamper competition. This is an area I will push through aggressively."

Furuya added the FTC was prepared to start probing companies if digital platform owners were seen to abuse their dominant positions.

The announcement from Japan's FTC follows a wave of other antitrust-related actions that are affecting Apple and other tech firms.

In October, the European Union was reported to have created a "hit list" of 20 large Internet companies that would have to adhere to tougher rules, in a bid to reduce their market power. The EU's antitrust authority is also in the process of investigating Apple over the App Store and Apple Pay.

Apple has since responded to rule proposals by the EU that would compel Apple to open up contactless payment systems used for Apple Pay, claiming such rues "put customers at risk and stifle innovation."

On the other side of the Atlantic, the U.S. House Judiciary recommended sweeping changes to antitrust law in October, following the release of a 450-page report by an antitrust subcommittee that looked into Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google. The report found the four companies were engaging in anticompetitive and monopolistic behavior, with "common problems" despite differing in nature.

A probe was also opened by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in September, examining the App Store for antitrust behavior.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    Why blame China hurting US companies. USA is mainly screw up to their own companies.

    lkrupp
  • Reply 2 of 5
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,324member
    Lawmakers have way too much free time on their hands, which is why we have all this crazy regulation that is not needed.  Personally, I dislike social media censoring information, but the fact remains that all the mentioned companies are American home grown success stories that we really do need to celebrate and not destroy or dismantle.  

    We need to elect people who get into office and repeal existing laws, not make new ones.
    watto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 3 of 5
    What about Samsung, LG, Huawei and the other major Asian conglomerates??  They’re the ones that should be invested!!
    rob53watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 5
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member
    What about Samsung, LG, Huawei and the other major Asian conglomerates??  They’re the ones that should be invested!!
    Absolutely. Samsung is huge and is involved in just about everything. Their CEO already went to jail so we know there’s corruption in that company along with monopolistic activities. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 5
    everybody just wants apple’s money. 
    watto_cobra
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