antitrust

Elon Musk is threatening legal action against Apple over alleged antitrust violations related to the App Store. Musk claims Apple unfairly excludes X and his AI chatbot Grok from the “essential” category, hindering their visibility and disadvantaging AI startups. He argues Apple’s practices stifle competition and favor OpenAI. xAI plans to initiate legal proceedings immediately, potentially reshaping app distribution and competition within the AI sector.

An EU court advisor backed a €4.12 billion fine against Google for abusing its Android market dominance, stemming from unfair practices with its search engine and pre-installation agreements. The advisor dismissed Google’s appeal, arguing its behavior unfairly benefited it. This recommendation carries significant weight. Google expressed disappointment, citing potential negative impacts on investment and users if the court adopts the recommendation. The final ruling is expected soon.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied Apple’s request to stay a lower court order concerning its App Store operations. This ruling impacts Apple’s ability to control in-app purchases by disallowing developers to direct users to external payment options. The ongoing antitrust battle, initiated by Epic Games, is the root of this legal dispute. Apple plans to appeal the decision, disagreeing with the ruling that they violated a previous court order promoting market competition.

A federal jury in Santa Ana ruled in favor of medical device reprocessor Innovative Health in its antitrust case against Johnson & Johnson, finding subsidiary Biosense Webster illegally withheld clinical support from hospitals using reprocessed single-use devices (SUDs). The verdict affirms hospitals’ legal right to adopt FDA-regulated SUDs, promoting cost efficiency, sustainability, and fair competition while challenging anticompetitive tactics by original equipment manufacturers. The outcome is seen as a catalyst to dismantle practices inflating healthcare costs and stifling innovation.