Global News

[ad_1] A showdown between Amazon and government regulators over whether it is overly dominant may soon be coming to a head, with the Federal Trade Commission preparing to sue — and possibly break up — the world's largest e-commerce company, according to  Politico  and  Bloomberg .  The retailer, which also operates an advertising agency , shipping network, supermarket chain and movie studio , has become a mainstay in Americans' lives. But its explosive growth, which has made founder Jeff Bezos one of the world's  richest people , has also long spurred calls for the company to be reined in, with consumer activists claiming that the behemoth uses monopolistic practices to preserve its stronghold.  For FTC Chair Lina Khan — who first came to prominence while still in law school by writing a  paper  arguing that Amazon is a monopoly — an effort to fracture the company would amount to a career-defining throw of the dice. Of late, meanwhile, the FTC has lost battles to blo...

[ad_1] Federal regulators on Tuesday  announced a broad crackdown on what they called a "tide of illegal telemarketing calls" plaguing U.S. consumers.  Samuel Levin, Director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said the effort will target telemarketers that continue to flout laws against robocalls as well as so-called consent farms, or firms that provide people's phone numbers to robocallers while falsely claiming that consumers have agreed to receive calls. Federal and state authorities will also target providers of internet phone service that enable illegal robocalls, he added. The FTC — along with officials from the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Department of Justice as well as state prosecutors from Ohio and Illinois — have already filed complaints against two of the nation's largest consent farms as part of the push to step up the government's fight against robocalls. ...

[ad_1] A federal judge has handed Microsoft a major victory by declining to block its looming $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard . Regulators sought to ax the deal saying it will hurt competition. US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said in a ruling that the Federal Trade Commission , which enforces antitrust laws, has not shown a likelihood it would prevail if it took the case to trial. "The FTC has not raised serious questions regarding whether the proposed merger is likely to substantially lessen competition in the console, library subscription services, or cloud gaming markets,” Corley wrote. Microsoft appeared to have the upper hand in a 5-day San Francisco court hearing that ended late last month. The proceeding showcased testimony by Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella and longtime Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who both pledged to keep Activision’s blockbuster game Call of Duty available to people who play it on...