Google

Proposed new regulations would give the ACCC a boost in targeting anti-competitive conduct by digital platforms, but a “big gap” remains in its powers, an expert told Lawyerly.

Google continues to dominate online search services in Australia, holding 94 per cent of the market share despite regulatory changes, the competition regulator said Wednesday.

The Albanese government has backed recommendations that would give the ACCC increased power to target anti-competitive conduct by tech companies.

Google is facing a class action investigation into whether its allegedly anti-competitive conduct in the advertising technology market caused publishers to receive less revenue than the otherwise would have.

A court has refused leave to appeal a permanent stay of a class action run, funded and led by lawyer Andrew Hamilton against Google and Meta that challenged their crypto ad bans.

The competition watchdog has accepted an undertaking from TPG not to renew an agreement requiring it to pre-install Google on mobile devices it supplies, following similar undertakings given by Telstra and Optus last month. 

Google has slammed Fortnite game maker Epic Games’ landmark competition case against it as “contrary to commercial reality”, saying its competition with rival tech giant Apple means it is no monopolist.

The ACCC has accepted undertakings from Telstra and Optus not to renew agreements requiring them to pre-install Google apps on Android devices as part of its competition probe into Google.

In a landmark competition case, Apple has told the Federal Court that Epic Games and other developers should not be allowed to “freeride” on the resources and user base the tech giant has “spent many billions” to develop. 

Epic Games has taken aim at Google for the “untruthful evidence” of its witnesses in the game maker’s competition case against the tech giant, as well as its failure to call senior executives to the stand to defend itself.