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UK regulator now empowered to consider changing in-app payment rules in Spotify’s favour

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Apple • 2 min read

UK regulator now empowered to consider changing in-app payment rules in Spotify’s favour

Apple and Google’s mobile platforms have both been designated as having ‘strategic market status’ by the CMA, which could result in the UK regulator forcing changes to the two companies’ app store rules, including the in-app payment rules that have long been criticised by Spotify…

Kaya Robertson • 23 Oct 2025

UK regulator sets roadmap for reviewing app store payment rules

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Apple • 3 min read

UK regulator sets roadmap for reviewing app store payment rules

Last year the UK’s competition regulator closed an investigation into the Apple App Store rules that Spotify hates, but only so it could figure out how to use new powers it had been granted by Parliament. Now it’s done that, it’s proposed a roadmap for reviewing the hated rules, starting this autumn…

Chris Cooke • 24 Jul 2025

Search engines like Google make it too easy for consumers to discover pirated content say BBC and Sky

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Google • 3 min read

Search engines like Google make it too easy for consumers to discover pirated content say BBC and Sky

The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority has new powers to force ‘conduct requirements’ on big internet companies as a result of last year’s Digital Markets, Competition And Consumers Act. The BBC and Sky have told the CMA it should use those powers to force Google to do more to combat online piracy…

Chris Cooke • 05 Mar 2025

Congress warns Apple and Google: get ready to boot TikTok from US app stores

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TikTok • 2 min read

Congress warns Apple and Google: get ready to boot TikTok from US app stores

After a Washington DC court declined to overturn or even pause the US law that says TikTok will be banned unless current owner ByteDance sells the app by 19 Jan, two Congress members have now told Apple and Google to prepare to remove TikTok from their respective app stores…

Chris Cooke • 16 Dec 2024

More anti-piracy web-blocks issued in France against Cloudflare and Google DNS resolvers

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Piracy • 3 min read

More anti-piracy web-blocks issued in France against Cloudflare and Google DNS resolvers

Earlier this year French broadcaster Canal+ secured a web-blocking order forcing three DNS resolvers to block access to sports piracy websites. On the back of that win it has secured yet more web-blocks, despite the tech companies insisting that forcing web-blocking on DNS resolvers is a bad idea…

Chris Cooke • 28 Nov 2024

UK competition regulator closes investigation but warns Apple and Google: we will use new powers to make app ecosystem fair

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Google • 3 min read

UK competition regulator closes investigation but warns Apple and Google: we will use new powers to make app ecosystem fair

UK competition regulator the CMA has closed ongoing investigations into Apple and Google’s rules around in-app payments. Though mainly because recently passed laws boost the power of the CMA and it therefore believes any investigation would be better done in the context of enforcing those new laws…

Chris Cooke • 22 Aug 2024

Y2Mate returns to court in ongoing legal battle over Rickrolling takedown notices

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Y2Mate • 2 min read

Y2Mate returns to court in ongoing legal battle over Rickrolling takedown notices

Stream ripper Y2Mate last year went legal after a rival issued an illegitimate takedown notice against its site in relation to Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’. However, it doesn’t know which rival is behind the Rickrolling takedown. A court order last week might help in its ongoing search…

Chris Cooke • 20 May 2024

And Finally! Apple brushed off Bing for its lack of Annie Lennox knowledge

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And Finally • 6 min read

And Finally! Apple brushed off Bing for its lack of Annie Lennox knowledge

Six years ago, Microsoft made a play to convince Apple to ditch Google and make Bing the default search engine on its Safari browser. Why is this not the case? Because Bing didn’t know enough about Annie Lennox. Check out this and more of this week’s funniest music news stories…

Andy Malt • 01 Mar 2024

Google agrees to $700 million settlement of app store legal case - though concessions on app rules criticised for being too narrow

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Google • 2 min read

Google agrees to $700 million settlement of app store legal case - though concessions on app rules criticised for being too narrow

Google has agreed to a $700 million settlement in a legal battle with US state attorneys general over its app rules…

Chris Cooke • 20 Dec 2023

Epic wins its app store rule legal battle against Google

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Epic Games • 2 min read

Epic wins its app store rule legal battle against Google

Fortnite owner Epic Games has won in its legal battle over Google’s app store policies, which may force a change to the rules around in-app payments - though the web giant will appeal the judgement…

Chris Cooke • 12 Dec 2023

Setlist Podcast: Spotify insists royalty changes will help emerging artists

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Spotify • 4 min read

Setlist Podcast: Spotify insists royalty changes will help emerging artists

On this week's episode, Spotify's confirmation of plans to update how it pays out (or doesn't pay out) royalties, the decision to bounce the MSG Sphere venue out of London, and more…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 24 Nov 2023

Specifics of Spotify's deal with Google on in-app payments revealed in Epic court case

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Spotify • 2 min read

Specifics of Spotify's deal with Google on in-app payments revealed in Epic court case

Details have been revealed about Spotify’s deal with Google around in-app payments on Android devices - when users make payments via Spotify’s own transactions system it doesn’t have to pay any fees to the tech giant…

Chris Cooke • 22 Nov 2023