Music publishers sue Twitter for allowing copyrighted songs

By Blake Brittain (Reuters) – A group of 17 music publishers sued Twitter in Nashville, Tennessee, federal court on Wednesday, accusing the company of enabling thousands of copyright violations by allowing users to post music without a license. Twitter drives user engagement with “countless infringing copies of musical compositions,” the lawsuit said. Members of the…

Read More

Microsoft, Activision ask judge for speedy schedule in FTC challenge

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Time is running out on a deadline for Microsoft to complete its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, compelling the companies to ask a U.S. judge on Wednesday to quickly get the ball rolling on the Federal Trade Commission’s legal bid to block the deal. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila…

Read More

Google faces EU break-up order over anti-competitive adtech practices

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Alphabet’s Google may have to sell part of its lucrative adtech business to address concerns about anti-competitive practices, EU regulators said on Wednesday, threatening the company with its harshest regulatory penalty to date. The European Commission set out its charges in a statement of objections to Google two…

Read More

Google launches AI-powered advertiser features in push for automation

By Sheila Dang (Reuters) – Alphabet’s Google said on Wednesday it is launching two new artificial intelligence-powered features for advertisers that will automatically find the best ad placements for brands across the tech company’s services. AI has dominated the tech industry in recent months as Google and other companies have developed novel chatbots that can…

Read More

Hong Kong protest anthem’s online presence fades as govt seeks total ban

By Jessie Pang HONG KONG (Reuters) – Various versions of the pro-democracy protest anthem “Glory to Hong Kong” were unavailable on Apple’s iTunes Store, Spotify, KKBOX, Facebook and Instagram’s Reels on Wednesday after the government sought an injunction banning the song outright. A Reuters search for the song’s Chinese title on Apple’s iTunes Store and…

Read More

US lawmakers seek new law to protect TikTok user information

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of six senators and two members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday introduced legislation to protect Americans’ data from being used by U.S. adversaries. The bill is the latest in a series of proposals aimed at addressing concerns about the data of Americans using foreign-owned…

Read More