The European Union approved the merger of Random House and Penguin without conditions on Friday, saying it doesn't pose a threat to competition. The U.S. approved the merger in February.…
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Challenges emerge for making Europe’s data centers more efficient
Europe needs to do more to reduce wasteful energy consumption, and its policy makers are looking at how to green its data centers to help them achieve a 2020 energy efficiency goal.…
Read MoreWill there be an Amazon of Europe?
Can a single vendor dominate the public cloud services market in Europe as Amazon has managed to do in the US? It's not very likely. The single biggest reason is obvious: Europe is not the US.…
Read MoreEurope cloud plan addresses data protection problem. Sort of.
The EC's long-anticipated plan to push cloud computing region-wide is out. It pledges -- generally -- to pursue a single set of data protection laws across the region but it will likely be very slow going to get all the parties on board.…
Read MoreEuropean companies should gird for big cloud spending
Bad economy aside, European government agencies and private businesses will be strongly encouraged to beef up their cloud infrastructure in a forthcoming report by the EC-sanctioned European Cloud Partnership. A leaked report said companies/agencies should invest €45 billion in cloud computing by 2020.…
Read MoreApple, 4 publishers reach ebook pricing agreement with European Commission
Last December, the European Commission began investigating Apple and five book publishers for allegedly conspiring to set ebook prices. Now the EC, Apple and four of the publishers have reached a preliminary agreement that largely mirrors the terms of the ebook settlement in the U.S.…
Read MoreFeeling useful? Europe offers up billions for R&D
With $10 billion up for grabs, the EU is looking to stimulate both technological advancement and economic growth. Good news for European tech firms, for green technology companies -- and for an embattled continent.…
Read MoreHow exactly is Google offering to appease Europe?
Reports that Eric Schmidt has offered to settle an antitrust investigation by the European Commission are everywhere. But the reality is that the details of Google’s proposals — and the regulator’s response — remain shrouded in mystery.…
Read MoreMicrosoft v EU: Living proof that big fines don’t work
Microsoft's lost its attempt to get an €899m European antitrust fine overturned — an apparent victory for local regulators. But the reality is that while this fine might be vast by European standards, it's barely a scratch on the surface for Redmond.…
Read MoreThe specter of “search neutrality” raises its head again
The latest criticism of Google as an unfair monopoly, which comes from the CEO of a comparison shopping site called Nextag, is riddled with flawed logic -- but the search giant has also invited this kind of charge with some of its recent behavior.…
Read MoreAre Microsoft and Nokia closet patent trolls? Let the EC decide.
Google has filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission against Microsoft and Nokia and is also tattling on the companies with U.S. regulators, accusing them patent-troll-like behavior. The good thing about filing a complaint with the EC is Google doesn't have to do the legwork.…
Read MoreWhat you need to know about the EU Cookie Law
Whether they're outraged, scrabbling in terror, or simply hoping it goes away, it's the privacy rule that European startups can't ignore. But what exactly is the European cookie directive? As the rules come into force in the U.K., we take a look at the details.…
Read MoreConfirmed: European mobile data roaming costs to fall
With near-unanimous approval, the European Parliament has voted to make it much cheaper for people in the EU to use the mobile internet on their smartphones and tablets while travelling between the union's 27 states.…
Read MoreEuropean Union, U.S. Coordinate On E-Book Pricing Cases
As regulators on both sides of the Atlantic investigate publishers and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) for allegedly colluding to fix the price of e-book……
Read MoreIs Europe on a countdown to war with Google?
With Google and European officials clashing again, this time over the company's new, simplified privacy policy, is it simply a one-off moment of friction -- or part of an inevitable slide towards all-out conflict?…
Read MoreHow the law dictates data gravity in the cloud
For the most part, cloud-related laws on the books or in the works right now are almost entirely about data, and data has "gravity." The more important it is, the more likely services and applications are going to move to the data, rather than vice versa.…
Read MoreApple denied Galaxy Tab 10.1N ban in Germany
Apple has failed to secure a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet and Galaxy Nexus smartphone in Germany, thanks to a ruling by the Munich Regional Court Wednesday. That should help take the sting out of the appeal it lost on Tuesday.…
Read MoreGerman court upholds Galaxy Tab injunction, EU eyes Samsung’s patent claims
Apple won a small victory in Germany on Tuesday as the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court upheld its injunction against Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1. In the meantime, the European Union is putting Samsung's recent patent claims under a regulatory microscope with a full-scale investigation.…
Read MoreForget the EU: How to really empower users on privacy
In the fight to determine who dictates web privacy, web users are like a a chew toy at risk of being torn asunder by two competing dogs -- played this week by Google and the European Union. But the best option is empower consumers themselves.…
Read MoreBuckle up for a new wave of cloud protectionism
Another European country is pushing a nationalistic agenda when it comes to cloud computing, one that could have huge repercussions for U.S.-based cloud powers and the nature of cloud computing in general. France Telecom is pushing a French cloud to feature built-in-France technology.…
Read MoreHow Europe is giving the U.S. a lesson in Internet due process
Last week, a European court struck down a rule forcing a Belgian ISP to monitor traffic for copyright infringement. Experts believe the decision could help rein in the spread of SOPA-like laws throughout Europe. So why is the U.S. rushing headling into deeply flawed legislation?…
Read MoreEurope scrutinizes Facebook’s data collection — again?
Reports this weekend suggest that Facebook is about to face a new crackdown from European authorities over the way it collects data on users -- but closer inspection suggests that it is just the latest episode in an ongoing struggle between EU officials and technology companies.…
Read MoreSamsung’s EU patent strategy could lead to Apple win
A move made recently by Samsung to counter Apple's ongoing legal assault on its allegedly patent-infringing products could come back to bite the Korean electronics manufacturer. The European Commission is looking into whether or not Samsung's claims might constitute an an abuse of FRAND patents.…
Read MoreIn its war with Samsung, Apple scores legal victory in Europe
Apple has been granted a preliminary injunction by a German court, which will effectively prevent the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in all countries belonging to the European Union, save the Netherlands. Samsung can still appeal the decision in a few weeks.…
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