A meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Budapest kicked off this week with prominent American conservatives in attendance.
Match Group, the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, claims it has won “concessions” from Google in its antitrust battle against the search giant. On Friday, Match withdrew a restraining order after the two sides came to a temporary agreement on in-app payments.
Match filed the order against Google one day after it sued the company, alleging it had broken federal and state antitrust laws. At the center of the dispute is a policy change Google plans to implement next month. In the fall of 2020, the company “clarified” its stance on in-app payments, announcing it was moving toward requiring all Android developers to process payments involving “digital goods and services” through the Google Play Billing system. Following multiple extensions, developers have until June 1st to comply with the policy.
Match, however, claims Google had “previously assured” the company that it could use its own payments system. The company also claims Google threatened to remove its apps from the Play Store if Match did not comply with the policy change by the upcoming deadline.
Under their temporary agreement, Google will allow Match apps to remain on the Play Store and won’t remove them for including alternate payment systems. Additionally, the search giant has agreed to make a “good faith” effort to address Match’s concerns with Google Play Billing. Match, in turn, will make an effort to offer Google’s billing system as an option to consumers.
Lastly, instead of paying Google a commission on in-app purchases that occur outside of the company’s payment system, Match is establishing a $40 million escrow fund. Starting July 1st, Match will keep track of fees it would have normally owed Google. The fund will stay in place until the two sides go to court next April.
Following Match’s announcement, Google accused the company of publishing a “misleading” press release that “mischaracterizes” the terms of their agreement. “Match Group’s claim that it can’t integrate Play’s billing system because it lacks key features contradicts the fact that Match Group has been proactively and successfully using Play’s billing in more than 10 of its apps,” Google said. The company added it would file a countersuit against Match for violating its Developer Distribution Agreement ahead of their 2023 trial.
The streets of San Fransokyo are vulnerable—and lurking around every corner, searching for pain, is Baymax! The lovable, inflatable help companion AI from Disney’s 2014 hit Big Hero 6 returns in his own show, focused on his adventures in being a first responder to anyone who may need him, and the first trailer has…
A Marion County jury found former Horry County deputy Stephen Flood guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of reckless homicide.
Many people use Google Translate to translate web pages, but Apple offers a similar feature built directly into its Safari web browser, and it’s easy to use.
Electronic Arts is actively (and persistently) looking for a buyer or another company willing to merge with it, according to Puck. The video game company reportedly held talks with a number of potential buyers or partners, including Disney, Apple and Amazon. It’s unclear which were interested in fully purchasing EA and which were looking to merge, but in case of a merger, Puck said EA is seeking a deal that would allow Andrew Wilson to remain chief executive of the combined company.
EA approached Disney in March in an attempt to forge “a more meaningful relationship” that would go beyond licensing deals, according to the source. However, Disney decided not to push forward, perhaps because it’s currently focused on its nascent streaming service. The publication said the idea of a merger between EA and ESPN, which Disney partly owns, is being floated around in the industry.
Among all the potential partners, however, it was perhaps Comcast who got the closest to a deal. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts reportedly approached Wilson with an offer to merge NBCUniversal with EA. Under the deal, Roberts would take majority control of the merged company, but Wilson would remain chief executive. The people involved didn’t agree over the price of the sale and the structure of the combined entity, though, and the agreement fell through within the last month.
EA remains a company of its own for now, but Puck said it has become more emboldened in its quest to find a sale or a merger since Microsoft announced that it’s snapping up Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, so that might not be be the case for long. It’s worth noting that Sony also revealed that it’s buying Destiny studio Bungie for $3.6 billion shortly after Microsoft announced the acquisition.
EA spokesperson John Reseburg told Puck that the company would not comment “on rumors and speculation relating to [mergers and acquisitions].” Reseburg added: “We are proud to be operating from a position of strength and growth, with a portfolio of amazing games, built around powerful IP, made by incredibly talented teams, and a network of more than half a billion players. We see a very bright future ahead.”
Some advocates say Happy the elephant should be legally considered a person, and freed from the Bronx Zoo, where she has spent the last 45 years.
Wayne Ma, The Information
The Information chronicles the development of Apple’s upcoming mixed-reality headset in the first of two articles. This first installment covers the initial struggles to get the project going and the constant delays created by a host of challenges.
Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic
CBS pried the rights to Italy’s Serie A soccer league away from ESPN for Paramount+. The Athletic explains how a mix of “football and fun” helped the network package a league it thinks will become more popular in the US.
Zara Stone, Fast Company
In addition to companies needing to solve the whole no legs in the metaverse problem, there are a number of startups trying to unlock another challenge for virtual worlds.
Moscow’s move came days after Finland announced it wanted to join NATO and amid its refusal to pay for the gas in rubles.
Researchers have connected the Standard Model of particle physics and Einstein’s General Relativity theory to calculate the gravity inside a black hole.
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