The chair of the ACCC says that while it has made concessions in response to complaints from Google and Facebook about its proposed media bargaining code, it won’t budge on the final offer arbitration model which would be used to resolve disputes with media companies under the code.
Tech giants Google and Facebook have come under fire in a Senate inquiry for their “threats” to block news in Australia if a draft media bargaining code proposed by the ACCC is passed without any amendments.
A $25 million settlement has been reached in three long-running shareholder class actions over the collapse of electronics retailer Dick Smith, under which the funders that backed the litigation will not recover their costs and shareholders recoveries will be small.
Fonterra has hit back at claims in a class action that the dairy giant misled farmers and breached its supply agreements when it slashed milk prices and sought a clawback in 2016, saying it warned farmers of the “extreme” volatility in the market.
The jury trial in a criminal cartel case against mobility equipment provider Country Care and two employees could be delayed due to coronavirus restrictions, as a majority of the parties, located in NSW, wait for restrictions to ease in order to travel to Victoria, a court has heard.
Facebook and Google should not be expected to solve the challenges currently facing the Australian media industry, according to the social media giant, which has called on the government to address concentration in the media market.
A class action brought on behalf of 40,000 customers has been launched against two Queensland energy generators who are accused of ‘gaming’ the energy pricing system and artificially inflating consumer prices.
The ACCC is considering taking legal action against Google after the search giant completed its $3 billion acquisition of fitness device company FitBit before the consumer watchdog could finish its investigation into the transaction.
Payouts in class actions in 2020 largely kept pace with the previous year despite the financial strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, with companies and other defendants paying more than $696 million to settle class actions last year.
Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram have lost a bid to shut down a lawsuit brought by an Australian social media startup, with a judge finding the digital giants relinquished their right to move the dispute to California.