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Fortnite maker Epic Games and Google just agreed on a comprehensive settlement that could be the final chapter in Epics long battle over app store rules. In a joint filing in a San Francisco federal court, both companies proposed a resolution to Epics antitrust lawsuit against Google, which the game publisher filed in 2020 along with a parallel lawsuit against Apple. In a post on X, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called the proposed settlement awesome and expressed hope that the courts would agree. It genuinely doubles down on Android’s original vision as an open platform to streamline competing store installs globally, reduce service fees for developers on Google Play, and enable third-party in-app and web payments, Sweeney said. This is a comprehensive solution, which stands in contrast to Apples model of blocking all competing stores and leaving payments as the only vector for competition. In the settlement, Google agrees to cap app store fees at 9% to 20% depending on the transaction. Currently, Google takes a 15% cut of the first $1 million in developer revenue and 30% of anything above that threshold. Beyond lowering fees, Google also said it would allow alternate app stores to be offered officially in the next major Android update. All of the proposed changes would go into effect globally not just in the U.S. and remain in place through 2032. The surprise settlement follows some resounding losses for Google. Late last year, a judge sided with Epic on many of the game publishers demands and ordered Google to open its app marketplace to competing third-party app stores in the U.S. for three years, a decision that stood to completely remake Androids app ecosystem. Prior to the settlement, it looked like Googles last hope was a hail mary asking the Supreme Court to take on the case a long shot given that the court previously shrugged off Epics parallel case against Apple. Epics epic battle In 2020, Epic kicked off a flashy campaign to rally people against mobile softwares gatekeepers by breaking the rules of both Google and Apples app stores intentionally, getting Fortnite kicked off of phones and tablets in the process. In lawsuits against both companies, Epic argued that Google and Apple violated antitrust laws by forcing users to pay for apps and in-app purchases through their app marketplaces while taking a slice of every transaction. While Epics case against Apple is now mostly resolved without too much disruption to Apples business, the iPhone maker did land itself in hot water earlier this year when a federal judge determined that it violated the terms of a court order forcing it to give developers more freedom to accept payments. Epics case against Google took a different path. After years of back-and-forth in court, Epic landed a major win over the summer when a federal appeals court upheld a jury verdict that deemed Google Play, Androids app store, to be a monopoly. In other recent cases, courts determined that Google was operating a monopoly in its digital ads and search engine businesses. Together with Epic Games we have filed a proposed set of changes to Android and Google Play that focus on expanding developer choice and flexibility, lowering fees, and encouraging more competition all while keeping users safe, Android Ecosystem President Sameer Samat wrote on X, adding that the company would discuss the settlement with a judge on Thursday.
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E-Commerce
Monday, November 3, saw nearly 5,000 flights delayed in the U.S. The weekend prior saw more than 10,000. Cancellations are stacking up as well. As the length of this most recent government shutdown sets new records, those headaches at the airport aren’t expected to ease. They are, in fact, likely to get worse. And while that’s scary news for anyone who might be planning to head home for Thanksgiving, there’s a chance it could be what gets the government back to work. Republicans and Democrats are still at odds, and neither is showing any sign of backing down. Even the brief cessation of SNAP benefits (and the lawsuits that followed) hasn’t brought about a détente. But airlines are key to the financial health of the countryand air traffic controllers have been the key factor in ending a shutdown in the past. Major airlines are already applying pressure. Delta, United, American, and Southwest have all called on Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill that would allow the government to reopen, citing risks to aviation safety. The airline industry lobby typically carries significant weight in Washington, as it represents 10 million jobs. It’s also a critical part of the tourism and cargo transport industries, in addition to general business. Last year, companies spent $1.47 trillion on business travel worldwide. The delays and cancellations have been increasing for the past few weeks, as staffing shortages become more common. Air traffic controllers have been working without pay for over a month, and as a result, some have begun to call in sick. That’s reminiscent of the government shutdown of 2019. And it was those shortages that were largely credited for breaking the logjam in Congress. On January 25, 2019, the 35th day of that shutdown, 10 air traffic controllerssix from northern Virginia and four from Floridastayed home. That wasn’t a huge number in the grand scheme of things, but with just those 10 absences, delays stacked up at several hubs and shut down travel temporarily at LaGuardia Airport in New York. The shutdown was settled before the end of the day. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has said it does not “endorse, support or condone” any coordinated activity by members that would impact the capacity and safety of air traffic control systems (i.e., no organized sick-outs), but it has urged the government to end the shutdown and pay its workers as soon as possible to ensure the skies are safe. “For this nations air traffic controllers, missing just one paycheck can be a significant hardship, as it is for all working Americans. Asking them to go without a full months pay or more is simply not sustainable,” said NATCA president Nick Daniels in a statement. “These professionals are required to oversee the movement of the nations passengers and cargo while many are working 10-hour days and six-day workweeks due to the ongoing staffing shortage, all without pay. This situation creates substantial distractions for individuals who are already engaged in extremely stressful work.” This comes on top of an existing shortage of air traffic control workers. There is, of course, no guarantee that delays and cancellations will force Democrats and Republicans to reopen the government this time around. Both sides are playing an ongoing game of chicken, which reached new heights Tuesday when U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that “some” airspaces in the U.S. might need to be closed if the shutdown continues. He also warned that should air traffic controllers miss another full paycheck, it would result in “mass flight delays and mass cancellations” around the country. That came a day after he told CNBC that if he thought travel was to become too risky in his department’s opinion, he would “shut the whole airspace down. We won’t let people travel.” The last time that occurred was following the September 11 terror attacks in 2001.
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E-Commerce
On the same day Shein opened its first store in Paris, the French government said Wednesday it will suspend Shein’s website over its alleged online sale of childlike “sex dolls” online until it complies with French law, according to the Associated Press. Fast Company has reached out to Shein for comment. A spokesperson for the company told Reuters it was working with authorities; and it has banned sex dolls on its site. A French consumer watchdog discovered the dolls and weapons on the site over the weekend, per Reuters. (Under French law, the government can order businesses to remove illegal content from their websites, such as child pornography within 24 hours, and block access to those sites, AP reported.) This is the online Chinese retailer’s first brick-and-mortar store in Paris, which is located on the sixth floor of the iconic BHV department store in the heart of the city. Shein sells heavily discounted, ultra “fast-fashion” and has drawn protests and boycotts from French shop owners and consumers, who decry the environmental impact that comes from making large amounts of cheap products, as well as the working conditions at its factories. Police stood guard outside BHV on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday, bracing for the store’s opening, after several weeks of intermittent strikes, protests and boycotts; including by activists stood topless outside BHV on Monday, while several French fashion brands said they were pulling out, according to CNN. Meanwhile, Disneyland Paris cancelled its holiday window display and pop-up store in BHV Marais, Agence France-Presse reported. “Conditions are no longer exist to calmly hold Christmas events,” Shein told AFP. Shein said it plans to open five other store locations in France in: Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers and Limoges, AFP reported.
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E-Commerce
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