The fair trade body's penalty on the internet giant should be a wake-up call for Indian companies that tend to be lackadaisical towards regulatory investigations.
Indian industry should welcome the implementation from June 1 of the new merger and acquisition (M&A) norms under sections 5 and 6 of the Competition Act, 2002.
L&T has acquired Cafe Coffee Day-owner V G Siddhartha's 20.32 per cent stake in Mindtree and has also placed an order with brokers to pick up another 15 per cent shares from the open market.
It had meant nothing but moments of intimacy, sweet but transient moments. An intriguing excerpt from Manju Kapur's new novel The Gallery.
Direct to Home (DTH) operators could be asked to provide inter-operable set-top boxes to their customers with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) seeing prima facie merit in a complaint filed by a consumer organisation that it is in violation of competition laws.
JSW had moved competition watchdog alleging Asian Paints threatened various dealers from dealing with the company.
The central government is likely to notify the merger and acquisition (M&A) rules meant to operationalise M&A provisions prescribed under the Competition Act, 2002 by mid-April.
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Thursday issued notices over the petition filed by e-commerce major Amazon, challenging a recent order passed by the fair trade regulator CCI that suspended the over-two-year-old approval for its deal with Future Coupons Pvt Ltd (FCPL). The appellate tribunal has directed the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and FCPL to file their reply in next 10 days and Amazon to file a rejoinder over it. It has directed to list the matter on February 2, for next hearing.
The government has initiated the process to recruit the remaining two members of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), with an aim to make the anti-trust body fully functional by June 2009.
Charge relates to misuse of dominant position to sell spare parts at high rates.
Dutch brewing major Heineken on Wednesday said it has acquired an additional 14.98 per cent stake in United Breweries Ltd, taking its total shareholding to 61.50 per cent. "Heineken N.V. today (on Wednesday) announces that it has acquired an additional 39,644,346 ordinary shares in United Breweries Ltd (UBL) taking its shareholding in UBL from 46.5 per cent to 61.5 per cent," Heineken said in a statement. UBL, with its flagship brand 'Kingfisher', is the leading player in the beer market in India.
Google has also come under the scanner of competition watchdogs in other countries as well.
"Reaching an international agreement on how large digital companies are taxed has been a priority for the chancellor since he took office," said a spokesperson for his UK treasury office. "The chancellor's consistent position has been that it matters where tax is paid, and any agreement must ensure digital businesses pay tax in the UK that reflects their economic activities. That is what our taxpayers would expect and is the right thing," the spokesperson said.
The Delhi high court on Tuesday dismissed the pleas moved by Future Group companies seeking a direction to the arbitration tribunal, which is adjudicating on Amazon's objections against their deal with Reliance, to take a decision on their application for the termination of the arbitration proceedings before moving any further. "Both the petitions are dismissed," said Justice Amit Bansal, who had reserved the order on the petitions filed by Future Coupons Private Limited (FCPL) and Future Retail Limited (FRL) on January 3. The judge said the orders would be uploaded on the website of the high court shortly.
Some regulators are already unleashing their own algorithms to track and understand pricing software of e-commerce companies. While companies collude on pricing, governments are collaborating on curbing online malpractices. The legal liability of an algorithmic decision will be interpreted as legal liability of an entity of an individual. Anti-trust activities of algorithms will not go unchallenged in any economy.
India's largest cement firm, Ultratech Cement, has joined the race to acquire the Holcim stake in Ambuja Cements and its subsidiary, ACC. UltraTech - part of the Aditya Birla Group - submitted a non-binding bid on Wednesday. Swiss multinational Holcim, which manufactures building material, is exiting India by selling its 63.19% stake in Ambuja Cements. According to banking sources, UltraTech has submitted a plan to Holcim, outlining divestiture details that would meet the norms set by anti-trust body Competition Commission of India.
The offer is to close on April 26 and the price is fixed at Rs 1,440 a share.
Several banks and housing finance companies have come under the scanner of the competition watchdog for imposing penalty on pre-payment of loans.
The companies have postponed their open offer, too.
Fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Wednesday ordered a detailed probe into popular messaging platform WhatsApp's updated privacy policy and terms of service after finding that the 'exploitative and exclusionary conduct' in the garb of the policy update prima facie violated competition norms.
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Monday adjourned till February 25, the hearing on the plea of e-commerce major Amazon, seeking an interim stay over the order passed by fair trade regulator CCI, which suspended the over-two-year-old approval for its deal with Future Coupons Pvt Ltd (FCPL). When the matter was called for hearing, a two-member bench expressed its difficulties to take up the matter on Monday, as one of the members is retiring in the next four days, after completing his tenure. In this matter, NCLAT would also have to hear other parties such as fair trade regulator CCI, before passing an order and it would take some more time and then the retiring member would not be a part of the bench.
In a bid to assuage corporate India's fears over key aspects of the Competition Act, 2007, the Competition Commission of India has decided to ensure that 90 per cent merger and acquisition proposals put up for its approval are cleared within 60 days. The present timeline is 210 days.
Between 2011 and 2014, they indirectly determined the price of tyres in the market, says report
Tightening the norms, the government has done away with automatic approval of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the existing pharmaceutical companies.
Future Retail and its promoters have filed appeals before the division bench of the Delhi high court challenging the order passed on Tuesday that dismissed the Group's petitions for termination of the Amazon arbitration. The Delhi high court on Tuesday dismissed the pleas moved by Future Group companies seeking a direction to the arbitration tribunal, adjudicating Amazon's objections against Future Group's deal with Reliance, to take a decision on their application for terminating the arbitration proceedings before moving any further.
The CCI in an order dated February 26 approved Diageo's proposed majority stake purchase in Mallya-led United Spirits, saying the deal would not have adverse impact on competition.
Competition Commission of India is considering amnesty plan to bust cartels.
E-commerce major Amazon on Wednesday said it will acquire Prione Business Services - its joint venture firm with Catamaran, subject to requisite regulatory approvals. Prione Business Services was formed in 2014 and was coming up for renewal on May 19, 2022. In August this year, Amazon and NR Narayana Murthy's Catamaran announced that they will not continue their JV beyond May 2022. The two parties had not disclosed the reason behind the decision.
Are the big five using their dominance to shut out rivals? That is the key question, says Prosenjit Datta.
The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed the customs department against Adani Power Maharashtra Limited (APML), Adani Power Rajasthan Limited (APRL) and others in a case pertaining to alleged over-valuation of imported goods. "We have heard Balbir Singh, Additional Solicitor General appearing for the appellant(s), and Mukul Rohatgi, senior counsel appearing for the respondents, at length. "We are of the considered opinion that the matters are concluded by the findings of fact recorded by the authorities below and the impugned order(s) does not require any interference at our behest.
Reportedly, as per SAI, the complainant was immediately brought back to India mid-way through her training to ensure her safety. The SAI has prima facie found the allegation as true, it said.
A surge in taxi fares earlier led Maharashtra govt to set up committee to recommend prices for these players
The buy/sale agreement between the two parties is back in focus.
The investigation wing of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has cleared nine foreign airlines of cartelisation and abuse of dominant position charges, pressed by the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI).
As per the Competition Act, no merger should create entry barriers for competition.
His film Vishwaroopam is now likely to release on January 18.
'This encourages escapism through the politics and economics of nationalism, made worse by tribalism or nativism, the package accompanied inevitably by the erosion of institutional bulwarks and therefore State capture by powerful businessmen,' notes T N Ninan.
As many as 230 persons, including ex-Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla, former Corporate Affairs Secretary R Bandyopadhyay and other senior bureaucrats and eminent economists have lined up for the two high profile jobs at the country's anti-monopoly watchdog, Competition Commission of India (CCI).