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  Thanks to corporate collusion, the European Union has reportedly earned a record amount of fines issued by regulators in what some reports say is the upside to cartel behavior.   The EU saw a record-setting year in 2013 for antitrust fines amounting to $2.5 billion in fines. In comparison, the US saw $1.02 billion in fines, and Chinese regulators collected $242 million. The figures were curated by law firm Allen & Overy.   Reports say the fines sanctioned y the European Commission get re-circulated into the European Union’s budget; this is good news for authorities who have been forced to scale back financial spending following complaints by the UK, Brussels and other EU members.   The largest fines for the Commission stemmed from its widespread probe into six major…

[JURIST] A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois [official website] on Monday struck down [opinion, PDF] part of Chicago's gun ordinance banning the licensed sale of firearms in the city, ruling that it was unconstitutional. In response to a 2010 lawsuit challenging the ordinance, the decision allows licensed firearms dealers to operate within the city and firearm owners to lawfully transfer ownership of their guns. US District Judge Edmond Chang found the city's arguments for retaining the ban unpersuasive and that it would not support its stated purpose of reducing gun violence. In his 35-page opinion, Chang wrote: Chicago's ordinance goes too far in outright banning legal buyers and legal dealers from engaging in lawful acquisitions and lawful sales of firearms, and at the same time the evidence…

Los criterios para interponer una demanda ante el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos (TEDH) se han endurecido desde que el pasado 1 de enero entró en vigor la nueva norma 47 del TEDH. Esta modificación, diseñada para mejorar la eficacia del Tribunal y acelerar el examen de las demandas, introduce dos cambios significativos que determinarán si una demanda es asignada a una formación judicial o si es rechazada, sin ni siquiera ser considerada por el Tribunal. El primero de los cambios afecta a la información y a los documentos facilitados al Tribunal para posibilitar el examen de la demanda. Cualquier formulario enviado al TEDH deberá ser completado en su totalidad y acompañado por copias de los documentos relevantes. Así, cualquier documento incompleto será rechazado por el Tribunal, tal y como…

  Texas officials are seeking to revive a state requirement that abortion doctors to affiliate with  local hospitals by overturning a federal judge’s finding that  the measure isn’t medically necessary and places an  unconstitutional burden on women seeking to end pregnancies.   The state was allowed by the U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans to enforce the requirement while it appeals the lower-court ruling, spurring some clinics to stop abortions and sending doctors scurrying to acquire credentials from nearby hospitals. Abortion rights advocates who sued to block the law are set to ask the appeals court today to uphold the lower court and immediately ban the hospital affiliation mandate.   “The admitting-privileges requirement would have an unprecedented and devastating effect on access to abortion,” Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers…

  Facebook Inc. (FB) was sued over allegations it systematically intercepts its users private messages on the social network and profits by sharing the data with advertisers and marketers. When users compose messages that include links to a third-party website, Facebook scans the content of the message, follows the link and searches for information to profile the message-sender’s Web activity, violating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and California privacy and unfair competition laws, according to the suit.   The practice compromises privacy and undermines Facebook’s promise of “unprecedented” security options for its messaging function, two Facebook users said in the complaint filed in federal court in San Jose, California.   Lawsuits against Internet companies and social networks are multiplying as use of the Web balloons and users become more aware of how much personal…

  Amid heavy speculation about a possible buyout of the fourth-largest wireless operator, T-Mobile announced Monday it has entered into an agreement to acquire spectrum from top rival Verizon Wireless in a $3.3 billion deal.   Reports say T-Mobile, which is majority owned by Deutsche Telekom, will pay $2.36 billion in cash for $950 million worth of airwaves. Reports first announced last November that T-Mobile was looking into a spectrum buyout from Verizon.   According to T-Mobile, the spectrum will be in use within the fourth quarter of this year, though the deal remains subject to regulatory clearance.   The spectrum grab comes just weeks after speculation boomed that rival Sprint could be looking to acquire T-Mobile, its closest rival. Softbank is also rumored to be close to making an…

  Spain telecom giant Telefonica shot down rumors it was headed towards a joint buyout bid to acquire Brazil-based Tim this week, say reports.   Telefonica denied Monday any plans to make an offer for Tim, owned by Telecom Italia, rumored to be in the works with Brazil-based competitors America Movil and Oi. The firms were said to be planning a joint acquisition to subsequently break up Tim Brasil.   But Telefonica denied even discussing such a deal with Brazil competition authority CADE.   Telefonica is under intense scrutiny by CADE as it plans to eventually acquire investment vehicle Telco, giving Telefonica ownership of Telecom Italia and, as a result, Tim Brasil.

Ouça aqui a íntegra da entrevista concedida no último dia 30/12 por Fábio Medina Osório à CBN de João Pessoa (PB) no quadro "Direto ao Direito", da jornalista Edileide Vilaça.

Google may be in hot water with the Canadian government. The Canadian Competition Bureau commenced investigations into the Mountain View giant's practices in regards to search results and antitrust laws in the country and they don’t seem to pleased with the outcomes of the  investigation. Documents have been filed with the Federal Court of Canada and they seem to suggest that Google is controlling a market that is related to search and advertising. This raises eyebrows as to whether Google is violating antitrust laws in the Great White North. The documents that have been presented to the courts in Canada suggest that Google may have been violating antitrust laws by favoring their own products within their search results and by also preventing users from exporting data from their Google Adwords…

La Sala de lo Contencioso-Administrativo del Tribunal Supremo ha dictado dos sentencias que confirman que las cinco grandes eléctricas de España deben financiar el déficit tarifario, al ser las principales del mercado español y haberse beneficiado en el pasado de la compensación de los llamados Costes de Transición a la Competencia. El pleno de la Sala de lo Contencioso-Administrativo del Alto Tribunal rechaza en estas resoluciones los recursos interpuestos por Endesa y Gas Natural, y confirma las sentencias dictadas por la Audiencia Nacional el pasado enero. Las sentencias han tenido como ponente al magistrado Pablo Lucas (recurso de Endesa) y a Nicolás Maurandi (recurso de Gas Natural).   En ellas, el Supremo descarta que se hayan vulnerado los derechos fundamentales reconocidos en los artículos 14 y 24 de la Constitución.…