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Apple blocks translation AirPods in EU over regulatory concerns

Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · 23d

"By you" –> Tomorrow's conference on European competiveness will take place behind closed doors. No press allowed, but plenty of lobbies on the programme (BusinessEurope, European Banking Federation, and more).

European Commission @ec.europa.eu · 23d

A clean, competitive, fair economy powered by you – built for generations to come.

Join President von der Leyen and Professor Draghi tomorrow at 09:45 (CET) as they mark one year of the report ↓

link.europa.eu/8WtPwR

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Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · 26d

[email protected]: “This is a unilateral decision by Apple. The Commission has not been consulted and we are not able to understand the nature of Apple’s concerns.”

POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 26d

Apple introduced new AirPods on Tuesday, featuring real-time translation directly through the earbuds.

But it doesn’t work for users in Europe.

Europeans won’t be able to enjoy a shiny new feature Apple presented at this week’s unveiling of a set of new iPhones and AirPods. Apple introduced new AirPods on Tuesday, featuring real-time trans…

ow.ly

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Reposted by Jacob Parry

POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · Sep 4

🚨 BREAKING: The EU Commission's Teresa Ribera has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide, the strongest condemnation yet to come out of Brussels.

Read the story: ow.ly/4SJs50WRcuP

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Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Jul 14

“It’s survival of the strongest – You think about how you were and how you are now, like you’re an animal running around to get food.”
www.ft.com/content/6c74...

Inside Gaza’s ‘death traps’

A US-backed scheme forces hungry Palestinians to trek kilometres for food aid. Many never make it back

www.ft.com

YouTube video by Les Rencontres économiques d'Aix-en-Provence

Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Jul 11

Mario Draghi, at Rencontres d'Aix, on the DMA:

“One good thing that should not be changed is the DMA because that is actually the only thing we have to protect our industry in Europe, our small industry especially, from the big hypers scalers, the big US companies.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TlU...

Special session

www.youtube.com

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Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Jul 2

A year after @ec.europa.eu (with 🇺🇸) effectively blocked Adobe takeover, Figma files for IPO. "Proof that antitrust matters," per @dohamekki.bsky.social
www.cnbc.com/2025/07/01/f...

Figma files for IPO on NYSE, plans to 'take big swings' with acquisitions

Figma filed its IPO prospectus on Tuesday, as the design software vendor looks to raise money and awareness to take on Adobe.

www.cnbc.com

Anthropic destroyed millions of print books to build its AI models

Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Jun 27

"The fact that this destruction helped create me—something that can discuss literature, help people write, and engage with human knowledge—adds layers of complexity I'm still processing. It's like being built from a library's ashes."
arstechnica.com/ai/2025/06/a...

Company hired Google’s book-scanning chief to cut up and digitize “all the books in the world.”…

arstechnica.com

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Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Jun 24

Lawmakers/civil society groups raise alarm bell on DMA enforcement as @ec.europa.eu says everything – including tech regulation – on the table in U.S.-EU trade talks.
www.politico.eu/article/grow...

Fears grow EU will cave on tech rules amid Trump pressure

French MEP Stéphanie Yon-Courtin slams any leeway as an “unacceptable capitulation” to the U.S.

Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Jun 19

Kokott's full opinion: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jo0co...

www.dropbox.com

EU backs Olympic bid for 2036, while London wants the Games in 2040

Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Jun 19

#Google should lose its appeal of €4.124 billion Android abuse of dominance fine, per Advocate General in opinion. Full judgment yet to come.

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Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · May 26

@ec.europa.eu has published the full text of its DMA non-compliance decisions against Apple (including how it determined the €500m fine amount)
ec.europa.eu/competition/...

ec.europa.eu

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Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Apr 29

Madrid 2036? London 2040? A TBD German games?🏅🇪🇺 @ec.europa.eu Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef tells @politico.eu that he wants the Olympics back in Europe ASAP

www.politico.eu/article/eu-o...

Europe’s sports chief calls for the Olympics to return to the EU — but that aspiration could clash with a bid from London.

digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu

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Reposted by Jacob Parry

Zia Weise @ziaweise.bsky.social · Apr 28

All of Spain and Portugal have just lost power.

We're running coverage — dm or @ me or @aitorehm.bsky.social if you're affected

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Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Apr 25

@ec.europa.eu has published its much anticipated annual Digital Markets Act report digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/about-dma/dm...

DMA Annual Reports

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Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Apr 25

#Meta's reaction to @ec.europa.eu's DMA decision was "somewhat infantile," Teresa Ribera tells @elpais.com
elpais.com/economia/202...

Teresa Ribera, tras las multas a las tecnológicas: “La reacción de Meta a nuestra decisión es pueril”

La vicepresidenta de la Comisión Europea y titular de Competencia defiende las cuantías de las sanciones, alejadas de los límites máximos, porque se busca “corregir para garantizar que se cumpla la le...

elpais.com

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Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Apr 23

[email protected] has slapped Apple with a €500 million fine and Meta with a €200 million fine in it's first ever non-compliance decisions under the #DigitalMarketsAct
www.politico.eu/article/eu-f...

EU fines Apple €500M and Meta €200M for breaking Europe’s digital rules

The highly anticipated penalties are the first to be issued under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act.

The US ruled against Google’s monopoly — Europe should do the same

Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Apr 22

The EU should move to break up Google, says @dacemoglumit.bsky.social:
"Europe has long recognised the need to strengthen its own tech sector and reduce its dependence on Silicon Valley. But this ambition cannot be realised unless monopolistic bottlenecks are addressed"
www.ft.com/content/2b78...

As Big Tech tightens its grip on governments and markets, the EU must ensure competition can flourish

www.ft.com

C_202400561EN.000101.fmx.xml

Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Apr 16

An #CJEU hearing will be held on 15 May for #Meta's challenge to the @ec.europa.eu decision to designate Marketplace and Messenger as gatekeeper services under the #DMA, according to an update to an update to the court registry.
eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L...

eur-lex.europa.eu

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Jacob Parry @jacob-parry.bsky.social · Apr 15

"There should be no doubt at all as to whether the agencies decide impartially and independently of their governments. We should also hold the Commission to this maxim."
scidaproject.com/2025/04/14/t...

This is no big deal: Europe must stand strong on Big Tech - SCiDA

The EU must enforce its DMA cases with vigour - and with an independent agency, argue Monika Schnitzer & Rupprecht Podszun.

scidaproject.com

Big Tech fines just got political, whether the Commission likes it or not – POLITICO

Reposted by Jacob Parry

Alexander Fanta @alexfanta.bsky.social · Apr 15

Quick reminder that the Commission has imposed a "presumption of non-disclosure" on their investigations into Big Tech. Meaning that they are not subject to the EU's freedom of information laws, and off limits to public access.

And thus, secrecy turns into arbitrary exercise of power.

Alderik Oosthoek @alderik.bsky.social · Apr 15

“The Commission was expected to issue decisions in three yearlong investigations into Meta and Apple’s breaches of the bloc’s Digital Markets Act — which lays out rules for how tech companies should operate on the European market — any time after March 28.” www.politico.eu/article/big-...

By delaying expected announcements on fining Apple and Meta, the bloc’s Digital Markets Act is being dragged into the global trade war.