After months of legal battle, Google has finally agreed to pay the sum in damages and settled the lawsuit, avoiding further controversy. This news serves as a formidable reminder for Big Tech companies to carefully consider their use of intellectual property and the possibility of facing costly legal action.
Attention young workers in the world of Big Tech and the big four! Some major news has been shaking up the industry recently and we’re here to keep you in the loop.
First up, Netflix has struck a mega-deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to exclusively stream its weekly headline show, Monday Night Raw, for the next 10 years. That’s right, starting in January 2025, Raw will only be available for streaming on Netflix in the UK, US, Canada, and Latin America, with other regions to be added later on. And it’s not cheap – Netflix will be paying a whopping USD$5 billion to air the show for a decade. In addition to this exciting announcement, Netflix also revealed that it gained a staggering 13.1 million new subscribers in the last quarter of 2023, making it their most successful fourth quarter yet for audience growth.
But that’s not all – with the regulations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) rolling out in Europe, Spotify has some big plans in the works. The popular music streaming platform is ready to break free from Apple’s restrictions and take control of its own destiny in the region. For years, Apple has imposed limitations on how apps like Spotify can operate, including preventing them from informing users about prices, lower-cost subscriptions, or deals. They also implemented a 30% tax on payments. But as of March 7th, thanks to the DMA, Spotify will now be able to allow users to buy and subscribe directly through their app, without being subject to the hefty tax.
But while Spotify is looking ahead to a brighter future, Google finds itself settling yet another lawsuit. This time, Singular Computing was seeking a massive sum of USD$1.67 billion in damages from the tech giant, claiming that Google used their technology without permission in various services such as Google Search, Gmail, and Google Translate. After months of legal battles, Google has agreed to pay the sum in damages and settle the lawsuit. This serves as a stark reminder for all Big Tech companies to be mindful of their use of intellectual property and the potential consequences of not doing so.
So there you have it, Big Tech enthusiasts – the latest developments from the biggest players in the industry. Keep an eye out for more exciting news and changes in the coming months as these companies continue to shake up the tech world.
