Trump Extends Deadline for US TikTok Sale to September

/in /tarafından

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday extended the deadline to September 17 for ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, to divest the app’s U.S. assets. This extension comes despite a law requiring the sale or shutdown of TikTok in the U.S. without significant progress.

Trump signed an executive order delaying the original deadline, which was set for Thursday, by 90 days—a move he had previously indicated.

The Republican president had already granted two extensions earlier, postponing enforcement of a law that mandated TikTok’s sale or shutdown by January, unless significant progress was made toward divestment.

Trump has expressed a desire to keep TikTok operational in the U.S., noting the app helped him gain young voters in the 2024 presidential election. He also voiced optimism that Chinese President Xi Jinping would approve a deal preserving TikTok’s presence in the U.S., although it is unclear how much the issue has been discussed amid ongoing tariff disputes between the two countries.

TikTok released a statement expressing gratitude for Trump’s support in keeping the app available. The company said it is continuing discussions with U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s office.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the extension provides “more time to make a good deal.” She added that legal experts at the White House and Department of Justice support the extension’s legality.

On Tuesday, Trump had indicated he would likely extend the deadline and expressed hope for China’s approval of the sale. “I think President Xi will ultimately approve it,” he said.

The 2024 law required TikTok to cease operations in the U.S. by January 19 unless ByteDance had divested U.S. assets or made substantial progress toward a sale. Trump, who began his second term on January 20, chose not to enforce the law and previously extended the deadline twice: once to early April and again last month to June 19.

Earlier this year, Trump offered to reduce tariffs on China to facilitate a deal for TikTok’s U.S. operations, which currently serve 170 million Americans. A planned deal would spin off TikTok’s U.S. business into a new company majority-owned by U.S. investors but was paused after China indicated it would not approve it amid tariff tensions.

Some Democratic lawmakers argue that Trump lacks legal authority to extend the deadline and question whether the proposed deal would comply with legal requirements.

BBC Threatens Legal Action Against AI Startup Perplexity Over Content Scraping, FT Reports

/in /tarafından

The BBC has threatened to take legal action against AI startup Perplexity, accusing the company of using BBC content to train its “default AI model,” according to the Financial Times report on Friday. This marks the British broadcaster as the latest news organization to allege content scraping by the AI firm.

The BBC may seek an injunction unless Perplexity stops scraping its content, deletes any existing copies used for AI training, and submits “a proposal for financial compensation” to address the alleged misuse of its intellectual property, the FT said, citing a letter sent to Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas.

The broadcaster confirmed the report in a statement to Reuters.

Perplexity has faced similar accusations from other media outlets including Forbes and Wired for plagiarizing their content. In response, the startup has launched a revenue-sharing program aimed at addressing publishers’ concerns.

In October last year, the New York Times sent Perplexity a “cease and desist” letter demanding the company stop using its content for generative AI.

Since the rise of ChatGPT, publishers have expressed concerns about AI chatbots combing the internet to extract information and generate summarized content for users.

According to the FT report, the BBC said parts of its content were reproduced verbatim by Perplexity, and links to the BBC website have appeared in the AI startup’s search results.

Perplexity described the BBC’s claims as “manipulative and opportunistic,” stating that the broadcaster has “a fundamental misunderstanding of technology, the internet and intellectual property law,” in a statement to Reuters.

Perplexity’s service provides information by searching the internet, similar to ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. The startup is backed by notable investors including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, AI leader Nvidia, and Japan’s SoftBank Group.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Perplexity is in advanced talks to raise $500 million in a funding round that would value the company at $14 billion.

Google Faces Setback as EU Court Adviser Supports Antitrust Regulators

/in /tarafından

Alphabet’s Google encountered a potential setback on Thursday after an adviser to Europe’s highest court sided with EU antitrust regulators over a landmark €4.34 billion ($4.98 billion) fine imposed seven years ago.

The European Commission ruled in 2018 that Google had abused its dominant position by using its Android mobile operating system to block competitors. While a lower court upheld the ruling in 2022, it slightly reduced the fine to €4.1 billion. Google subsequently appealed to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

Juliane Kokott, Advocate-General at the Luxembourg-based CJEU, issued a non-binding opinion recommending the court reject Google’s appeal and confirm the reduced fine. Kokott stated, “The legal arguments put forward by Google are ineffective.”

She dismissed Google’s claim that regulators should assess the situation by comparing Google with a hypothetical, equally efficient competitor. Kokott explained, “Google held a dominant position in several markets of the Android ecosystem and thus benefited from network effects that enabled it to ensure that users used Google Search.”

Judges typically follow the Advocate-General’s opinion in about 80% of cases. A final ruling is expected in the coming months.

Google responded by emphasizing Android’s role in creating choice and supporting businesses globally, expressing disappointment with the opinion. A spokesperson said, “If followed by the Court, [the opinion] would discourage investment in open platforms and harm Android users, partners, and app developers.”

The regulators’ investigation found Google had imposed illegal practices dating back to 2011, including requiring manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome browser alongside Google Play on Android devices. Google also paid manufacturers to pre-install only Google Search and prevented the use of rival Android systems.

Google’s Android runs on approximately 73% of the world’s smartphones, according to Statcounter.

This fine is part of a broader enforcement effort against Google, which has amassed €8.25 billion in penalties across three antitrust cases over the past decade, with additional investigations ongoing.

Case Reference: C-738/22 P Google and Alphabet v Commission