Google has filed a writ petition with the Delhi High Court against the Competition Commission of India (CCI) following the alleged leak of a confidential report that relates to the competition regulator’s ongoing investigation into the dominance of the search engine’s Android operating system.

On September 18, a confidential interim fact-finding report submitted by the CCI director general’s office to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) relating to an ongoing investigation into Google’s Android smartphone agreements was leaked to the press, the technology giant has said.

Google has not yet received or reviewed this confidential report.

The news story being referred to said the DG’s report found the American search and tech giant “guilty of adopting anti-competitive, unfair and restrictive trade practices in the mobile operating system and related markets”.

On Thursday, Google filed the writ petition seeking redress in this matter, specifically protesting the breach of confidence, which impairs Google’s ability to defend itself and harms its and its partners.

“We are deeply concerned that the Director General’s Report, which contains our confidential information in an ongoing case, was leaked to the media while in the CCI’s custody. Protecting confidential information is fundamental to any governmental investigation, and we are pursuing our legal right to seek redress and prevent any further unlawful disclosures. We cooperated fully and maintained confidentiality throughout the investigative process, and we hope and expect the same level of confidentiality from the institutions we engage with,” said a Google spokesperson.

The DG’s findings do not reflect the final decision of the CCI and the submission of the report is an interim procedural step. Google has not yet had the opportunity to review the DG’s findings, much less submit its defence of any allegations, the firm said in its statement.

The CCI did not respond to a request for comment.

Read Complete Article

Apple Inc. may have to redesign its iPhones to use USB-C charging ports under draft rules from the European Union aimed at cutting waste and simplifying life for consumers owning multiple devices.

The European Commission said Thursday it wants a single type of charging port to be used for all smartphones and tablets as well as equipment such as cameras, some headphones, portable speakers and handheld video consoles.

“With more and more devices, more and more chargers are sold that are not interchangeable or not necessary,” said Thierry Breton, the EU’s industry chief, in an emailed statement. “We are putting an end to that.”

Apple opposes a standard connector, saying it risks hurting innovation that can bring more energy efficient products to the market. The draft legislation adds to intense pressure from the EU in recent years with antitrust probes into its app store and payment system adding to a legal row over a massive back-tax order.

Apple is “concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it,” according to an emailed statement. The Cupertino, California-based company said it “deeply cares about the customer experience” and shares the commission’s “commitment to protecting the environment.”

Read Complete Article

Search engine giant Google has confirmed that the Locked Folder in Photos is set to arrive on all Android devices soon.

The feature was released exclusively on newer Pixel phones in June. Google hasn’t provided an exact date for when the feature is releasing more widely, reports The Verge.

The Photos Locked Folder will roll out soon to devices running Android 6.0 and newer. Once it is live, users will be able to set up this folder after they receive a notification from Google Photos.

Google Photos Locked Folder hides selected pictures/videos from the application’s main grid, search, and “apps that access your device photos.”

Additionally, these photos will not be backed up or shared and require a device screen lock to access. Even users will not be allowed to take screenshots when they are inside a secure space.

“With Locked Folder in @googlephotos, you can add photos to a passcode protected space and they won’t show up as you scroll through photos or other apps on your phone. Locked Folder is launching first on Google Pixel, and more Android devices throughout the year,” the firm said in a tweet earlier.

One can set up a Locked Folder by going to Library > Utilities > Locked Folder in the Google Photos app.

Read Complete Article

India’s biggest electric-scooter maker has called for the nation to end sales of gasoline-powered two wheelers by 2027 to speed up a switch to clean vehicles that has fallen behind other countries like China.

“2027 would be a good time for new sales to be 100% electric,” Naveen Munjal, managing director of Hero Electric Vehicles Pvt., said in an interview. “If we leave it to market forces then things come along at their own pace and the transition will be much slower than what it could be.”

India’s shift to electric vehicles has been hampered by high prices and a lack of charging infrastructure. Whereas China accounts for 97% of the world’s e-scooter fleet, they make up less than 1% of total sales in India, according to BloombergNEF. Replacing gasoline two-wheelers is key to tackling some of the world’s most toxic air because they are more polluting than cars, yet comprise 75% of the 296 million vehicles on the nation’s roads as of 2019.

A stricter mandate for electrification will force local automakers to make the switch faster. Hero MotoCorp Ltd., the world’s largest maker of motorcycles, will launch its first e-scooter by March 2022. Bajaj Auto Ltd. plans to start deliveries of its Chetak electric scooter by the second quarter of next year and will set up a unit to make electric and hybrid models. TVS Motor Co. sells just one electric model, named iQube, in New Delhi and Bangalore, and plans to expand to 20 more Indian cities.

“Once the goals are in place, companies will start planning backwards in terms of supply chain, re-skilling, infrastructure requirements and financial implications,” Munjal said. “The whole ecosystem begins to fall in place once you know what goals are.”

Founded in 2007, Hero Electric is competing with startup Ola Electric Mobility Pvt. and Hero MotoCorp, a separate company whose chairman is Munjal’s uncle.

Ola Electric, backed by SoftBank Group Corp. and Tiger Global LP, is building the world’s largest two-wheeler factory, and last week sold about 6 billion rupees’ ($82 million) of e-scooters on the first day orders opened.

Read Complete Article

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 23 (ANI/NewsVoir): Endorsements have seen a meteoric rise in the last couple of years both online and offline. The concept of celebrity endorsement in the Indian marketing and advertising industry is deep rooted.

The reason behind the success is also straightforward. People in India idolize celebrities, and when renowned personalities associate themselves with a product, people aspire to achieve that.

With a whirlwind of agencies that are now in the market catering to endorsements, it is only natural that brands are spoilt for choice. That is not to say that there is no space in the market, with a number of agencies working towards the same goal, M5 Entertainment has understood the need to cater to different verticals to fill the gaps.

Talking on the endorsements, Sonya V Kapoor, said, “M5 main vertical looks into endorsements big or small. We do a variety of them basis the brands needs and budgets. We cater to each and every brands requirements and guide them accordingly. The two biggest gaps that we fill are in terms of price sensitivity and total transparency.”

“We don’t push one talent – we push multiple and we negotiate on behalf of brands. We guide them how to close a celebrity in their budgets and realistically giving them budget possibilities. Secondly, the transparency of deal – we make it so easy and straightforward that brands don’t have to wonder where the money went,” concluded Amrita Mendonza.

The key to the success of any agency is the ability to fitting the right talent with the right brand while precariously balancing the needs of everyone involves. It is a game that everyone must win.

Read Complete Article

Global automakers could lose $210 billion in revenue this year because of supply chain disruptions, nearly double a forecast earlier this year, consulting firm Alixpartners said Thursday.

A shortage of semiconductors is just part of the problem, Alixpartners said in a new forecast. High prices and tight supplies of commodities such as steel and plastic resin are driving up costs and forcing automakers to curtail production.

Automakers are on track to lose production of 7.7 million vehicles in 2021, according to the new forecast. Alixpartners advises automakers on supply chain and other issues.

In May, the firm predicted automakers would lose $110 billion in revenue and fall 3.9 million vehicles short of production plans for the year.

The dour new forecast comes amid warnings from automakers and commercial truck manufacturers that semiconductor shortages and commodity price spikes are not easing as 2021 heads into its final months, as industry executives had hoped they would. read more

Last week, IHS Markit (INFO.N) slashed its global auto industry production outlook for 2021 and 2022.

In the US market, vehicle sales have begun to slow because inventories on dealer lots are around 20 days’ supply, less than half the normal levels, said Dan Hearsch, a managing director in Alixpartners auto practice.

“We had originally assumed we would get back to normal and claw back volume” in the fourth quarter, Hearsch told Reuters. “That is not going to happen.”

Read Complete Article

The truth is that smartphones peaked a few years ago.

After so many advances, the miniature computers have reached incredible speeds, their screens have become bigger and brighter, and their cameras produce images that make amateur photographers look like wizards.

The problem with so much great innovation is that upgrades are now so iterative that it has become difficult to know what to write about them each year. That’s especially the case with Apple’s iPhone 13, which may be the most incremental update ever to the iPhone.

The newest iPhone is just 10 per cent faster than last year’s models. (For context, in 2015, the iPhone 6S was more than 70 per cent faster than its predecessor, the iPhone 6.) Its flashiest new feature, a higher screen “refresh rate” on the $1,000-plus models, makes motion look smoother when opening apps and scrolling through text — hardly a game changer.

Innovations on smartphone cameras also appear to be slowing. Apple executives described the iPhone 13 cameras as “dramatically more powerful” and the iPhone’s “most advanced” ever, largely because they can capture more light and reduce noise. But in my tests, the improvements were marginal.

This is all to say the annual phone upgrade, which companies like Apple and Samsung tout with enormous marketing events and ad campaigns to gin up sales for the holiday shopping season, has become a mirage of tech innovation. In reality, the upgrades are now a celebration of capitalism in the form of ruthless incrementalism.

Read Complete Article

The Board of Directors of ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) unanimously provided an in-principle approval for the merger between Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) & ZEEL.SPNI will also infuse growth capital into SPNI as part of the merger such that SPNI has approximately $1.575 billion at closing, for pursuing other growth opportunities.Basis the existing estimated equity values of ZEEL and SPNI, the indicative merger ratio would have been 61.25% in favour of ZEEL. However, with the proposed infusion of growth capital into SPNI, the resultant merger ratio is expected to result in 47.07% of the merged entity being held by ZEEL shareholders and the remaining 52.93% of the merged entity being held by SPNI shareholders.In a statement, Zee said its board has evaluated the merger not only on financial parameters, but also on the strategic value which Sony brings to the table. The board concluded that the merger will be in the best interest of all the shareholders & stakeholders. The merger is in line with ZEEL’s strategy of achieving higher growth and profitability as a leading media & entertainment company across South Asia. The board has authorised the management of ZEEL to initiate the required due diligence process.The shareholders of Sony will hold a majority stake in the merged entity. The shareholders of ZEEL & SPNI have entered into a non-binding term sheet to combine both companies’ linear networks, digital assets, production operations and program libraries.

The term sheet provides an exclusive period of 90 days during which ZEEL and SPNI will conduct mutual diligence and finalize definitive agreement. The merged entity will be a publicly listed company in India.

Read Complete Article

Indians are all set to celebrate the festive season with a larger online shopping budget compared to last year. Almost 68% of the respondents plan to shop online this festive season, with 43% of Indians increasing their online shopping budgets this year, and parallelly, 39% decreasing their offline shopping budgets, said an InMobi report.

The report “Decoding the 2021 Festive Shopper” reveals that connected consumers in India plan to spend Rs 21,230 on average, 42% higher than last year. Clothing and accessories, personal-use gadgets, and home appliances top the charts as most popular shopping categories.

InMobi surveyed over 2500 smartphone users across 80 tier-1, tier-2, and tier-3 cities and clusters in India using its consumer intelligence platform Pulse, to throw light on consumer preferences, shopping patterns, peak-shopping timelines, and device usage patterns.

Additionally, 1 in 3 respondents that hail from tier-2 and tier-3 cities claim to be first-time online shoppers.

Vasuta Agarwal, MD-Asia Pacific, at InMobi, shared, “The festive season always remains about larger-than-life emotions, get-togethers, and a plethora of traditions. Amongst all this constancy, mobile has emerged as the medium for connected consumers to learn, explore, communicate, and buy. Our research shows that over 60% of respondents use their mobile to research, explore, or make the final purchase. This makes it extremely critical for brands to be mobile-first in their festive strategy to win the connected festive shopper this year.”

Read Complete Article

China Evergrande Group’s (3333.HK) main unit said on Wednesday that it would make a bond interest payment on Sept. 23 after private negotiations with bondholders, as global investors worry over a possible default by China’s No. 2 property developer.

In a Shenzhen exchange filing, Hengda Real Estate Group Co Ltd said the company would make a coupon payment on its Shenzhen-traded 5.8% September 2025 bond on time on Thursday.

The company did not detail its plan for interest payments, saying only that the bond “has already been resolved through private negotiations.”

The company’s coupon payment totals 232 million yuan ($35.88 million), according to Refinitiv data.

Evergrande is also due to make an $83.53 million coupon payment on an offshore dollar bond on Thursday. The Shenzhen exchange filing did not mention the offshore bond.

Read Complete Article