A PYMNTS Company

EU: Apple cleared to buy Shazam

By  |  September 6, 2018

Apple is free to complete its purchase of music identification app Shazam, EU regulators said Thursday, September 6, in a boost for Apple’s Music and Siri segments, reported Bloomberg.

“Data is key in the digital economy. We must therefore carefully review transactions which lead to the acquisition of important sets of data, including potentially commercially sensitive ones, to ensure they do not restrict competition,” EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. “After thoroughly analyzing Shazam’s user and music data, we found that their acquisition by Apple would not reduce competition in the digital music streaming market.”

Europe’s antitrust enforcers are increasingly concerned about how technology companies use data, reported Bloomberg. Facebook was fined last year for failing to disclose to merger watchdogs that it could combine its own data with that of messaging app WhatsApp.

Full Content: Bloomberg, European Commission

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.