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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1293839" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="clubhouse">Clubhouse</keyword> said it settled a <keyword id="6388866" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trademark">trademark</keyword> case brought by the owners of TheClubhouse.</li><li>Clubhouse owner Alpha Exploration Co. had a Monday deadline to file a response to the May lawsuit.</li><li>The companies reached an amicable resolution, a lawyer for TheClubhouse said. </li></ul>Clubhouse reached an undisclosed settlement with <keyword id="11863718" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sbs-consulting">SBS Consulting</keyword> Group, which had sued over its trademark "TheClubhouse."Lawyers representing both companies filed a joint notice in federal court in <keyword id="57493" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Arizona">Arizona</keyword> saying they'd reached a settlement agreement. SBS Consulting said in a Tuesday filing it had dismissed its complaint, the filing said. SBS Consulting in May <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/clubhouse-sued-trademark-infringement-sports-networking-firm-sbs-consulting-2021-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">filed a lawsuit</a> that said Alpha Exploration Co., Clubhouse's parent company, had infringed on its federal trademark. The deadline for Clubhouse's response to the lawsuit had been extended to Monday, August 9.A lawyer for SBS Consulting, James P. Muraff, of McDonald Hopkins in Chicago, said via email that the settlement was an amicable resolution. Under the settlement terms, the parties were unable to discuss details. SBS Consulting said in its Tuesday filing that the parties had agreed to bear their own lawyers' fees and costs. SBS Consulting's website "TheClubhouse" is a networking site for sports business professionals. The company said in its May filing that the buzzy audio app Clubhouse had infringed on that name."It is interesting that Clubhouse, a company valued at <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/clubhouse-andreessen-horowitz-funding-round-valuation-2021-4">$4 billion</a>, has no registered trademark and appears not to have even applied for registration in the US," Christine Haight Farley, a professor at American University Washington College of <keyword id="6355470" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="law">Law</keyword>, told Insider at the time. Insider reached out to Clubhouse for comment.

Clubhouse reaches undisclosed settlement with the owner of a sports-networking site, which sued the audio app for trademark infringement

Sydney, June 22 (IANS) After Facebook rejecting a call from the Australian government to pay media companies for using their content, public broadcasters ABC and SBS have sought direct payments from Google and Facebook for using their content under the upcoming mandatory code of conduct for online platforms. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Monday that the move by the public broadcasters may upset commercial media companies, which argue the two public broadcasters shouldn't be compensated. SBS argued that a collective bargaining agreement is the best option to negotiate with the digital platforms. "The bargaining power between major digital platform operators and news media organisations must be appropriately balanced so news providers are adequately compensated for their content and have access to the information needed to best serve their audiences," a spokesperson told the Herald and The Age. The government had ordered the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to develop a mandatory code of conduct for Facebook and Google that will force the tech giants to pay media companies for using their content. In response to a concepts paper released by the competition watchdog, Facebook said earlast week it would not affect its revenue if news were not available on its service. "If there were no news content available on Facebook in Australia, we are confident the impact on Facebook''s community metrics and revenues in Australia would not be significant because news content is highly substitutable and most users do not come to Facebook with the intention of viewing news," the company said in a response. A draft mandatory code is scheduled to be released for consultation by July end. The mandatory code of conduct "will cover issues including the sharing of data, ranking of news content online and the sharing of revenue generated from news". It will be enforced through penalties and sanctions and will include a binding dispute resolution process. "Australia needs a strong and sustainable news media ecosystem and the government recognises the importance of public interest journalism," Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said earlier. Following suggestions that online platforms should be forced to pay publishers in Australia AU$600 million or more every year, Google said earlier this month that the direct economic value it gets from News content in Search is "very small". "The bulk of our revenue comes not from news queries, but from queries with commercial intent, as when someone searches for 'running shoes' and then clicks on an ad," said the company. --IANS na/

ABC, SBS want Google, Facebook to directly pay for using their content

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1293839" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="clubhouse">Clubhouse</keyword> has been sued for <keyword id="6388866" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trademark">trademark</keyword> infringement by an <keyword id="57493" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Arizona">Arizona</keyword> company running "TheClubhouse."</li><li>Alpha Exploration Co., which launched Clubhouse, hasn't trademarked the name, experts said.</li><li>The complaint sought to bar Alpha Exploration Co. from using the name for its <keyword id="235499" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="APP">app</keyword>.</li></ul>A trademark <keyword id="6377259" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lawsuit">lawsuit</keyword> filed against audio-chat app Clubhouse raised questions about whether the company sought to protect its name via a US trademark. "It is interesting that Clubhouse, a company valued at <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/clubhouse-andreessen-horowitz-funding-round-valuation-2021-4">$4 billion</a>, has no registered trademark and appears not to have even applied for registration in the US," said Christine Haight Farley, a professor at American University Washington College of <keyword id="6355470" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="law">Law</keyword>.Alpha Exploration Co., which launched the invite-only Clubhouse app last spring, was issued a summons last week, according to court documents.SBS Consulting Group said in its complaint that the Clubhouse app infringed on the trademark it received for "TheClubhouse," a networking site for sports business professionals. The complaint sought a trial and damages. It also sought to bar Alpha Exploration Co. from using the name for its app.The complaint, filed in US district court in Arizona, said the overlap between the two services included both content and features.The sports consulting firm's website listed more than a hundred clients at the NBA, MLB, NHL, and other pro sports leagues. Its complaint included screenshots of the Clubhouse app, which had rooms titled "Pro Sports Network" and "Sports Biz Professionals.""Included in AEC's 'CLUBHOUSE' topics of interests and clubs are a variety of networking, career growth, and sports business categories selections," the complaint said. The Chicago law firm representing SBS Consulting Group declined to comment on the complaint. Clubhouse didn't respond to a request for comment.<div type="image" title="Clubhouse audio app Reuters February 2021 fingers iPhone.JPG" height="2648" width="3968" msid="82682743" hostid="261"></div>Clubhouse downloads skyrocketed this year, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/clubhouse-downloads-900000-in-april-2021-5">hitting 9.6 million</a> in February, before declining in the months since, according to Sensor Tower. Last week, it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/clubhouse-launches-android-app-downloads-falling-2021-5">launched an Android version</a> of its app.It's common for a quickly growing company like Clubhouse to attract lawsuits, some of which may be opportunistic or without merit, said Michael Atkins, a Seattle trademark lawyer, who teaches at the University of Washington School of Law.SBS Consulting Group launched its "TheClubhouse" site in November 2018. It filed its registration for "THECLUBHOUSE" in May 2019 and the trademark was granted in December of that year. On its website, the name is styled as "theClubhouse." Because the Clubhouse app was the second to the market with its Clubhouse name, the case will center on whether there was the possibility for "reverse confusion." That's when a smaller company trademarks its name, which subsequently gets confused by consumers with a newer, bigger rival. "By flooding the market with advertising and superior name recognition, it really deprives the first mover of the ability to exploit and grow their trademark, because everyone now is thinking that their trademark is the more well-known company's trademark," Atkins said via phone from Spain, where he's waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic. <div type="image" title="SBS Consulting Group's TheClubhouse Networking Site" height="994" width="1325" msid="82682746" hostid="261"></div>The complaint noted that Alpha Exploration Co. hadn't submitted an application for its name. It added that the company's executives would have found SBS Consulting Group's trademark if they had searched the <a href="https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/search">government's trademark database</a>.In addition, the complaint said Alpha Exploration Co. seemed to have either "willfully blinded itself" or "acted willfully and intentionally" to infringe on the trademark. Experts who spoke to Insider were undecided on whether the complaint from SBS Consulting Group had merit. "On the one hand, these two companies seem like they have some plausible overlap in terms of their services," said Mark P. McKenna, a professor at Notre Dame Law School. He added: "On the other hand, 'TheClubhouse' seems like a pretty weak mark to me - there are a lot of companies using some version of 'clubhouse' for different kinds of things, so we'd need to think the conflict between these two was pretty significant for there to be a claim."Haight Farley, of American University, said the SBS Consulting Group's trademark was the "most problematic" of several "clubhouse" trademarks, because their products had the most in common with the Clubhouse app."Essentially, each company provides a digital space for users to meet," she said. "But beyond that the similarities end."Atkins compared the lawsuit with a landmark "reverse confusion" case from the 1990s, when A&amp;H Sportswear Co. successfully sued bigger rival Victoria's Secret. The smaller company made Miraclesuit swimwear. <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/926/1233/2271129/">It argued</a> that Victoria's Secret had infringed on its trademark with products like The Miracle Bra. "They might be hoping for a payday to make that problem go away for Clubhouse," Atkins said. "Also, it could be legitimate in terms of that reverse confusion scenario."It's not too late for Clubhouse to file for its own trademark, he added.

Clubhouse is being sued for trademark infringement by a sports networking site. Experts are divided on whether the case will succeed.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="72226" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="New-York-City">New York City</keyword> will officially recognize LGBT-owned businesses as part of its certification program.</li><li>That means that LGBT-owned business will have access to resources like mentorship and consulting, as well as the opportunity to be suppliers for <keyword id="627677" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="government-contracts">government contracts</keyword>.</li><li>Currently, the city has a 10-year goal to award $25 billion in contracts to women and minority-owned businesses, a group that now includes LGBT-owned businesses.</li></ul>LGBT-owned businesses will now be officially recognized by New York City as minority-owned businesses, qualifying them for resources like mentorship and consulting - and, significantly, as suppliers for government contracts.In conjunction with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), New York City's Department of <keyword id="6359222" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Small-Business">Small Business</keyword> Services will fast-track LGBT businesses into its <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/site/sbs/businesses/certify-with-the-city.page">certification programs</a>. Those certification programs were already open to minority and women-owned businesses, as well as historically economically and socially disadvantaged individuals. The city has a 10 year goal to award $25 billion in contracts to those certified businesses by 2025. <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/587-20/de-blasio-administration-reaches-10-000-city-certified-m-wbes">An August press release</a> said that the city is on track to award 30% of all contracts to minority and women-owned businesses in 2021. The city awarded $964 million in contracts during the first three quarters of 2020.Now, those opportunities will be open to majority LBGT-owned businesses <a href="https://www.nglcc.org/get-certified">certified with NGLCC</a>. Justin Nelson, the president and cofounder of NGLCC, said New York has been a priority for the group for nearly 10 years. The group saw victories on the other side of the Hudson in Hoboken and Jersey City, but they just couldn't get across the finish line in NYC - until today."This is, without a doubt, a major win for LGBT businesses, a major win for NGLCC," he said. He added that it's "one of the most diverse cities in the world saying, 'You know what, yes, we want to be inclusive, not just in our policies, but in our practices.'" In 2019, <a href="https://cbcny.org/research/new-york-city-spending-growth">New York City spent $96 billion</a>; while not all of that will go to small businesses, Nelson said "there are literally billions of dollars of opportunity that have been opened up now to LGBT businesses that weren't there yesterday.""Equity of access and inclusion are at the core of the work we do at SBS," Jonnel Doris, commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services, said in a statement. "A diverse vendor pool makes a stronger New York City, and we are excited to maximize the inclusion of LGBTQ certified firms into the City's certification process. We look forward to our continued partnership with the NGLCC."A recent survey by the NGLCC found that nearly 59% of LGBT businesses fear shutting down due to COVID if they don't receive any additional funds, according to Nelson. <a href="https://www.martiformanhattan.com/">Marti Cummings</a>, a gig worker and drag artist who is running for New York City Council, told Insider that "any opportunity to help women owned businesses, BIPOC owned businesses. and LGBTQIA+ businesses is a positive.""To be able to welcome LGBTQIA+ businesses into this fold is really important, because our marginalized communities need a seat at the table and need their voices to be heard," they said about the new certification program.As a drag artist, Cummings primarily works and performs at small businesses. They said that three of the venues they used to work at have closed during the pandemic, and ensuring the futures of remaining LGBT-owned businesses is crucial. "We really need to put in the work to save these spaces and these institutions that are so vital to the safety of queer people," they said. Cummings said that measures like canceling rent, mortgages, and taxing the wealthy could also provide needed relief to businesses in the short-term.In the meantime, LGBT-owned businesses who want to take advantage of the new program need to be certified with the NGLCC (or <a href="https://www.nglcc.org/get-certified">get certification</a>), and <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/site/sbs/index.page">register with the small business services (SBS) database</a>."I love local business. I just think it is the heartbeat of our city," Cummings said. "And we have such a long road of recovery ahead from this pandemic, but if we all work together as a community block by block, we will get through this. We have to keep holding on. We have to keep fighting for our city, state, and federal government to do the work, to help the people who are suffering, because they work for us."

New York just became the biggest city to make LGBT-owned businesses eligible for billions in government contracts for minority entrepreneurs

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6355311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="japan">Japan</keyword>'s neighbors are not happy about its call to release contaminated water from <keyword id="281102" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Fukushima">Fukushima</keyword> into the sea.</li><li><keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> and <keyword id="5565" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="South-Korea">South Korea</keyword> say the water from the wrecked nuclear plant could affect food safety.</li><li>Hashtags trending on Chinese social media are calling for a boycott of Japanese seafood in protest.</li></ul>Japan has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-fukushima-nuclear-disaster-wastewater-sea-2021-4">decided to release contaminated water accumulated at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean</a> - but its neighbors are not happy. Tokyo announced this week that it would gradually release more than 1.2 million tons of radioactive water - enough to fill 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.Japan has been storing the water in tanks following the 2011 nuclear plant meltdown, which followed a devastating earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Japan's coastal regions. South Korean and Chinese governments have voiced concerns that the radioactive water from the nuclear plant could affect food safety and have grave ramifications on marine life in the area. According to <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/04/6789babe1165-breaking-news-fukushima-water-release-in-line-with-intl-safety-standards-us.html">Kyodo News</a>, civic and environmental groups in South Korea held rallies in Seoul yesterday, holding up placards near the Japanese embassy in Seoul to protest the move. Protesters toted banners with pictures of salmon steaks, prawns, and mussels with radioactive symbols slapped over them, shouting slogans and calling for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to reconsider his decision. "The sea is not a trash can. The Japanese government has no right at all to dirty the waters," one person at the rally said to Kyodo <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">News</keyword>. The decision spawned more than a million comment threads on Chinese social media platform Weibo (the Chinese version of Twitter) in the last 24 hours.Hashtags including: "Fukushima water could destroy half the Pacific Ocean in 57 days" and "Japan is inflicting a disaster on other nations" surfaced on the platform. Some Weibo users also called for a mass boycott of Japanese seafood, citing worries of "high radioactive content" in fish imported from Japanese suppliers. Notably, fishing unions in Fukushima have also objected to the Japanese government's move, arguing that releasing the water into the ocean would <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/04/13/national/fukushima-water-seafood/">ruin a decade of work</a> that the fishing industry has invested into restoring its reputation. The Japanese government assured its neighbors that it would filter the contaminated water before release. But that statement on its own has not inspired confidence, considering previous scandals that the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) - the corporation involved in handling the water - has been involved in. TEPCO <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/08/19/national/alps-system-fukushima-no-1-plant-failing-remove-tritium-toxic-cooling-water/">admitted in 2018 </a> that radioactive material had not been filtered out of the water it processed, despite the company maintaining for years that it had. Reuters reported that South Korea summoned Koichi Aiboshi, Japan's ambassador to Seoul, to formally express objections against the Japanese government's decision. South Korean media outlet <a href="https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1006279849&amp;plink=TWEET&amp;cooper=TWITTER=TWITTER">SBS</a> reported on Wednesday that president Moon Jae-in is considering filing a formal complaint with the <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">International</keyword> Tribunal for the Law of the Sea - an intergovernmental organisation established by the UN.Meanwhile, Koo Yoon-cheol, chief of the South Korean office for government policy coordination, said during an emergency vice-ministerial meeting that the country's government would "take all necessary steps" to keep its citizens safe. "The decision can never be accepted and would not only cause danger to the safety and maritime environment of neighboring countries. It was also made unilaterally without sufficient consultations with our country, which is the closest neighbor to Japan," Koo said. "We will strongly demand Japan take concrete steps to ensure the safety of our citizens and prevent any damage to the maritime environment," he added. Koo also called for transparency regarding how the contaminated water is handled and asked for regular inspections to be carried out. Separately, Chinese state media <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-04/13/c_139878454.htm">Xinhua</a> reported a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry, which slammed the move to release the nuclear water as "extremely irresponsible." "The Fukushima nuclear accident is one of the most serious in the world. The leak of large amounts of radioactive materials has had far-reaching implications on the marine environment, food safety, and human health," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. The Chinese also called the Pacific Ocean "mankind's shared property" while strongly urging Japan to "fulfill its international obligations, and duly respond to the serious concerns of the international community, neighboring countries, and its own people."

South Korea and China are unhappy with Japan's decision to release radioactive water from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean

Taylor Borden/Business InsiderFrom left: Twitter's Dalana Brand, Salesforce's Tony Prophet, Netflix's Vernā Myers, and LinkedIn's Rosanna Durruthy."Diversity" and "inclusion" are more than just buzzwords in corporate America. It's the job of D&amp;I leaders to ensure employers are building more inclusive cultures for employees of all stripes. To showcase the progress of the field, Business Insider selected 10 of the most influential leaders who have bolstered the hiring of women and minorities at companies like Microsoft, Netflix, and Salesforce. Each executive shared their unique approaches to increasing representation and creating inclusive work environments.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/diversity-inclusion-strategy-chiefs-twitter-netflix-salesforce-2020-2">Meet them here.</a> <h1>Welcome to Success Insider, our regular newsletter for getting things done. </h1>This week we have details on the hidden biases women face at work, how to get hired at Bain, and building a brand on Instagram.<h3>Bain's recruitment head reveals exactly how candidates should prepare for interviews at the consulting firm to land a 6-figure job right out of business school</h3>Courtesy of Bain &amp; CompanyBain &amp; Company is a target firm for many aspiring consultants. The firm is ranked as one of the best workplaces, and it also offers $165,000 starting salaries to new hires. Business Insider spoke with Bain's recruitment head on what hiring managers look for in candidates and how you can land a spot on the team. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-prepare-for-an-interview-at-bain-consulting-recruitment">Here's how to land a six figure job.</a><h3>How first-time founders can partner with Instagram influencers for under $50K, bring in 200,000 followers, and get a slice of the app's $10 billion shopping revenue</h3>jacoblund/GettyInstagram can help you build your follower count and your network.By 2021, shopping on Instagram is expected to generate $10 billion a year in revenue and influencers are essential to building your brand to gain that market share. Influencer marketing expert Elma Beganovich gave us tips on the five types of influencers, how much they cost, and how to get loyal customers to build your network.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/entrepreneurs-guide-to-influencer-marketing-on-instagram-brand-ambassador">Influence here.</a><h3>Read a list of the hidden biases women face during performance reviews, from a Stanford study that analyzed 125 evaluations and unearthed disturbing trends</h3>Luis Alvarez/Getty ImagesWomen face hidden biases during performance reviews.We spoke to a Stanford researcher who found that managers often use different language to describe their male and female employees. For example, women receive 2.5 times as much feedback related to their aggressive communication style. One way to prevent bias from creeping into performance evaluations, the researcher said, is to be explicit about the criteria for success.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gendered-language-in-performance-reviews-2015-10">Read more here.</a> <h3>A Grenadian immigrant went from being laid off from his tech job to heading a major city agency in NYC. Here are his tips for getting back on your feet - and who to hire once you get there.</h3>NYC SBSNYC Small Business Services Commissioner Gregg BishopAlmost three decades ago, in the early days of the internet - before blogs were a thing - there was Gregg Bishop and his underground hip-hop website "Da Sewaside." Today, Bishop is the commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services, where he is responsible for engaging on behalf of the city with entrepreneurs in all five boroughs. Bishop credits his success to two key insights that entrepreneurs of all kinds can use to grow their businesses - like asking for help before you need it. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lessons-entrepreneurs-new-york-city-small-business-agency-chief-2020-2">Meet him here.</a> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/charlize-theron-megyn-kelly-bombshell-best-makeup-hairstyling-oscars-2020-2">'Bombshell' won the Oscar for best makeup and hairstyling. Here's how Charlize Theron transformed into Megyn Kelly</a></h3>

SUCCESS INSIDER: Meet the 10 most influential diversity leaders fighting inequality in corporate America right now

by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/facebook-google-australian-government-accc-inquiry-crackdown-2019-12" data-type="tilCustomLink">Jack Derwin</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/" data-type="tilCustomLink">Business Insider Australia</a><ul><li>The <keyword id="97514" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Australian-government">Australian government</keyword> has revealed how it plans to police Google and Facebook and break its dominance of the local media landscape, almost two years after it launched its ‘<keyword id="8441798" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-platforms-inquiry">Digital Platforms Inquiry</keyword>’.</li><li>In an announcement on Thursday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg released the government’s response to each of the 23 recommendations the ACCC set out in July.</li><li>Under the plan, the government has committed to creating an ACCC branch dedicated to digital platforms and an ongoing inquiry into their dominance of digital advertising, but has largely rejected calls for greater funding of Australian journalism and instead opted to allow Facebook and Google to come up with their own codes of conduct.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/%E2%80%9Chttps://www.businessinsider.com.au%E2%80%9D" target="“_blank”">Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul>After launching <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/josh-frydenberg-says-the-governments-tech-crackdown-is-groundbreaking-but-it-falls-well-short-of-the-breakup-facebooks-own-co-founder-chris-hughes-wants-2019-7" target="_blank">a “world-first” and “groundbreaking” inquiry </a>into Facebook and Google more than two years ago, the Australian government has finally announced how it plans on fighting their market dominance. READ MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/josh-frydenberg-says-the-governments-tech-crackdown-is-groundbreaking-but-it-falls-well-short-of-the-breakup-facebooks-own-co-founder-chris-hughes-wants-2019-7" target="_blank">Government’s tech crackdown falls short of the breakup Facebook’s co-founder Chris Hughes wants</a> The government has had the ACCC’s final report since July, in which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australian-government-digital-platforms-inquiry-big-tech-accc-2019-7" target="_blank">the competition watchdog made 23 recommendations</a> to reign in the two tech titans. That sparked a 12-week public consultation period, with the government on Thursday finally revealing its cards. “I want us to be the model jurisdiction in the world for how we are dealing with digital platforms, social media platforms,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told media. “And I have a simple rule: the rules that apply in the real world should apply in the digital world.” “The companies are on notice. The government is not messing around. We will not hesitate to act,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said. This is how the government will act on the ACCC recommendations. <h2 style="font-family: &quot;LabGrotesque Black&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; font-size: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The government isn’t introducing greater protection for your data right now</h2>Another major sticking point was the ability and proclivity of digital platforms to hoover up user data for profit. In the US earlier this year Facebook was clobbered with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/facebook-ftc-record-penalty-mark-zuckerberg-2019-5" target="_blank">a $US5 billion fine </a>for this very habit, sharing it during the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The penalty also came with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australian-government-digital-platforms-inquiry-big-tech-accc-2019-7" target="_blank">a list of restrictions</a> on exactly what the social media giant can and can’t do. Accordingly, the ACCC wanted to make data collection policies transparent and enforce “data portability” –empowering users to control their own data. The government supports this in principle but in reality, hasn’t announced any actual changes. Instead, it says it will consult further on this meaning for now, it looks like you’re mostly on your own. What it would commit to is raising the penalties for breaching the privacy act. With a bill to hit parliament next year, it’s unclear what kind of penalties this would entail however. <h2 style="font-family: &quot;LabGrotesque Black&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; font-size: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The government won’t commit to a $50 million Australian journalism fund</h2>Throughout the inquiry, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australias-free-to-air-broadcasters-issue-statement-demanding-the-government-step-up-and-tackle-the-growing-dominance-of-google-and-facebook-2019-9" target="_blank">some of the loudest voices condemning Facebook and Google’s might have been Australian media companies</a>. Their profits have been eroded as the journalism they pay for is shared freely on platforms from which they don’t derive a profit. In response, the ACCC recommended $50 million be collected form the tech platforms to fund local journalism. The government isn’t having it. Instead, it has said it’s funding of the ABC and SBS is sufficient — $3.2 billion and $887 million over the next three years. It will, however, increase grants for regional journalism. “The Government will enhance the Regional and Small Publishers Jobs and Innovation Package to better support the production of high quality news, particularly in regional and remote areas of Australia,” it said. It also won’t tinker with tax settings to encourage philanthropic contributions to media companies. READ MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australian-media-companies-are-now-making-exclusive-content-for-facebook-just-weeks-after-they-slammed-it-2019-8" target="_blank">Australian media companies are now making exclusive content for Facebook, just weeks after they slammed the platform</a> <h2 style="font-family: &quot;LabGrotesque Black&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; font-size: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A new ACCC branch will police big tech</h2>While the ACCC believed its recommendations will curtail the digital platforms, it also wanted to be given more teeth going forward. Its proposal? A new branch of the ACCC dedicated purely to future vigilance. Of all the recommendations this potentially was the most threatening given <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/facebook-google-algorithm-scrutiny-australia-accc-2019-7" target="_blank">the ACCC wanted it to interrogate Facebook and Google’s algorithms.</a> The government appears to back this. “The Government is committing $27 million over the next four years for the creation of a new Digital Platforms Branch to undertake specific inquiries,” it said. <h2 style="font-family: &quot;LabGrotesque Black&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; font-size: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">It will be examining how the two platforms swallow up digital advertising dollars</h2>The government is also supporting the ACCC desire for an ongoing public inquiry to keep Facebook and Google on their toes when it comes to advertising. However, while the ACCC wanted a five-year purview, the report is unclear on a timeline. <h2 style="font-family: &quot;LabGrotesque Black&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; font-size: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Facebook and Google can voluntarily notify the ACCC of future business acquisitions</h2>But it will only be a voluntary code worked out between Facebook, Google and the ACCC. <h2 style="font-family: &quot;LabGrotesque Black&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; font-size: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">They won’t be compelled to take down copyrighted material</h2>Instead the government will reexamine this recommendation at the end of 2020. <h2 style="font-family: &quot;LabGrotesque Black&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; font-size: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Google Chrome’s default status on some devices looks to be unchallenged</h2>Google Chrome, the eponymous browser, was also been a target of the ACCC. The watchdog is concerned that by making it the default on Android devices, Google is unfairly consolidating a monopoly. Instead, it proposed Australia follow Europe’s lead and allow people to choose what browser they use from the get-go. The government appeared to not take a stance in its report. <h2 style="font-family: &quot;LabGrotesque Black&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; font-size: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Google and Facebook will be allowed to come up with their own code to fight fake news</h2>Fake news, made endemic in the Information Age and emerging as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/trump-attacks-fox-news-over-polling-continues-war-on-network-2019-6" target="_blank">a catch cry by Donald Trump</a>, is also in Australian crosshairs. While the ACCC was jockeying for some concrete action, the government has opted for the platforms to continue self-regulating, by coming up with a voluntary code of conduct on how they will combat disinformation. “Should the actions and responses of the platforms be found to not sufficiently respond to the concerns identified by the ACCC, the Government will consider the need for further measures,” the report said. <h2 style="font-family: &quot;LabGrotesque Black&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; font-size: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Facebook and Google’s response</h2>For their part, the two tech giants welcomed the government’s response. “We share the Government’s view that now is an opportune time for democratic countries like Australia to work with industry on new regulation for the internet that protects the choice and opportunities for millions of Australians that use our services,” Facebook Australia and New Zealand director of policy Mia Garlick told Business Insider Australia. “We support a sustainable news ecosystem which is why we work with publishers to help them reach new audiences and invest significantly in tools to provide transparency over the content people and publishers see on our services. Our primary focus remains on achieving economy-wide privacy protection, data portability and a user focused digital news distribution code, while preserving the many benefits that technology delivers in this country.” That’s lucky considering the government seems unlikely to mandate its behaviour. Google was slightly less verbose. “We have engaged closely with the ACCC and the Government throughout this comprehensive process and will continue to do so in 2020, including on focus areas such as privacy, ad tech and our work with publishers,” a Google spokesperson said. Industry lobbyist DIGI told Business Insider Australia it will be screening the proposals for “unintended consequences” but it too appeared largely content with the government’s response at this stage. “DIGI is supportive of efforts to modernise relevant media laws for a digital era, and we look forward to contributing to the development of a regulatory framework that duly recognises some of the fundamental differences between digital products and media businesses,” managing director Sunita Bose said in a statement. With the government now taking an active interest in constraining the two platforms, however, it certainly won’t be the last word we’ll hear from them.

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