A week of legal troubles for Big Tech

It’s Friday, which means it’s time for Bytes: Week in Review. On the show today, a trio of legal stories dominating Big Tech coverage.

As OpenAI and Microsoft stare down allegations of copyright infringement, 11 nonfiction authors, including some Pulitzer winners, have joined a lawsuit against both companies.

Plus, Apple pauses sales of two of its latest Apple Watch models. But patent problems might not put much of a dent in the company’s holiday haul.

First, though, Google settled a 2021 antitrust lawsuit brought by 36 states and Washington, D.C., in September. The case stemmed from the tech giant’s handling of payments in its Google Play app store. The terms of said settlement were kept secret ahead of a trial in a related antitrust case. But this week, we learned that Google is paying $700 million as part of that September settlement.

Marketplace’s Lily Jamali is joined by Wired senior writer Paresh Dave, who explains what prompted the states to file suit in the first place.

More on everything we talked about:

Google to Pay $700 Million in Play Store Settlement — Wall Street Journal

Google Allows More App Payment Options in Antitrust Deal With States — New York Times

The Obscure Google Deal That Defines America’s Broken Privacy Protections — Wired

Pulitzer-winning authors join OpenAI, Microsoft copyright lawsuit — Reuters

OpenAI, Microsoft sued for copyright infringement in class-action lawsuit — Semafor

Apple to Halt Watch Sales as It Prepares to Comply With U.S. Import Ban — Wall Street Journal

What’s next in the Apple Watch sales pause saga — Axios

The Apple watch patent battle is the latest in a long war over innovation in America — Marketplace