Italy's competition authority, Antitrust, has taken action against Facebook-owned Meta Platforms accusations in a music rights lawsuit in Italy. Antitrust recently conducted investigations into allegations that Meta Platforms' dominance in the Italian music rights market was obtained through an illegal deal. This step shows that Italian authorities tend to take a closer look at tech companies in the country.
Meta Platforms charges online music services providers through a series of music rights deals in Italy. However, the company faces allegations that it violated Italian antitrust laws. Italian law imposes various restrictions on agreements between music companies and online service providers to protect fair competition.
Meta Platforms denied these accusations and emphasized to Italian authorities the company's contribution to the music industry in Italy. A spokesperson for the company said, "Our contribution to the music industry is not limited to creating job opportunities across Italy for singers, songwriters and music fans. We also think we play an important role in the digital transformation of the music industry."
Antitrust's decision shows that Italy tends to regulate more with regard to tech companies. Last month, the Italian government passed a bill requiring social media platforms to take stricter measures to protect children online. Also, Italy's tax authorities have recently taken action to tackle tax evasion charges against tech companies like Amazon and Apple.