“The future of digital commerce on your iPhone could be influenced by how courts resolved questions about market control following technological innovations that disrupted previous generations: credit cards and railroads. With the courtroom battle between Epic Games Inc. and Apple Inc. concluded Monday , U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers must now decide if the iPhone maker has improperly prohibited third-party app stores and forced developers to use its in-app payment system that collects a commission as high as 30%. As she decides if Apple has operated an illegal monopoly, she’s already made it clear during the trial in Oakland, Calif., that she’s thinking about how previous precedent-setting cases involving American Express Co. and a St. Louis railroad apply to the new digital economy in the 21st century.”

“Facebook Inc. will soon be hit by federal and state antitrust lawsuits accusing the social media giant of abusing its dominance and thwarting competition, according to three people familiar with the matter. Lawsuits are expected as soon as this week from the Republican-led Federal Trade Commission and a group of state attorneys general led by New York’s Letitia James, a Democrat, according to the people, who described the plans under condition of anonymity.”

“The Dutch competition regulator has opened an investigation into contactless payments on smartphones, arguing that some systems could stifle innovation in the payments market. There’s no named target for the probe, as per the watchdog’s usual procedures, but the release suggests Apple and its iPhones are the focus.”

“The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit Thursday that seeks to block Visa Inc.’s$5.3 billion deal to acquire Plaid Inc., a key player in the financial-technology space.The department brought the case in a Northern California federal court, alleging the deal would eliminate the nascent but significant competitive threat that Plaid poses to Visa in the online debit market.The acquisition would allow Visa to unlawfully maintain a monopoly in online debit, leading to higher prices, less innovation and higher entry barriers for online debit services, the department alleged.”

“On the financial front, the Justice Department’s oversight and enforcement has been fragmented for years, with areas like banks, credit cards, insurance and securities exchanges each being handled by different sections within the antitrust division. Mr. Delrahim said he is bringing all of these areas into one cohesive group, with the goal of combining internal expertise and improving antitrust enforcement on financial issues.”