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SAG-AFTRA has called a strike against the video game League of Legends. Under this action, any union voice actors must cease working on the popular MOBA from Riot Games. The union said it has also filed a charge of unfair labor practice against Formosa Interactive, which provides voiceover services for League, with the National Labor Relations Board. Formosa Interactive was one of several high-profile video game companies named in a strike by voice acting talent earlier this year. SAG-AFTRA is working to negotiate with those developers for protections against AI replicas of its members, including those who perform in games. Today, the union alleged that Formosa attempted to cancel a game that was included in the strike. "When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for non-union talent only," according to the press statement. "SAG-AFTRA charges that these serious actions are egregious violations of core tenets of labor law that employers cannot interfere with performers rights to form or join a union and they cannot discriminate against union performers." League of Legends is just one of the titles where Formosa Interactive provides services. In addition to voiceover work, Formosa Interactive also offers services such as facial capture, sound design and mixing. It has credits on games including God of War Ragnarok, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Microsoft Flight Simulator. Riot Games has issued the following statement about the strike: "League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRAs press release. We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, League of Legends has only asked Formosa to engage with Union performers in the US and has never once suggested doing otherwise. In addition, weve never asked Formosa to cancel a game that weve registered. All of the allegations in SAG-AFTRAs press release relating to canceling a game or hiring non-union talent relate to a non-Riot game, and have nothing to do with League or any of our games." Update, September 24, 2024, 5:47PM ET: Updated to include statement from Riot Games.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sag-aftra-strikes-against-league-of-legends-over-voiceover-company-actions-212839780.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an antitrust lawsuit against Visa. The lawsuit alleges that the financial firm holds a monopoly over debit network markets allowing it to charge banks and markets with exorbitant fees that get passed onto consumers and keep rival companies like PayPal and Square from competing on their level. Bloomberg first reported on Monday that the DOJ planned to file an antitrust suit against Visa following a multiyear investigation into Visas business practices starting in 2020. Visa attempted to acquire the fintech startup Plaid with a $5.3 billion bid but the DOJ filed a lawsuit blocking the deal claiming the acquisition would eliminate a competitive threat that challenged Visas powerful control of debit markets. Visa dropped the bid a year later to avoid any further legal entanglements but the DOJ continued investigating Visas business practices. The DOJ alleges in its latest lawsuit that Visas web of exclusionary agreements with banks and businesses helped strengthen its market dominance and smother any potential competitors. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that Visa unlawfully amassed the power to extract fees that far exceed what it could charge in a competitive market. Merchants and banks pass along those costs to customers, either by raising prices or reducing quality or service, the statement reads. As a result, Visas unlawful conduct affects not just the price of one thing but the price of nearly everything. Visa's General Counsel Julie Rottenberg told Engadget in an emailed statement that the DOJ's lawsuit is "meritless" and that they plan to vigorously defend themselves in court. "Today's lawsuit ignores the reality that Visa is just one of many competitors in a debit space that is growing, with entrants who are thriving," Rottenberg said by email. "When businesses and consumers choose Visa, it is because of our secure and reliable network, world-class fraud protection, and the value we provide. We are proud of the payments network we have built, the innovation we advance, and the economic opportunity we enable."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/visa-slapped-with-a-doj-antitrust-lawsuit-204710873.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Google announced today that the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 will be getting the new Watch OS 5. The latest operating system will roll out to Pixel Watches currently running Watch OS 3.5 and Watch OS 4 beginning today. Users will see a notification on their device as the update becomes available to them over the next week. The Watch OS 5 update will bring improved camera controls to the older versions of the smartwatch hardware, in addition to adding support for Pixel Recorder and the grid-view app launcher. While early reports said that Watch OS 5 would also be improving battery life, Google didn't specify whether the new operating system will provide a boost to how long these older devices can go before they need a recharge. Google recently released the Pixel Watch 3, which did impress us with its solid battery performance and other upgrades from last year's Pixel Watch 2. It was the first Pixel smartwatch to boast Watch OS 5 after the operating system debuted on the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra from Samsung.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/google-is-bringing-watch-os-5-to-the-pixel-watch-and-pixel-watch-2-200042070.html?src=rss
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