Plum Productions, Santa Monica, has signed Annie Bossingham and Brad Grubaugh of Boss Talent, Venice, Calif., for West Coast representation….French directors Thierry and Didier Poiraud, otherwise known as Poiraud, have wrapped principal photography on their first feature film, The Return of James Bataille (Le Retour de James Bataille), a sci-fi comedy out of their Paris-based company, Entropie Films. The Poiraud brothers plan to start directing commercials again in the U.S. starting in September, via Paranoid Projects@Tool, a division of bicoastal Tool of North America. The division sprung from a cross-representational deal finalized last year between Tool of North America and Entropie Films….This Is TV, New York, has signed Mike McGlynn of Runt, Chicago, for Midwest representation….DP Jeff Cutter has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA), Beverly Hills, Calif., for representation in commercials, music videos and features….DP Michael Mieke has signed with New York Office for spot and music video representation in the U.S. and Europe….DP Maz Makhani is now available exclusively through the Lyons•Sheldon•Prosnit Agency, Los Angeles….DP Jonathan Sela is now available through Innovative Artists, Santa Monica, for commercials and music videos, after completing principal photography on MGM’s Soul Plane for director Jesse Terrero….Cinematographer Vince Toto is again taking on spot and music video assignments via Montana Artists, Santa Monica, after wrapping Batman: Dead End, a film by Sandy Collora, which premiered at the San Diego Comic Convention….
A Closer Look At Proposed Measures Designed To Curb Google’s Search Monopoly
U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled Google maintained an illegal monopoly for the last decade.
The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice could radically alter Google's business, including possibly spinning off the Chrome web browser and syndicating its search data to competitors. Even if the courts adopt the blueprint, Google isn't likely to make any significant changes until 2026 at the earliest, because of the legal system's slow-moving wheels.
Here's what it all means:
What is the Justice Department's goal?
Federal prosecutors are cracking down on Google in a case originally filed during near the end of then-President Donald Trump's first term. Officials say the main goal of these proposals is to get Google to stop leveraging its dominant search engine to illegally squelch competition and stifle innovation.
"The playing field is not level because of Google's conduct, and Google's quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired," the Justice Department asserted in its recommendations. "The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages."
Not surprisingly, Google sees things much differently. The Justice Department's "wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision," Kent Walker, Google's chief legal officer, asserted in a blog post. "It would break a range of Google products — even beyond search — that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives."
It's still possible that the Justice Department could ease off on its attempts to break up Google, especially if President-elect Donald Trump... Read More