European antitrust regulators are investigating anticompetitive
practices in the format war over high-definition DVDs.
Commission investigators have sent out letters last month
demanding evidence of their communications and agreements on the new generation
of DVD formats.The Wall Street Journal claims that Blu-ray, with its
dominance in Hollywood, is especially coming under the microscope.
Jonathan Todd, a spokesman for the commission, said that
the EU is concerned that the studios in mid-June trying to establish whether
they have restrictive agreements to use one or the other of the standards.
While the HD camp has been offering lower-priced
machines, the Blu-ray camp has gained the upper hand in Hollywood.
HD DVD supporters have been lobbying the commission to
draw attention to Blu-ray's tactics.
More here.