The European Commission is the latest governing body to jump on the Google antitrust dogpile. According to the FT, it’s about to serve Google with a 400-page statement of objections, containing a litany of by-now familiar complaints.
The complaints against Google from the EC mirror the qualms the FTC has with the search giant. Mainly, that it’s using its dominant position in the search market to punish competitors and freeze out anyone else trying to sell ads. Specifically, it’s accused of punishing the rankings of other search engines’ sites, giving its own sites preferential placement, not allowing sites to use competing ad services on their sites and probably most nefariously, lowering the search rankings of sites that bought ad space on competing search engines.
The EC has been investigating Google since last November, after minor search engines Foundem, eJustice and Ciao! complained that Google wasn’t playing fair. And while Google is fighting its antitrust issues in the US, it probably makes more sense for them to try to settle, as it’s facing a fairly massive fine. [Financial Times]
Grandadsbum
Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 9:35 AMSo much for not being evil then eh!
Problem is, they have so much money they can just eat any fines they may incur!
Ftruck
Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 10:30 AMI think anti-trust suits are a joke. they discourage building a great ubiquitously used product. If you make something that’s great and therefore dominant you should be able to do whatever you like with it. after all it is yours, it’s not some government owned resource, it’s a private entity which should be allowed to operate for their own benefit. what kind of business model do they expect – work hard make a good product and if everyone loves it and you make it big then you have to make it easier for your competition to usurp you.
FSM
Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 12:33 PMActually Ftuck, it’s perfectly reasonable to put limitations on companies and set rules which they can play by.
We have the choice of not allowing private business full stop, we have the choice of allowing complete free reign, and we have the choice (which most nations take) of allowing private business but on terms we set.
But I do agree with you about something I’m sure, I think the idea that MS shouldn’t have been allowed to bundle IE with windows is ludicrous, I don’t think its fair to not allow google to give preference to its own sites/products in search rankings.
Perhaps making them make it clear that they are separate from normal results would be fair, but downgrading competitors etc is not on.
Ftruck
Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 6:28 PMI agree we do need some regulation. My wording was abit general, I think these types of anti-trust cases are absurd. To say google needs to place it’s competitors results higher up is like saying kmart needs to advertise for target instore. Sometimes I think the EU is just being snarky because their relevance is dwindling with their economy.
Mary
Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 12:12 PMNot being evil does not mean being poor enough at business to let competitors dominate you.