A French court has ruled that Google is guilty of abusing the dominance of Google Maps, and so has ordered it to pay a fine and damages to a French mapping company.
Apparently Bottin Cartographes argued that Google was planning to offer Maps for free only until all the competitors had been driven out of business — then, it argued, Google would start charging, reports AFP. The result? The court ordered Google to pay $US660,000 in damages.
Understandably, Google is looking to appeal. Surely that stands a good chance, seeing as the argument used by Bottin is nothing like Google’s usual policy of giving away services for free, in exchange for advertising to you. [AFP]
Mandroid
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 12:13 AMAppeal ? Pfft, just send in Hank Scorpio..
PsyCow
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 12:43 AMHow silly. Google should just take down map access to the french and then the french can press the government till they can get Google maps back :p
Goddy
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 2:21 AMFrance is essentially fining Google for being too good for one of its local firms. What a petty disgrace.
Ozoneocean
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 2:57 AMThis is the same situation mirrored in the takedown of Megaupload, SOPA, PIPA, ACTA and the rest: People with failing business models try and sue their way back to relevance.
But technology and social trends are leaving them behind and no amount of suing will reverse that.
Rick
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 8:42 AMwhat!?! now where are my freedom fries !
David
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 9:26 AMThat’s stupid, it’s public knowledge that their (very) successful busimess model is to create advertising vehicles. The paying users are businesses etc looking to advertise, people using it as a mapping service are the commodity google are *selling*.
Sean
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 9:38 AMWhat about OpenStreetMap? Not available in France?
Osiris Fox
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 10:11 AMTo all above and the author. Google is becoming very evil, but still awesome at the same time. But to my point: Yes, it’s great to have free maps, but not when free means “Only until our competitors are toast.”
They have already started charging entities to use their API where it was once free.
I’m sure all of you would have loved to spend the last 50 years meticulously building your map business, only for another company to use money from their monopoly in an unrelated business to destroy your business because they can. I’m sorry, that’s unethical (evil).
You be wise to learn a bit about the loss leaders concept, and also, that Google sells you. Thus, we are their Google slaves… Now give me my tin foil hat!!
David
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 3:49 PMGoogles services were never free (free as in $ paid upfront sure, free as in ‘no cost’, no) – Google’s entire business is based on data collection for targeted ads. This data is worth money because it’s useful in making advertising more successful (ie getting you to spend more).
Understand that with a lot of the newer internet giants (facebook/google/any social media etc), the “userbase” is actually the product being sold to the real customers (again, primarily advertising).
It’s true that Google maps hasn’t ever been profitable, and that they’re definitely subsidizing, but I doubt there’s any evidence to suggest that the intent is to drown competition and then start charging.