Google proposes further concessions in EU antitrust case

Shawn Knight

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google eu antitrust case concessions

Google has offered up additional concessions in an effort to end a three-year investigation surrounding complaints they blocked competitors like Microsoft in web search results and avoid a $5 billion fine. EU Commission spokesperson Jonathan Todd said they have received a proposal from the search giant and are in the process of assessing it.

The offer comes a couple of months after Europe’s antitrust regulator asked Google to take further measures to ease concerns over the incident. Google spokesperson Al Verney said the proposal addresses their four areas of concern as they continue to work with the Commission to settle the case.

FairSearch, a lobbying group that represents Microsoft, Expedia, Foundem and Twenga (all complainants in the case), believes the Commission needs to seek feedback from those affected by the incident. FairSearch lawyer Thomas Vinje said given the failure of Google to make a serious effort the first time around, they believe it is necessary that customers and competitors be consulted in a full, second market test.

Earlier this year, Google offered to mark out its services from rival products in Internet search results and even proposed to offer links to at least three competing search engines in an effort to make it easier for advertisers to move their ad campaigns to rival search providers. Rivals, however, feel the offers on the table thus far have been inadequate and would only help the search giant retain its dominance in the market.

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Ugh I still think this is ridiculous.

It's their search engine, servers, money and time invested into it. It's a free public service why are they not allowed to do with it whatever they want?!

No one is forcing people in the EU to goto google.com to search for things!
 
Ugh I still think this is ridiculous.
It's their search engine, servers, money and time invested into it. It's a free public service why are they not allowed to do with it whatever they want?!
No one is forcing people in the EU to goto google.com to search for things!

The same reason Microsoft got hit with a very similar ruling. They have had to pay in the order of billions of dollars because they were promoting their internet browser on THEIR operating system, it's not as if someone with 2 brain cells to rub together couldn't figure out how to find another browser if they weren't happy with the default one. To be honest, its about time Google started feeling some of the heat. These past few years they've been seriously shady with some, if not most, of their dealings. I get it that companies are out to look after their own interests but Google is perhaps the 300 pound gorilla in the room, once claiming to be the fighters of open source and all that is free, their slogan even being "don't be evil" or some such nonsense, but they are perpetrating the very same things that they claimed to be strictly against. When they had little to no market share, they were very vocal, but since they have managed to gain a significant following they are now oddly very quiet about such things.

Just my 2 cents, as I too believe these rulings are a bit overkill, but hey I'm not a fan of Google as it is with my respect for them dwindling by the month, you know, what's good for the goose... and all that crap :p
 
Agree with lipe on this one, if you don't like the way Google searches for you (like honestly its a free service and people have the nerve to complain about it) simply use one of the competitors and shut your freaking mouth. If you don't agree with a companies business practices go somewhere else, its that simple. And yeah "FairSearch, a lobbying group that represents Microsoft" how can they have anything creditable to say when they're likely in Microsoft's back pocket. Who last time I checked doesn't need revenue from advertising on their search engine, or more money in general. Bloody freeloaders I swear.
 
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