Irony: Microsoft accuses Google of antitrust violations

[Jos]

Microsoft has filed a formal complaint with the European Union Commission accusing Google of abusing its position as the region's dominant search engine. In a blog post enumerating the company's objections, Microsoft chief counsel Brad Smith cited several examples of Google's alleged unfair business practices, including using its ownership of YouTube to disadvantage competitors' search results and preventing advertisers from porting data to competing ad platforms.

The search giant was already under investigation after the original complaint was brought against them last year by three companies -- French legal search site eJustice, British price comparison site Foundem and a German price comparison site known as Ciao. Considering the latter two have links with Microsoft the company was already somehow involved, but now they've made it official by "adding its voice" to the matter.

This marks the first time that Microsoft has filed a formal antitrust complaint with a government agency against one of its rivals. It's also an ironic turn of events for Microsoft, whose overwhelming software market dominance and business tactics in the 90s made it a frequent target of the same types of complaints it’s now making against Google. As BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones puts it: "it's a measure of how the balance of power on the web has shifted."

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https://www.techspot.com/news/43093-irony-microsoft-accuses-google-of-antitrust-violations.html

 

[MrAnderson]

This was exactly what Paul Thurrott predicted; most tech journalists would play the irony angle.

It takes time for a company of Microsoft's size to change its behavior, but you can see that they have visually taken strides. I think anti-competive behavior is going to be a trapping for any publicly owned company that holds a great stake in the market it serves.

Nevertheless, Microsoft has brought up some interesting acusations (from other articles I have read), that if true does seem to be anti-competitive behavior on Google's part. If they can convience the European Union Commission, then the States will not be to far off from investigating the behavior given all the credibility it will have if another nation is involved.

 

[Gallifrey2]

While Microsoft may have a point and be correct with their accusations I still do not feel sorry for them given their own dubious history. This really is a taste of their own medicine.

That being said anti competative behaviour is not good for the market so if Google is indeed guilty I hope they get the book thrown at them.

 

[Wagan8r]

"it's a measure of how the balance of power on the web has shifted."

I didn't realize that Microsoft used to be the reigning power "on the web". In fact, I'm not aware of how "the balance of power on the web" has even shifted. You gotta love how reporters don't understand what they're reporting.

 

[TorturedChaos]

Well M$ and their lawyers do have a lot of experienced getting sued by the European Union Commission for anti-competitive behavior - maybe all that time spent in court has made them better at spotting in other companies . By now M$ has to know all the ins and outs of the system when it comes to antitrust lawsuits.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Wagan8r, MS used to be the leader on the web in the sense that internet explorer had the largest market share, and they gave it away for free with windows and were sued by Netscape for antitrust violations.

Why do people think MS is doing something wrong though? This is called business, get as big as you can without crossing that 'monopoly' line. If you think MS shouldn't sue because they've done the same thing that's crazy. There is no 'Look who's calling the kettle black' in the business world. I laughed out loud when I heard Mark Zuckerberg talking about how he wasn't trying to compete with google, apple, and MS etc... They're all trying to beat each other at whatever they think they can.

Notice Microsoft made etisphere's list of most ethical companies when google and apple didn't. And come to think of it, why does the google logo have the EXACT same 4 colors as the microsoft logo?

 

[supportme]

milwaukeemike, I agree with u.. Google has always been the Journalists favorite and they try to project MS as some kind of a devil... They are trying to project it as a MS's tit-for-tat against Google.

 

[gwailo247]

Gallifrey2 said:
While Microsoft may have a point and be correct with their accusations I still do not feel sorry for them given their own dubious history. This really is a taste of their own medicine.

Unfortunately in the end we're the ones taking the medicine. When a search engine that is supposed to be "neutral" ends up buying companies that provide search results, one can imagine that that company is going to start coming up at the top of the search.

Besides OS/2, which they partly owned anyway, there just weren't any other competing computer operating systems out there, so while they weren't angels, MS's monopoly was based as much on lack of competition as anything else (q.v. Apple's iPod, iPhone and iPad in the first few years). Nobody was accusing them of a monopoly despite a staggering market share, as there was nothing to compete.

While I do agree it's somewhat ironic, I see Google's actions in this case as a bit different than MS bundling its browser with Windows.

 

[z0phi3l]

Problem for MS is that the feature works just fine on iOS, BB OS and Android, kinda hard to claim any anti competitive motive if they just can't figure out how to use the API available

 

[Zecias]

wagan8r said:
"it's a measure of how the balance of power on the web has shifted."

I didn't realize that Microsoft used to be the reigning power "on the web". In fact, I'm not aware of how "the balance of power on the web" has even shifted. You gotta love how reporters don't understand what they're reporting.

monopoly on browsers? at one point, somewhere around 95% of people using web browers used IE.
gotta love how people have no idea what they're talking about

 

[Archean]

So if we take your argument '95% share' of search market isn't a monoply? I am not sure how you are going to step this aside. Besides, EU is known to stick its nose in everything good and bad, so it will be interesting to see how this one turns out, hopefully they will put some actions in place to even things out for everyone.

 

[Guest]

The real irony would be if Microsoft sues the Google for spread virus.
You remember the old joke (before xp) that the windows are a virus because they are slow down the hardware

 

[Guest]

If Microsoft copy the Google practices and puts in the host file of windows few lines like

127.0.0.1 googleads.q.doubleclick.net
or
127.0.0.1 google-analytics.com

I don’t think that Google it will take so calm

 

[Guest]

I don't see any justification for Microsoft here

since Google does not
*Limit your ability to use your computer if you don't use their product
*Force you to use their products to use another product
*Youtube is based on a competitors Flash Product


Microsoft for a long time crippled our computers if we did not use Internet Explorer
Windows Updates was only for internet Explorer,
Other updates and other add-on features to windows were blocked through genuine advantage from other browsers.
Initial network configurations in the past required the use of Internet Explorer (pre-5.5) to run connection wizard for the computer to even ping the net

 

[Archean]

Initial network configurations in the past required the use of Internet Explorer (pre-5.5) to run connection wizard for the computer to even ping the net

Only if you were useless at configuring networks.

Limit your ability to use your computer if you don't use their product

Except for issues about Windows Update for sometime only, this doesn't make sense at all. So your sweepingly wrong statement doesn't hold any value.

 

[Guest]

I think is a good idea Microsoft open windows update to all certified windows applications.