EU Launches Antitrust Probe into Google Search

[Guest]

Funny the amount of Europeans, Asians and Oceanians who are still alive today because of America's
assistance. No, I'm not American but while your feeling pretty happy with yourself just remember the Americans are acting like Europeans of the past. "Those without sin....yada etc.

 

[i_guy]

[citation][nom]dtm4trix[/nom]I couldn't agree more. After Intel and Microsoft, the EU money minions have set their law dogs after another successful American company. How pathetic.[/citation]

So you think that Intel and Microsoft did nothing wrong? Really?

You think paying retailers to exclude the competitor's (at the time) better product is fair enough? That it helps consumers? How would you have felt if you were AMD with a better product but couldn't make the most out of it because of anticompetitive practice by the industry giant? Do you think that the company making the OS that runs on 90% of computers has a right also to all revenue derived from internet browsers? Do you think that a fine of a few $1000 would have hurt Intel or Microsoft enough to make them think twice about doing it again?

Grow up. The EU is many things, but saying it hounds innocent Amercian companies is pure nonsense. AMD, Google, Apple and Mozilla are all American companies too, and the EU defended their position with their probes into Intel and Microsoft.

If Google is guilty of unfair self promotion and downgrading of the oppositions' services then they should be afraid of the EU courts, and rightly so. If the American courts are fit for purpose then they should be afraid of them too.

It is the rule of law that makes the West what it is and allows innovation to flourish, ensuring that innovators get rewarded for their effort. You propose a lawless system where a few lethargic giants get to dominate by default and stiffle change, and then hide behind the banner of "American company" to avoid "victimisation" by the evil EU courts. Seriously, grow up and stop biting the hand that feeds you.

 

[deshimaru]

[citation][nom]Griffolion[/nom]No, thats America.Funny the amount of Europeans, Asians and Oceanians who say that about America...[/citation]

You are so right .
To bad most of the guys who writte here are to young and didn't learn yet in school what monopoly is.

 

[leafblower29]

Google basically controls the internet. Need to search? Use Google. Wanna watch a video? YouTube, which is owned by Google. They have their own web browser, they have Google earth, the list goes on. Google is an evil corporation.

 

[rantoc]

[citation][nom]leafblower29[/nom]Google basically controls the internet. Need to search? Use Google. Wanna watch a video? YouTube, which is owned by Google. They have their own web browser, they have Google earth, the list goes on. Google is an evil corporation.[/citation]

It all depends on how they use the presence on the Internet, if they use it to bully other smaller companies (like forcing web masters who uses their add to ONLY use theirs) their evil, if they however play it fair and square they have nothing to fear from this.

 

[Griffolion]

[citation][nom]OzzySun[/nom]Funny the amount of Europeans, Asians and Oceanians who are still alive today because of America'sassistance. No, I'm not American but while your feeling pretty happy with yourself just remember the Americans are acting like Europeans of the past. "Those without sin....yada etc.[/citation]

I have a great deal of respect for those Americans who gave equipment & tanks and fought over 70 years ago.

And, i'm sorry, did you actually just say that Americans are acting like Jesus Christ? Because, to the best of my knowledge, the quote you partially referred to ("those without sin throw the first stone") was from Jesus telling a mob of people not to judge unless they were without fault themselves.

So you're obviously saying that Europe is not without sin, I couldn't agree more, but I don't actually see any stone throwing, metaphorical or not. The EU has laws about how business should operate in its boundaries, it suspects Google of breaking those laws, it goes to investigate. When you operate in a country/continent, you need to know their laws and adhere to them; you can't just play by your own rules and expect to not have any repurcussions (although America is no stranger to that concept regarding the current wars in the middle east). I love Google, but if they've overstepped a boundary that (whether you agree with it or not) has been in place and you have agreed to by virtue of doing business within the land to which that law is applied, then the governing body has the right to investigate. Coming back to the imagery of stone throwing, there is no throwing of stones, its just standard procedure...

 

[Griffolion]

[citation][nom]i_guy[/nom]So you think that Intel and Microsoft did nothing wrong? Really?You think paying retailers to exclude the competitor's (at the time) better product is fair enough? That it helps consumers? How would you have felt if you were AMD with a better product but couldn't make the most out of it because of anticompetitive practice by the industry giant? Do you think that the company making the OS that runs on 90% of computers has a right also to all revenue derived from internet browsers? Do you think that a fine of a few $1000 would have hurt Intel or Microsoft enough to make them think twice about doing it again?Grow up. The EU is many things, but saying it hounds innocent Amercian companies is pure nonsense. AMD, Google, Apple and Mozilla are all American companies too, and the EU defended their position with their probes into Intel and Microsoft.If Google is guilty of unfair self promotion and downgrading of the oppositions' services then they should be afraid of the EU courts, and rightly so. If the American courts are fit for purpose then they should be afraid of them too.It is the rule of law that makes the West what it is and allows innovation to flourish, ensuring that innovators get rewarded for their effort. You propose a lawless system where a few lethargic giants get to dominate by default and stiffle change, and then hide behind the banner of "American company" to avoid "victimisation" by the evil EU courts. Seriously, grow up and stop biting the hand that feeds you.[/citation]

Sorry for double post but, you sir are win incarnate.

 

[Hupiscratch]

Congratulations Google, you´re the next IBM/Microsoft. Just another proof there is space for everybody.

 

[techguy911]

[citation][nom]ioa94[/nom]Yeah but, they're the MONOPOLY of search engines. Imagine if there were only one channel on television whereon Advertisers could place advertisements. It would be like if that channel/service/company decided to remove or place advertisements somewhere the Advertisers didn't want them to...Google's getting too big.[/citation]

They don't have a monopoly there are over 5000 search engines out there they are just the largest and offer more services than others it just a way to get money for the smaller search engines they can rank the searches any way they choose bu the EU does not see it that way.

Besides would wallmart have sears in their fliers no what about all those fliers in newspapers whoever pays the most gets to be first you could say all newspapers in the world are guilty of the same thing.

 

[dtm4trix]

[citation][nom]i_guy[/nom]So you think that Intel and Microsoft did nothing wrong? Really?You think paying retailers to exclude the competitor's (at the time) better product is fair enough? That it helps consumers? How would you have felt if you were AMD with a better product but couldn't make the most out of it because of anticompetitive practice by the industry giant? Do you think that the company making the OS that runs on 90% of computers has a right also to all revenue derived from internet browsers? Do you think that a fine of a few $1000 would have hurt Intel or Microsoft enough to make them think twice about doing it again?Grow up. The EU is many things, but saying it hounds innocent Amercian companies is pure nonsense. AMD, Google, Apple and Mozilla are all American companies too, and the EU defended their position with their probes into Intel and Microsoft.If Google is guilty of unfair self promotion and downgrading of the oppositions' services then they should be afraid of the EU courts, and rightly so. If the American courts are fit for purpose then they should be afraid of them too.It is the rule of law that makes the West what it is and allows innovation to flourish, ensuring that innovators get rewarded for their effort. You propose a lawless system where a few lethargic giants get to dominate by default and stiffle change, and then hide behind the banner of "American company" to avoid "victimisation" by the evil EU courts. Seriously, grow up and stop biting the hand that feeds you.[/citation]


Lets be frank, I am not saying that they did nothing wrong, its just that the EU seems to be very selective with whom it is targeting, those with the deepest pockets maybe? Why are they not going after apple? Because of their perceived lack of market share. What a crock!! The EU commission on anti-competitive behavior are a bunch of hypocrites. so get off you pedestal and don't preach to me the merits of the EU courts, this is plain and simply a legal version of an attempted heist.

 

[Guest]

First the EU is having financial difficulties and quite pathetically is trying to raise money from anywhere it can to support its giant social spending. Two, Europe has a much different political structure, where sadly it is more the norm to say the state controls what it wants and a business must bow to their whims. The joys of soft socialism.
Google owns their business and can do as they please with it. And the crap about them being a monopoly...they are big but no one puts a gun to your head and makes you use Google. There's other services out there. But the government can, if it wishes, put a gun to your head and force you to do what it wants and that's somehow "legal."

 

[zachary k]

[citation][nom]Griffolion[/nom]No, thats America[/citation]
hey asshat, did i in anyway say we were? stop assuming you know everything.

 

[Camikazi]

[citation][nom]bejabbers[/nom]There are other search engines... what a load of BS.[/citation]
Just like there are other OSes and Web Browsers, but it didn't stop them there either

 

[tsnorquist]

So ugh, when is the EU going to target Apple for their iPods, Tablets, and Macs. I mean, they are the monopoly in those markets too (seeing you can't install OSX on a clone).

 

[Guest]

This is nice to see, Google is starting to lose some of is self-respect and doing business in a no benovelent way. Using its position and not by having the best services to still being the main provider of the services.

 

[Cache]

Someone should tell the EU that television programs aired on networks are not allowed to air on other networks! Or that you have to pay a fee to use ATM's at another bank versus your own! Or that an ad company might actually promote more of the ads that are paid for over other ones that are offered for 'free'.

The EC is the sole money-making company in the entire EU at this point, and they will leach off any company they can under the mistaken idea that people who get services for free should be compensated for their gross and self-imposed inability to go to a competing free entity that offers the same basic services!

 

[rpmrush]

Give me a break..their sevices are free. There are plenty of options (competition) in every listed Google segment. To those who think Google is evil..don't use their services. Their services are popular because they are easy and efficient to use. People prefer the simplicity. Cmon...Google's search page is a Google sign and a search box..and it's the number 1 search engine. Don't like it..go elsewhere.

 

[superblahman123]

[citation][nom]ioa94[/nom]Yeah but, they're the MONOPOLY of search engines. Imagine if there were only one channel on television whereon Advertisers could place advertisements. It would be like if that channel/service/company decided to remove or place advertisements somewhere the Advertisers didn't want them to...Google's getting too big.[/citation]

Is Google getting too big or is your brain just getting smaller? Google is just as much of a monopoly in search engines as Microsoft is operating systems (if you can't catch the sarcasm, considering the lack of intelligence your first comment made, I'm saying that Google is not a monopoly). There are other options for search engines, Bing and Altavista for starters. Altavista has been around a lot longer than Google has and Bing is already considered larger than Altavista, but that's besides the point. Google has a superior product and they've been rigging search results to the highest bidder for years, just the same as every other search engine out there.
The EU is a joke, it's a branch of regulation that's completely geared toward pulling money into their country from international companies. The United States deficit could get payed out in a few years if the US could get away with these kinds of legal suits.

What. A. Crock

 

[silverblue]

[citation][nom]zachary k[/nom]who hasn't the EU probed? they think they are such hot shots, someone needs to take em down a few notches. who do they think they are? the world police?[/citation]

Haha... you don't know how ironic that statement is.

As for Intel, they got off lightly. Has anyone ever stopped to think how much their practices cost AMD?

 

[Guest]

I don't want to speak badly about the EU as I enjoy living in Germany, but I have to agree that the EU's selection of antitrust cases have been blatantly biased. Though I could to some degree agree with previous cases against Microsoft and Intel, I find this case against Google rather desperate and seemingly sceptical in regards to its timing and new financial woes with Ireland.

If we examined the EU's budget and more specifically the Common Agricultural Policy, which happens to consume the half of it since the 1960's... then these cases seem all the more illegitimate and hypocritical. As the CAP was implemented as a means to stabilize the post-war agricultural market, it is now very much out-dated and serves simply now as an extreme example of allowed market distortion in form of European protectionism.

That being said, I wouldn't be as biased against these cases if this type of EU hypocrisy wasn't so blatantly obvious...