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Google Hit With Antitrust Lawsuit Over Default Search on Android Phones

Posted by Soulskill on from the same-problems,-different-decade dept.

itwbennett writes: "A class-action lawsuit filed Thursday (PDF) accuses Google of strong-arming device manufacturers into making its search engine the default on Android devices, driving up the cost of those devices and hurting consumers. The suit does not argue that device manufacturers entered Mobile Application Distribution Agreements involuntarily, but that the market power of Google compels them to. 'Because consumers want access to Google's products, and due to Google's power in the U.S. market for general handheld search, Google has unrivaled market power over smartphone and tablet manufacturers,' says the suit."

12 of 221 comments (clear)

  1. Oh the humanity! by LordLucless · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Because there is demand for a thing, business are forced to deliver it. Quick, someone stop it!

    --
    Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
    1. Re:Oh the humanity! by thaylin · · Score: 2, Insightful

      In what way? Google search is in no way tied to the OS at a core level like IE was. You can ensure that you never have google search on your machine without any issues.

      --
      When you cant win, ad hominem.
    2. Re:Oh the humanity! by Pieroxy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Big difference... first, of course is that Android is opensource. Don't like it, go make your own distro.

      It is only in your dream. The version of Android sold on 98% of all phones worldwide is well locked and closed, thankyouverymuch.

      --
      Write boring code, not shiny code!
    3. Re:Oh the humanity! by MikeBabcock · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The version of Android sold on those phones is only locked by the phone manufacturer, not Google.

      This is more like the car companies suing because they had to make cars that run on gasoline because gas stations primarily sell gasoline.

      --
      - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
  2. Lawyers looking for a payout by bradley13 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Note that the plaintiffs are not the manufacturers, but two random owners of Android phones. This is nothing but lawyers abusing the U.S. legal system, trying to extort a settlement out of a big company.

    When is the U.S. going to get around to tort reform?

    --
    Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal.
  3. Re:flame on! by Charliemopps · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Is there a better search engine than Google?

    That depends on what your goals are. If you find anonimity important at all, then the answer is "all of them"

  4. Maybe... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You should install Bing, Yahoo or other search apps?

    I seriously doubt you are going to change the *GOOGLE* Search bar away from Google... But I bet you that the other apps have Widgets for their search services.

  5. Good! by Charliemopps · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Good! I'm generally a Google fan, but the default Google search on my phone that I can't remove is annoying to say the least. The voice search garbage that nobody uses makes it even worse. I don't think I'd mind if I could just remove it... but the fact that its locked onto my screen top center and I have no way to ever remove it makes it seem an awful lot like IE was in XP.

  6. Righthaven, for example by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Note that the plaintiffs are not the manufacturers, but two random owners of Android phones.

    The legal system requires the plaintiff to be the party who has been harmed. If something mostly harms end users, then end users need to be named as plaintiffs. This is why Righthaven's lawsuits failed: the company refused to add the actual copyright owner to the lawsuit.

  7. Did you mean in a VM or on the metal? by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If I install GNU/Linux in a virtual machine, I still get Bing when I tab back to Windows. If I install GNU/Linux on the bare hardware, I lose access to applications on which I depend that aren't usable in Wine.

  8. Re:and yet... by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1, Insightful

    i purposely set all my engines to Bing, so I'd be pretty pissed off if you changed my shite. like i would be po'd if you installed crappy firefox bar extensions.

  9. Well.... yeah? by ilsaloving · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So... you buy an GOOGLE Android phone. You buy one that has GOOGLE apps preloaded, because you wanted them. But then you're upset that GOOGLE search is the default, and it requires effort to change that? .....what?

    Nah, it's ok that Google is strongarming manufacturers to not include 3rd party apps that compete with Google's.

    It's perfectly acceptable that Google is stripping away privacy features from their phones.

    BUT DAMN IT I WANT MY CHOICE OF INTERNET SEARCH!!111eleventy!

    *facepalm*

    The stupid... it burns!