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European Commission Reopens Google Antitrust Investigation

Posted by Soulskill on from the don't-be-evil-in-europe dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Earlier this year, European Commission regulators finally agreed to a settlement in the organization's long-running antitrust investigation of Google's search and advertising business. Unfortunately for Google, it didn't stick. The EC said today they're reopening the investigation after a large number of "very negative" complaints about the settlement. "The key objection to the proposed settlement, which would have allowed rival services to buy spaces at the top of search results pages, was that it would not prevent Google from favoring its own services, and would divert money from the rivals to Google even if they received clickthroughs from the adverts — rather than the zero-cost solution if they were ranked highly in 'organic' search results, and Google was prevented from putting its own commercial services above those." The Commission is also looking into other parts of Google's business, including its influence over mobile devices through Android.

5 of 96 comments (clear)

  1. All the EU wants is a continuous flow of money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    They will keep setting demands that are dammed if you do, damned if you don't. Then they will shift the goalposts. Google is screwed. The EU is butthurt that no European based tech company has anything even close to a viable competing product. Their old blue chip technology company, Nokia is in ruins. The EU in retribution wants a continuous supply of money from Google into their coffers. Its trade protectionism, pure and simple.

    1. Re:All the EU wants is a continuous flow of money by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This stuff goes both ways. New York State has become notorious for trumping up charges against financial companies and draining mind-boggling sums of money directly into their own accounts. Governments are waking up to the fact that they've passed so many vague laws that basically any company can be "investigated" for breaching them, and given those governments are all heavily in debt and trying to cut back spending the temptation to go whack some foreign company and extract money from it is overwhelming. Compared to taxing their own citizens this seems like free money, plus they get to tell themselves and others that they're fighting the good fight against the evil corporations.

      When you dig into the details, that's when this story unravels. But most people never do.

  2. Re:Again? by nospam007 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "the simple truth is Google is the best. "

    That's some time ago. Nowadays I have to enclose every fucking word between quotes or it is ignored.

    I want them to show me what I typed, not what they think I might mean.

    I really do have "mangy boils", no I did not mean to purchase "angry oils".

  3. The EU wants to own a piece of Google by gelfling · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The EU's business model approach is a LOT like that of Tony Soprano. And they will not go away until the EU owns a large minority stake in Google.

  4. Re:Again? by StormReaver · · Score: 3, Insightful

    No matter what one thinks of Yelp, they were one of the first few place review services around. Then Google tried to buy them and, when that failed, copied their business model and turned it into Google Places which held top place in any location search.

    I'm failing to see the problem. That is how competition is supposed to work: doing something better than someone else.

    Did Google threaten anyone, or did Google just provided a better service/experience?

    Did Google conspire with other companies to put Yelp out of business?

    Did Google somehow leverage a monopoly position in search to gain a monopoly position in reviewing stuff?

    As far as I know, Google is just a better competitor.