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Google Found Guilty of "Abusing Dominant Market Position" In Russia
An anonymous reader writes: Russia's anti-monopoly regulator has ruled that Google has violated Russian antitrust laws by requiring that manufacturers pre-install its services on their devices. Stock in Russian search firm Yandex has soared since the ruling. Cnet reports: "The agency, Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service, has 10 days to issue a full ruling. In the ruling, Russia can outline adjustments to Google's agreements with mobile device manufacturers, according to the translated statement. But while Google was found guilty of market abuses, a Russian antitrust regulator told The Wall Street Journal the Mountain View, California-based company wasn't found guilty of 'unfair competition practices.' 'We haven't yet received the ruling,' a Google spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. 'When we do, we will study it and determine our next steps.'"
...who the owner of "Yandex" is closely affiliated with, and the first two don't count.
In Soviet Russia Google searches you
This goes in line with the current Russian policy to bash on western interests. Though, I'm pretty sure the EU will now use this decision as a precedent to extort money from Google in their own "anti-trust" propaganda, quoting it as a "precedent".
That being said, it's weird that nobody has yet targeted Apple, who is certainly an order of magnitude more restrictive than Google, and is as much, or more loaded than Google...
In Soviet Russia market dominate YOU
SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
What about apple?
Russia is not dumb, but like any other country dumb things happen from time to time... For example, running over tons and tons of cheese with a tank to make a political statement, rather than just distributing it to the needy.
...would be for Google to stop marketing and selling android phones in Russia. What Russian companies choose to import from abroad is of no consequence for Google.
Speaking hypothetically; how many here believe that the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service would have taken a similar action if a Russian company with ties to the Russian oligarchs did the same thing that Google is accused of? Anyone?
This is just one more step in the Russian regimes current plan to control what Russians can do and see on the decadent Western Internet. It's no secret that Putin and his cohort is afraid to loose the ability to control the flow of information in Russia, and thus control what the average Russian believe. The Kremlin fears a possible colour revolution, and a bit of digging shows that they blame Internet sites (easily available on cheap android phones) outside of Russia for kindling that kind of unrest.
Everything in the world is controlled by a small, evil group to which, unfortunately, no one you know belongs.
There, I fixed the headline to be more accurate.
Google Found Guilty of Being an American Company
Which means they're worthy of some sort of punishment.
No you changed it to fit your Paranoia.
running over tons of cheese with a tank to make a political statement, rather than distributing it to the needy.
Dial back the political hysteria, and consider this as application of standard import substitution policy. If Russia gave it away free to "the needy", Russian producers' sales would be reduced, sales which are needed to justify investments in local production. The EU and US use similar practices themselves, between actual destruction and paying farmers to keep lands fallow.
"Russia's anti-monopoly regulator..."
Errr, hold up a sec...one of the world's most corrupt countries has a what again?
(Ironically, I say this as America's anti-monopoly stance couldn't be any more of a joke)
How is it dumb that they saw an opportunity to take Google for hundreds of millions of dollars and persued it?
Microsoft anti-monopoly is good, especially if it's done by the EU.
Google anti-monopoly is bad, especially if it's done by Russia.
Nope, nothing wrong with those two statements....
... for appropriate bribery.
A move like this makes one hell of a lot more sense politically and economically than the ridiculous "scroogle" bullshit campaign launched by Steve Ballmer. I am sure that if the right amount of grease was applied to corrupt Russian politicians Microsoft could quickly make in roads into the market there. Perhaps a concerted effort like this is the only way Windows phones can finally gain real traction in the market place. They definitely are out of it in the West, I do not even see an offering of the product in the Best Buy flyers or on the Telco's lists of products. AND where the hell are Nokia/Microsoft phones in the media they seem to have completely disappeared this year. I am sure that they are not just going to be sold at the Microsoft brick and mortar stores.
A good advertising ploy would be to have a bunch of old Russian tanks run over a bunch of Androids in front of the new Microsoft stores and factory in Moscow. I am sure that the underfunded Russian military would love to do the acting and supply the gear for the commercials!
This message was not sent from an iPhone because Peter Sellers really was a deviated prevert without a dime for the call
1) Micky Mouse
2) your mom
3) Someone from Russia. (The country whose laws Google broke.)
You're assuming they broke the law. It's antitrust, which means there's so much wiggle room in it the judges can decide whatever they want. And it's Russia, so everything is about who bribed whom.
There's a lot of competition in the Smartphone O/S space. While every operator builds something of its own structural monopoly, you can still pick a windows phone or an apple phone or even a blackberry.
So antitrust complaints against google are pretty much bullshit.
Or you could just inspect it first. But that would be too logical.
Because Google is a batshit-insane R&D company that (probably) won't hesitate to invent a way to stab Russian fat-cats in the face (or balls) over the internet. And then make it a cheery Google Doodle celebrating "Happy Auto-Face(or Ball)-Stabbed Russian Fat-Cat Day 2015!" complete with an interactive game allowing users to stab rich Russians in the head and groin areas. Nobody will be the wiser to the fact that every point they score punctures another rich Russian's favorite body parts.
The situation is nowhere near the same. You can choose not to use Google products, whereas you couldn't, and pretty much still can not choose whether or not you want Microsoft products (and associated costs) when you buy a new machine.
They have to pay for dinner at Buono
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
the quoted phrase should read "not paying enough bribes".
I find this claim clownish given what Putin has done, taking over all major media that criticises him, and any challengers to his political power through the election process suddenly have legal problems.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
The problem you claim will come about is not Russia and it's anti-western practices. The problem is with corruption in the West. Good grief, stop and smell your own shit before you claim other people's stinks.
Yeah, Russia has corruption. So does the US, UK, Germany, Australia, Mexico, etc.. ad infinitum. Is Russia dumb enough to want to chase Google away from Russia? No! Just like the EU was not dumb enough to chase away Microsoft. It's called picking your poison and knowing what antidotes to drink all the time.
Lastly, remember that sometimes you have to shake the tree to fine a piece of fruit. Interesting that no fines were levied and in fact this could lead to a different case all together isn't it?
Sorry, but that's not at all true. The situations are the same. Microsoft got in trouble for bundling IE. Google is doing exactly the same thing. The default bundled service will get a lot of marketshare.
They should be glad not to be convicted of telemetry/data analytics, or as the common man calls it, espionage.
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
Actually you're wrong. You always had an option to use a different OS. You could even purchase a computer that didn't run Windows.
The courts decided that, since Microsoft had an overwhelming majority share of the desktop market, they should be considered a monopoly. They abused their monopoly by not only preinstalling internet explorer and making it an part of the OS but also by restricting the OEMs ability to preinstall a competing browser as a condition to receive heavily discounted licenses per machine sold.
Despite the actual motives behind Russia decision, the argument used against Google is very similar to the ones made against Microsoft. Google has a large share of the wireless handset market and it is alleged that they require manufacturers to make Google the default search engine. If this is actually the case then I can see why people liken this to the US vs Microsoft case.
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
Sorry, but that's not at all true. The situations are the same. Microsoft got in trouble for bundling IE. Google is doing exactly the same thing. The default bundled service will get a lot of marketshare.
Unlike with Windows, any device maker who wants can ship their devices with Android, completely free from any Google requirements. The only things they can't do are (a) call it "Android" (Google's trademark) unless it passes the Android compliance test suite or (b) install the (copyrighted) Google Play Store app on it without installing the other Google Apps.
They can even choose to call it Android but not install the GApps. Or they can do neither, and they still get to use Google's OS -- for free!
This is nothing at all like Windows, where if you wanted to sell machines with Windows you had to sell it with IE pre-installed. There was no option, NONE, of selling it without IE. Oh, and you also had to pay Microsoft. What the EU forced Microsoft to do was to allow OEMs to ship machines with a different browser instead of IE. Google already allows that... OEMs can choose to install something other than the GApps suite.
Google's only requirement is that if you install some of the copyrighted GApps (which you can do free of charge), then you must install all of them. Is that really so unreasonable?
I think companies like Google become naïve about other countries and what they can and cannot do. They become complacent when the have so much freedom operating in the US. This just does not work in a place like China or Russia. It must be frustrating to deal with some of these countries. I think that the US in many areas misunderstands other cultures, governments, and people.
pretty much still can not choose whether or not you want Microsoft products (and associated costs) when you buy a new machine.
I've literally never purchased a computer that came with a windows license. And I've purchased maybe 25 or so in my life. I probably will at some point. I am not morally opposed to it. But it is certainly possible.
The hypocrisy is astounding. You think that somehow the US kangaroo courts are any more just? Microsoft was even convicted of crimes and after much political pressure and bribes escaped with slap on the wrist. Probably also bullshit verdict, since it was under antitrust laws that have so much wiggle room? You really think there is any justice in US courts? Think again.
I assume that bribery is less common in US Federal Courts than in Russian Courts, for a variety of reasons. For example, organized crime is a law firm in one soviet states, and the head of state of another soviet state personally tortures people on his exercise equipment but is protected by Putin. The US federal system leaves something to be desired--its judges are about 50/50 really bright jurists from the best schools in the country on the one hand and sometimes thick politically successful figures in local state politics on the other, all confirmed by a Congress of people elected mostly for their tendency to say nothing at all. But I think bribery is a less important part of the charging decisions and probably of the outcome.
All MS has to do, is port win10 mobile to more common android devices.
You can already install win8 mobile to android snapdragon samsung devices.
Imagine if you could install Win 10 mobile, on ANY android phone, MS could kill all the crap android devices without making any hardware, they just have to port it with a team of 1000 engineers to the top 25 brands, and make it easy to install like windows to desktops.
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
what's that about cheese?
and, more importantly, was any bacon harmed during the incident??
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
Russia has banned food imports from the EU. They siezed a load a few months ago and put on a big public show on national TV of destroying it as an illegal import. The official line is that they couldn't trust in the safety of the illegally imported cheese because smugglers might not refrigerate it properly or keep the correct paperwork to track origin, but no-one buys that excuse, so there are some level of quiet muttering in Russia about the incident - mostly because, thanks to the food import ban, food prices have shot up at a time when their economy is already seriously struggling.
Everybody must everywhere adhere to legal frameworks.
Preinstallation is something that must not be tolated.
google was awesome few years back, now it is piece of C@#$, you can't find nothing useful there, only advertisements and paid articles. You can't find single personal page, all searches from forums are gone as well. All bloody paid marketing. Can someone create search engine only for private individuals and their sites?
In Russia, logic dictates that you punish first, make public example, to reap rewards of future bribery.
Should they be punished for having iTunes, iCloud, and all that other crap I can't remove on their phones? Why just Google?
If this ruling would come from Germany/Sweden/France or any other EU or US friendly country, everybody would be saying how great this ruling is, and US should be following the suite.
Common, stop with Russiaphobia already this just getting pathetic.