Ends, Means, and Antitrust (stratechery.com)

Analyst Ben Thompson on the European Commission's $2.7 billion fine levied on Google for anti-competitive behavior: The United States and European Union have, at least since the Reagan Administration, differed on this point: the U.S. is primarily concerned with consumer welfare, and the primary proxy is price. In other words, as long as prices do not increase -- or even better, decrease -- there is, by definition, no illegal behavior.

The European Commission, on the other hand, is explicitly focused on competition: monopolistic behavior is presumed to be illegal if it restricts competitors which, in the theoretical long run, hurts consumers by restricting innovation.

Comments

You've got to be kidding

[BarbaraHudson]

the U.S. is primarily concerned with consumer welfare

Tell that to the 22 million health care consumers who are going to be cut to give a tax break to millionaires. If they really cared, and cared about lowest cost, they'd bring in single payer universal healthcare. The cutbacks to the EPA that will result in dirtier air, higher fossil fuel consumption and pollution, and less water quality monitoring. And if you're going to use price as a proxy for caring, it's pretty damned obvious that the US is not considered with the rate of inflation of education leaving students looking at a lifetime of debt.

Corporatism

[labnet]

The USA has a unique culture that was bought by the Puritan work ethic that promoted individualism and self improvement.
A good explanation is the three stages of maturity.
Dependance (child), Independance (teen), Interdependence (adult)
The USA seems to revere Independence, where Europe, Oceania focus more on interdependence.

Americans confuse this with socialism/communism and have a great fear that someone may undeservedly benefit from their labor. I can assure you being in one of these 'socialist' countries, that the benefits outweigh disadvantages.
Universal healthcare is terrific. Proper limits on monopolies. Much better support for poor people so they don't resort to crime. Higher minimum wages so low socioeconomic people can afford to live and spend it into their communities. Running prisons to reform rather than profit. Even better public transit systems.
Unfortunately, I don't see any cultural changes on the horizon.

Re:Corporatism

[Anonymous Coward]

Radio came from Europe.
Aircraft came from Europe (and Richard Pierce in NZ was possibly the first with Powered Flight)
Rail came from Britain
The Jet Engine was British
The computer came from Britain
The Web came from Europe
Printing press Europe
etc etc etc etc etc.

The USA did well from the 1940-1970s because their cities and infrastructure were not bombed during WWII, they made money selling weapons and then made money selling everything needed to rebuild europe/Asia. The USA was able to progress while other countries rebuilt. That is not an indication that the USA was "great" but simply lucky.
During the 1950s the US accounted for over 50% of the worlds GDP, now its about 20% and falling.
Not because the USA has done anything wrong, its because other countries have modernised and are no longer dependant on the USA for food, technology, medicine, etc etc etc.

The USA is not the centre of the universe, the centre of everything good, or anything else.
When it comes to Health, Welfare,education, honesty, law and order, social mobility, "happiness", etc etc the USA does not do that well.

Re: Trivial to switch search engines

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not about switching search engines. It's about misusing your dominant position in search to give you an unfair advantage in other areas.