Last fall Google found itself being investigated in an antitrust probe by European Union authorities. Corporations that compete with Google in Europe say the search engine giant is greedy and that it must be contained. Microsoft took a stand with its Euro subsidiaries Thursday and filed a complaint of its own accusing Google of anti-competitive methods. Source of article – Microsoft adds complaint to EU antitrust investigation of Google by MoneyBlogNewz.
Google to worry about antitrust criticism Microsoft has
In Europe, Google could have to deal with the antitrust complaint that Microsoft filed saying that Google is limiting access to data needed with YouTube and Google services like this in order to hurt European consumers. Microsoft’s complaint towards Google throws its weight behind an ongoing antitrust investigation by the European Union Competition Commission. Microsoft's search engine Bing has been unable to get much attention in Europe while the Internet search market is about 95 percent under Google's thumb in Europe. Advertisers in Europe are just accustomed to using Google now. There have been complaints about competition and antitrust in Europe by many people already. Microsoft has decided to start fighting Google and complain after being in antitrust investigations for Windows for years and after paying the European commission billions in fines.
Obvious fights between Google and Bing
Background technologies that give one access to Google products for instance "application programming interfaces" are the center of Microsoft's European antitrust complaint. Microsoft alleges that Google fiddles with the application programming interfaces to interfere with access to YouTube by Bing and other competing search engines, thus herding their users toward Google. The Windows Phones cannot work with YouTube very well due to Google's programming, Microsoft suggests; which isn’t an issue on the iPhone or Android. There’s a problem with the Windows phones only because Apple isn’t in the competition. Bing is in the search engine market with Google making Microsoft a target. Another Microsoft claim is that Google is blocking advertisers from optimizing on other platforms that compete. The EU antitrust probe is already looking into this though.
Problem Google faces in Europe
Google can give its side of the story as European Union Commissioner allowed. Google has said the restraint on third-party software is to maintain the consistency of Google's ad service and that advertisers are allowed unfettered access to data. Microsoft is involved. This means the stakes are much higher. Google could face a fine of up to 10 percent of annual global revenues, which exceeded $29 billion in 2010. There might also have to be other changes. This would be done to business in Europe. The EU commission said that Google would be able to defend itself and avoid a fine by changing its business in Europe before Microsoft got involved.
Articles cited
Associated Press
finance.yahoo.com/news/Microsoft-throws-weight-apf-1337664829.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=6&asset=&ccode=
Los Angeles Times
latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/03/microsoft-files-european-antitrust-complaint-against-google.html
New York Times
nytimes.com/2011/04/01/technology/01google.html?src=busln
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