The European Commission (EC) today accused the Internet giant Google breaching competition rules block by running your Internet browser and sent to the US company a list of arguments on which it is based. In addition, parallel to this case announced that it has under scrutiny domain operating system Android between mobile devices.
The statement of the charges sent to Google implies a hardening of the open procedure since 2010 . The block has attributes for fine a company up to 10 percent of its annual turnover is found that violated antitrust laws, which in the case of Google involves a sum of up to 6,600 EUR million and the imposition of conditions for operation in Europe.
According to the Commission, in its search engine Google favors in the list of results to its own services or companies that pay for highlighting , which affects competitors but also consumers, since the outcome does not arise for example by comparing prices.
Authorities also extend the Android procedure. “Smartphones, tablets and similar devices play an increasing role in the daily lives of people and want to make sure that markets can flourish in this area without limitations against competition imposed by any company ” said Competition Commissioner of the European Union (EU), Margrethe Vestager.
The research question here is if Google took steps anticompetitive or took advantage of his domain in the market. Vestager added to fears that Google “has created an unfair advantage” over its competitors. The Internet browser has a European market share of 90 percent .
Google has now ten weeks to respond . No deadline for the decision of the European Commission, but experts estimate it will take at least a year to get.
Thomas Vinje, legal counsel FairSearch Europe, a group that urged European regulators to curb Google, said the decision is “a significant step towards ending the anticompetitive practices of Google that damaged innovation and consumer choice.”
For its part, Google spokesmen said they are in “strongly disagree” with the EC decision to formally accuse her of abusing its dominant position to promote their own products online searches.
Google says in a blog entry titled his European Search the damage, that “respectfully but strongly disagrees” with the statement of objections made by the EU executive.
The multinational Internet stressed in his blog that are wanting to explain and defend his case before the EC in the coming weeks .
The company says that while Google “search engine may be the most used, people can now find and access information in many different ways and allegations of harm to consumers and competitors have proven to be away “from the truth.
He says that” people have now more choice than ever “because there are” many other search engines like Bing, Yahoo !, Quora, DuckDuckGo and a new wave of attendees for searches like Siri, Apple and Cortana, of Microsoft “.
It also claims there are “abundance” of specialized services as Amazon, Idealo, Le Guide, Expedia or eBay.
Moreover, adds the technology giant, consumers “ are increasingly using social networking sites as Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for recommendations, such as where to eat, what movies do or how to decorate their homes.”
It also stresses the news front, users “can often go directly to your favorite pages “.
Amit Singhal, Google senior vice president of Search (Search), write well over competitors as Axel Springer, Expedia, TripAdvisor and Yelp (all complainants in this case, says) they all have ensured that the practice of Google to include the results of its specialized services such as flight search, maps and results Local, among others, has hurt their business significantly. “But your traffic, revenue and profits (as well as arguments to investors) tell another story ,” says Singhal.
In another entry in its European blog, VP Android engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer, ensures that the operating system has been “a key element to the stimulate competition and choice , lowering prices and increasing options for everyone (currently there are 18,000 different) devices. “
The EC has raised questions about the association agreements, but Google stressed that it is important to remember that these are voluntary and” provide real benefits to users , developers and the entire system. ” “The distribution agreements are not exclusive, and Android manufacturers install their own applications and other third party companies,” claims
Source:.. AP, DPA and EFE
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