Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B • Hacker News Board

Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B

#41

Post by PartiallyTyped » Thu, Sep 22, 2022, 2:20 PM UTC

WastingMyTime89 wrote: post #29

davidguetta wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

Negotiate trade agreements for the second largest market in the world. Make harmonised law and regulations and operate the courts associated. Finance infrastructure projects and the development of the poorest members. Manage various cooperation efforts between members in sector like education.

EU needs to do a better job at showing how useful it is, where the money goes and so on, so that people stop having this vague idea of what EU is and does, and start seeing the benefits. Should do a good job at reducing the number of eurosceptics.

Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B

#42

Post by amelius » Thu, Sep 22, 2022, 2:20 PM UTC

nottorp wrote: post #38

> Android has created more choice for everyone, not less Did it? I can choose between an iOS phone and an Android phone. I may be able to choose from different manufacturers on the Android side, but on the software side there are just two options.

If you're looking for a phone without ads/spyware, there is less choice because the EU sees Android as a similar product-category as iOS, thereby not identifying iOS as a monopoly (and Android as well, in its own category).

Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B

#43

Post by Hamcha » Thu, Sep 22, 2022, 2:23 PM UTC

nottorp wrote: post #38

> Android has created more choice for everyone, not less Did it? I can choose between an iOS phone and an Android phone. I may be able to choose from different manufacturers on the Android side, but on the software side there are just two options.

Remember when Google refused to put Youtube on Windows Phone and when Microsoft made their own client, Google forced them to take it off their own store? Truly advocating for more choice.

(Press at the time: https://www.theregister.com/2013/08/16/windows_phone_youtube... )

Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B

#44

Post by ericmay » Thu, Sep 22, 2022, 2:24 PM UTC

amelius wrote: post #42

nottorp wrote: post #38

> Android has created more choice for everyone, not less Did it? I can choose between an iOS phone and an Android phone. I may be able to choose from different manufacturers on the Android side, but on the software side there are just two options.

If you're looking for a phone without ads/spyware, there is less choice because the EU sees Android as a similar product-category as iOS, thereby not identifying iOS as a monopoly (and Android as well, in its own category).

I think you can argue that iOS/Android are a duopoly but I'm having a hard time seeing how iOS is a monopoly.

Mobile OS: iOS Android (third options from Korea/China?)

Hardware: iPhone Pixel Galaxy etc.

Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B

#45

Post by AshamedCaptain » Thu, Sep 22, 2022, 2:24 PM UTC

PartiallyTyped wrote: post #41

WastingMyTime89 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Negotiate trade agreements for the second largest market in the world. Make harmonised law and regulations and operate the courts associated. Finance infrastructure projects and the development of the poorest members. Manage various cooperation efforts between members in sector like education.

EU needs to do a better job at showing how useful it is, where the money goes and so on, so that people stop having this vague idea of what EU is and does, and start seeing the benefits. Should do a good job at reducing the number of eurosceptics.

Funny. I just heard literally the opposite complain a couple hours ago: that the EU advertisements are getting obnoxious. Virtually every single infrastructure project that is even partially financed by a EU agency shows all the appropriate logos almost everywhere.

Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B

#46

Post by bee_rider » Thu, Sep 22, 2022, 2:26 PM UTC

typon wrote: post #9

What amount would these EU fines have to be to make companies like Google and Facebook decide to exit the EU?

Only one way to find out!

Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B

#47

Post by esperent » Thu, Sep 22, 2022, 2:26 PM UTC

p-e-w wrote: post #32

> This is Google's third EU antitrust fine. Previously, the search giant was fined in a shopping case and an online advertising case. Apparently, "three strikes and you're out" only applies to individuals, who with a repeat offense of this magnitude would have their lives destroyed by the justice system, and get locked away for a decade or more.

The 3 strikes law is a US thing.

Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B

#48

Post by manholio » Thu, Sep 22, 2022, 2:28 PM UTC

988747 wrote: post #37

bzxcvbn wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The budget of the EU parliament? What do you mean? The budget of the parliament was about 740k€ in 2022. Did you mean the budget of the EU itself? It's about what you said (180B€ in 2022). Of course, that doesn't account for individual member States' budgets. The EU's budget is dwarfed by the aggregate of all members' budgets, and it is lower than most of the big EU countries' budgets.

Did you mean 740k EUR per person? I can't find the whole budget right now, but it costs EU parliament over 100 million just to move it back and forth between Brussels and Strasbourg (which is totally pointless and is only done so that France can feel important). They also apparently spend 1 billion per year on translators. EDIT: I guess I offended some French people, hence the downvotes :)

> They also apparently spend 1 billion per year on translators.

Now that the UK is out of the Union, it would be nice for sanity to prevail and most of those translators be made redundant. Except for drafting official multi-language legal documents, the bulk of the proceedings can go on in English, and EMPs that require translation services should request them from their own countries.

It will never happen, but one can surely dream.

Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B

#49

Post by Salgat » Thu, Sep 22, 2022, 2:28 PM UTC

nottorp wrote: post #38

> Android has created more choice for everyone, not less Did it? I can choose between an iOS phone and an Android phone. I may be able to choose from different manufacturers on the Android side, but on the software side there are just two options.

What they did with their manufacturers is a different issue, but in general they offer a lot more options than Apple. Android allows Manufacturers (such as Amazon and Samsung) to have their own app stores and allows for side loading apps, both of which are impossible with Apple.

Re: Google loses EU appeal and is fined a record $4B

#50

Post by BiteCode_dev » Thu, Sep 22, 2022, 2:28 PM UTC

p-e-w wrote: post #32

> This is Google's third EU antitrust fine. Previously, the search giant was fined in a shopping case and an online advertising case. Apparently, "three strikes and you're out" only applies to individuals, who with a repeat offense of this magnitude would have their lives destroyed by the justice system, and get locked away for a decade or more.

We really need the equivalent of jail time for companies. Clearly after a certain size, fines do not cut it. Jailing executives is too hard, so laws should exist that remove the company from a market for x years or something, like if they were in a cell.