France convicts Google Maps for unfair competition
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Re: France convicts Google Maps for unfair competition
#2One hand gives, the other hand takes.
One minute we hear people complaining that Google Maps cost too much money (if you have heavy volume) and next we hear that Google Maps cost too little money.
I don't know if Open Street Maps will be that successful in France though... If you plot the density of documentation in en.wikipedia on a map, you see a hole where France is... Germans, Dutch and English like to participate in free culture and open source -- I don't know if it's a language problem or if the French are too smart for that and will only work on something if you promise them a pension first.
Re: France convicts Google Maps for unfair competition
#3[deleted]
Re: France convicts Google Maps for unfair competition
#4I'm French and I really think that's a shame.
What's next? Microsoft to sue Google because Docs are free?
Re: France convicts Google Maps for unfair competition
#5Reporter totally misses the point. The point is that google provided google maps for free. That is great. except when all other competition dies (because who can compete with a better, freer version of your product?) google starts charging pretty rediculous rates.
That move in itself is what contributed to the ruling. OSM is free for everyone. It is a wiki. If OSM destroys google, bing, etc, and then decides to go on a charging spree (it can't) then it would also face similar decisions.
Kudos to the french for this.
Re: France convicts Google Maps for unfair competition
#6Reporter totally misses the point. The point is that google provided google maps for free. That is great. except when all other competition dies (because who can compete with a better, freer version of your product?) google starts charging pretty rediculous rates. That move in itself is what contributed to the ruling. OSM is free for everyone. It is a wiki. If OSM destroys google, bing, etc, and then decides to go on…
OK so lets shut down Wikipedia next.
Re: France convicts Google Maps for unfair competition
#7One hand gives, the other hand takes. One minute we hear people complaining that Google Maps cost too much money (if you have heavy volume) and next we hear that Google Maps cost too little money. I don't know if Open Street Maps will be that successful in France though... If you plot the density of documentation in en.wikipedia on a map, you see a hole where France is... Germans, Dutch and English like to participat…
I just created an account to reply to this... because I think your method (plotting density of en.wikipedia on a map) might be flawed. Not being French (or living in France) myself, I happen to be aware of the fact that they tend to do a lot of stuff in, well, French. Just saying - maybe plot fr.wikipedia on a map and compare to ge.wikipedia and es.wikipedia and then we will have some interesting data...
You wouldn't switch to the new world domination lingo as easily, if you already spoke the old world domination lingo, right?
Re: France convicts Google Maps for unfair competition
#8One hand gives, the other hand takes. One minute we hear people complaining that Google Maps cost too much money (if you have heavy volume) and next we hear that Google Maps cost too little money. I don't know if Open Street Maps will be that successful in France though... If you plot the density of documentation in en.wikipedia on a map, you see a hole where France is... Germans, Dutch and English like to participat…
France is one of the most active open source country : http://www.redhat.com/f/pdf/ossi-index-ranks.pdf
Re: France convicts Google Maps for unfair competition
#9Reporter totally misses the point. The point is that google provided google maps for free. That is great. except when all other competition dies (because who can compete with a better, freer version of your product?) google starts charging pretty rediculous rates. That move in itself is what contributed to the ruling. OSM is free for everyone. It is a wiki. If OSM destroys google, bing, etc, and then decides to go on…
OK so lets shut down Wikipedia next.
As soon as they start charging for access. See, this is the problem with deceptive headlines, they make people argue points that don't exist.
Re: France convicts Google Maps for unfair competition
#10[deleted]
Europe has loads of nice things. You should visit sometime.
This ruling, presumably, is about a big company subsidising its unprofitable mapping business with another part of its business until the small fish die.