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Swedish court says Google is to pay $1.5B to Klarna in antitrust damages

reuters.com

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Re: Swedish court says Google is to pay $1.5B to Klarna in antitrust damages

#11

Post by brainwad »

raychis wrote: post #2

$1.5B is significant, but the bigger question is whether this actually changes how dominant platforms rank their own services. Is this real accountability for anti-competitive behaviour, or just another cost of doing business for Big Tech? My cynicism is tell me that unfortunately it is the latter.

IMO the fines do have an effect - Google now withholds a lot of launches from the EU, sometimes temporarily until they have time to have lawyers check them against DMA requirements, but mostly permanently. Ironically the part of Google most likely to persist in launching for the EU is Ads, since money is at stake. All the free, consumer-benefiting services are most likely to be curtailed in the face of aggressive regulation.

Re: Swedish court says Google is to pay $1.5B to Klarna in antitrust damages

#12

Post by Hikikomori »

This comes years after this fine was upheld about Google shopping in an EU court. I guess prisjakt (another Swedish website that works just like pricerunner) could do the same now.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/27/google-brac...

Klarna bought pricerunner for just under a billion 5 years ago, pretty good deal.

Re: Swedish court says Google is to pay $1.5B to Klarna in antitrust damages

#13

Post by UqWBcuFx6NV4r »

_el1s7 wrote: post #4

> PriceRunner is considered to have suffered damage as a result of Google having illegally favoured its price comparison service for many years Why would Google NOT favor it's own service at it's own product? How is that illegal?

Have you been sleeping under a rock for 30+ years, don’t know what antitrust is, and still feel confident enough to shout about it in a comment?

The law isn’t just “what you happen to intuitively think is right”, especially in a jurisdiction where you clearly do not reside.

Re: Swedish court says Google is to pay $1.5B to Klarna in antitrust damages

#14

Post by Hikikomori »

_el1s7 wrote: post #4

> PriceRunner is considered to have suffered damage as a result of Google having illegally favoured its price comparison service for many years Why would Google NOT favor it's own service at it's own product? How is that illegal?

something something monopoly. Even US has laws about this, currently not enforced though.

Re: Swedish court says Google is to pay $1.5B to Klarna in antitrust damages

#15

Post by teddyh »

brainwad wrote: post #11
raychis wrote: post #2

$1.5B is significant, but the bigger question is whether this actually changes how dominant platforms rank their own services. Is this real accountability for anti-competitive behaviour, or just another cost of doing business for Big Tech? My cynicism is tell me that unfortunately it is the latter.

IMO the fines do have an effect - Google now withholds a lot of launches from the EU, sometimes temporarily until they have time to have lawyers check them against DMA requirements, but mostly permanently. Ironically the part of Google most likely to persist in launching for the EU is Ads, since money is at stake. All the free, consumer-benefiting services are most likely to be curtailed in the face of aggressive reg…

You say that like it’s a bad thing.

Re: Swedish court says Google is to pay $1.5B to Klarna in antitrust damages

#16

Post by spunker540 »

namdnay wrote: post #8
_el1s7 wrote: post #4

> PriceRunner is considered to have suffered damage as a result of Google having illegally favoured its price comparison service for many years Why would Google NOT favor it's own service at it's own product? How is that illegal?

"Why would Microsoft NOT favor it's own browser in it's own OS? How is that illegal?"

Last I checked they still do exactly that. Not sure why that case is used as an example when literally every OS bundles a preferred browser

Re: Swedish court says Google is to pay $1.5B to Klarna in antitrust damages

#17

Post by soco »

brainwad wrote: post #11
raychis wrote: post #2

$1.5B is significant, but the bigger question is whether this actually changes how dominant platforms rank their own services. Is this real accountability for anti-competitive behaviour, or just another cost of doing business for Big Tech? My cynicism is tell me that unfortunately it is the latter.

IMO the fines do have an effect - Google now withholds a lot of launches from the EU, sometimes temporarily until they have time to have lawyers check them against DMA requirements, but mostly permanently. Ironically the part of Google most likely to persist in launching for the EU is Ads, since money is at stake. All the free, consumer-benefiting services are most likely to be curtailed in the face of aggressive reg…

Yay for European sovereign services! A bit through the backdoor, or as a side-effect if you want, but the result is the same. Or could be the same, if it continues like that.

Re: Swedish court says Google is to pay $1.5B to Klarna in antitrust damages

#18

Post by surgical_fire »

brainwad wrote: post #11
raychis wrote: post #2

$1.5B is significant, but the bigger question is whether this actually changes how dominant platforms rank their own services. Is this real accountability for anti-competitive behaviour, or just another cost of doing business for Big Tech? My cynicism is tell me that unfortunately it is the latter.

IMO the fines do have an effect - Google now withholds a lot of launches from the EU, sometimes temporarily until they have time to have lawyers check them against DMA requirements, but mostly permanently. Ironically the part of Google most likely to persist in launching for the EU is Ads, since money is at stake. All the free, consumer-benefiting services are most likely to be curtailed in the face of aggressive reg…

> All the free, consumer-benefiting services

Those are just more avenues for Google to collect data to shove ads down everyone's throats.

Good that regulations keeps Google from releasing more pf their shit here. Governments should really tighten the screws there.

Re: Swedish court says Google is to pay $1.5B to Klarna in antitrust damages

#19

Post by dboreham »

UqWBcuFx6NV4r wrote: post #13
_el1s7 wrote: post #4

> PriceRunner is considered to have suffered damage as a result of Google having illegally favoured its price comparison service for many years Why would Google NOT favor it's own service at it's own product? How is that illegal?

Have you been sleeping under a rock for 30+ years, don’t know what antitrust is, and still feel confident enough to shout about it in a comment? The law isn’t just “what you happen to intuitively think is right”, especially in a jurisdiction where you clearly do not reside.

The Big Lebowski school of law.

Re: Swedish court says Google is to pay $1.5B to Klarna in antitrust damages

#20

Post by iLoveOncall »

namdnay wrote: post #8
_el1s7 wrote: post #4

> PriceRunner is considered to have suffered damage as a result of Google having illegally favoured its price comparison service for many years Why would Google NOT favor it's own service at it's own product? How is that illegal?

"Why would Microsoft NOT favor it's own browser in it's own OS? How is that illegal?"

You may not like it but I agree it shouldn't be illegal. If competitors aren't happy they can make their own OS.

At this point can you make a custom task manager and sue Microsoft to propose users to install your task manager on first boot? What about background image providers, why doesn't Microsoft propose to install background images from them at first boot?

It's an absolutely ridiculous idea.

They should not block alternatives, but having to promote them is complete nonsense.

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