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European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

europa.eu

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Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#61

Post by nkkollaw »

gressquel wrote: post #32

I wish they would add an additional 1 billion fine for AMP.

From what I read, AMP is a subset of HTML to make pages load faster and deliver ads more efficiently (which might appeal to content creators).

I assume that Google is attempting to make devs start using a proprietary technology instead of the well-established HTML standard, or:

- somehow lock everyone in with the format

- force people to switch to Chrome since it would run those pages better

- force other browsers to implement the technology (until they sneak in a patented technology once AMP is popular?)

Where can I read a good article about why AMP is bad?

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#62

Post by s_kilk »

vegancap wrote: post #36

The EU are verging on gangsterism, extorting businesses for increasingly specious violations and terms. Of course Google favour their affiliates on THEIR web services, their property.

I find the manic defense of corporate interests over the interests of the public more sickening.

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#63

Post by stctgion »

vegancap wrote: post #36

The EU are verging on gangsterism, extorting businesses for increasingly specious violations and terms. Of course Google favour their affiliates on THEIR web services, their property.

Monopolies are sickening. I hope for bigger fines in the future

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#64

Post by amelius »

interfixus wrote: post #49

Please enlighten me: What kind of monopoly would that be? Much as I detest an awful lot of Google, I have never once been - and know of noone else who has ever been - forced to use their search against my will. In fact, I get along fine without it, as well as without their analytics and their browser and their cloud stuff, excepting of course that I am often forced to correspond with gmail addresses.

It's explained here, [1]. Monopoly is not the right term. See market dominance instead.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_competition_law

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#65

Post by calcifer »

interfixus wrote: post #49

Please enlighten me: What kind of monopoly would that be? Much as I detest an awful lot of Google, I have never once been - and know of noone else who has ever been - forced to use their search against my will. In fact, I get along fine without it, as well as without their analytics and their browser and their cloud stuff, excepting of course that I am often forced to correspond with gmail addresses.

Google holding a dominant position or a monopoly on search is not by itself illegal. However, using that position to gain entry in a different market (shopping, in this case) is considered anti-competitive and hence illegal.

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#66

Post by ginko »

currysausage wrote: post #23

I tend to agree with the underlying judgment, yet the record-breaking fine seems disproportionate to the debatable degree of wrongdoing, compared to the Intel case, where the (obviously reprehensible) extortion of distributors etc. only led to a fine of about €1.06B.

I'd say the problem isn't so much that Google's fine is too high, but that Intel's fine was too low.

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#68

Post by amelius »

gressquel wrote: post #32

I wish they would add an additional 1 billion fine for AMP.

But as far as I understand, AMP is just an open technology, i.e. open for any (search) company to implement. Google is just the company proposing the standard (and coincidentally benefiting most from it).

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#69

Post by flexie »

interfixus wrote: post #49

Please enlighten me: What kind of monopoly would that be? Much as I detest an awful lot of Google, I have never once been - and know of noone else who has ever been - forced to use their search against my will. In fact, I get along fine without it, as well as without their analytics and their browser and their cloud stuff, excepting of course that I am often forced to correspond with gmail addresses.

This is not about Google having a monopoly but about Google abusing a dominant position.

And even if it were about monopoly, whether or not you are forced to use a product or a service is not what determines if it constitutes a monopoly.

Re: European Commission fines Google €2.42B for abusing dominance

#70

Post by nvgjug »

flexie wrote: post #55
andmarios wrote: post #20

The press release is well written. It explains why Google is fined in an easy way to understand, covering most aspects; what is the problematic behavior, why it is considered as problematic, which data lead to this decision, etc, whilst not painting the company in a negative light. Opinions on the decision will sure differ among readers, but I think the decision is in place with the majority of EU citizens' consensus…

Absolutely. Next up, the Adsense and Android antitrust cases. How do I know? I googled it: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-google-antitrust-idUSKB...

> How do I know?

Umm, it says so in the article, the googling was unnecessary.

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