Posts tagged AntiTrust
Report: FTC Expanding Anti-Trust Investigation Of Google To Include Google+
Jan 16th
The wide-ranging Federal Trade Commission investigation into Google’s potential anti-competitive practices has been expanded to include its Google+ social networking service, according to a Bloomberg report citing “people familiar with the situation.” The news is likely to please…
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The Google/Microsoft Comparison: Industry Reaction to Antitrust Debate
Jan 13th
The Electronic Privacy Information Center is considering filing an FTC complaint, even after two of the senators involved in the first subcommittee investigation suggested an FTC investigation last month. Google has cherry-picked positive quotes f…
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Koreans Accuse Google Of “Obstructing” Antitrust Investigation
Jan 9th
According to CNET, Google faces the “maximum potential penalty” for allegedly obstructing South Korea’s antitrust investigation against the company. Korean officials “raided” Google’s Seoul offices last Fall in connection with an investigation into whether Google…
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US Senators Ask FTC to Launch Formal Anti-trust Investigation into Google
Dec 20th
Two US senators have asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to launch a formal anti-trust investigation into Google.
Senators Herb Kohl and Mike Lee have written to the FTC (PDF) about their fears that Google could be abusing its dominant posi…
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Google Braces For Early 2012 (400-Page) EU Antitrust Report
Dec 2nd
According to dealReporter (via the Financial Times), the first stage of the formal European antitrust investigation against Google is almost complete. Google will shortly receive a 400-page “statement of objections” presenting findings from the European Commission’s investigation….
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ShopCity: Latest Publisher To File Antitrust Complaint Against Google
Nov 15th
Google Is Target of ShopCity Antitrust Complaint to FTC from Bloomberg News reports yet another FTC antitrust complaint was filed against Google. This time the complaint was filed by ShopCity, a service aimed at helping local businesses sell products online. The complaint was filed on November 11th…
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Search In Pics: Bing Seahawks Ad, Yahoo Acting Scary, Google Antitrust Protestors by @rustybrick
Oct 7th
In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more.
Bing Ads At Seattle Seahawks:
Googlers Playing Nok Hockey:
Google Wallet…
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Google’s Antitrust Message: Trust Us
Sep 22nd
On Wednesday afternoon, Google chairman Eric Schmidt defended Google and its business practices before the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee. During the hearing, Schmidt repeatedly told the committee that Google has done nothing wrong and indicated the company’s desire to fully cooperate with the Federal Trade Commission and authorities.
The key antitrust issue being investigated is whether Google is abusing its market dominance by displaying its own sites in lieu of competitors’ sites. At one point during the hearing, Mike Lee, the ranking Republican on the antitrust subcommittee, said, “When I see you magically coming up third every time … you’ve cooked it so you’re always third.” Schmidt quickly replied without hesitation: “Senator, may I simply say that I can assure you we’ve not cooked anything.”
However, Senator Richard Blumenthal, who battled Google during his time as a state attorney general, did not seem satisfied with Schmidt’s reassurances. The Senator clearly communicated his skepticism with the following analogy:
“You run the racetrack. You own the racetrack. For a long time, you didn’t have any horses. Now you have horses … and your horses seem to be winning.”
After the hearing, Senator Lee indicated that he would like to see Google voluntarily and adequately address the concerns of the competition.
In addition to the ongoing congressional investigation, the US Federal Trade Commission, European Commission, and South Korean officials are all investigating whether or not Google is abusing its power. Also, there are currently 13 different countries investigating whether Google is disregarding privacy-related laws.
Microsoft was the last company to face this type of intense antitrust scrutiny, which led to a prolonged trial, appeal, and eventual settlement. Unless Google wants to follow the path of its corporate predecessor, Schmidt must quickly dispel the accusations and satisfy the investigating agencies.
[Sources Include: LA Times, Washington Post, & Politico; Photo by Charles Haynes]
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Google’s Antitrust Message: Trust Us
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