EU hit Google with record fine of €2.4 billion over Google shopping service!

[LMuhlen]

If he pays Google to position himself it would be against the agreement, but if its a free search on the internet, as an owner of the search engine i can show You whatever the fuck i want. Even if You write down i dont know....cocumber, i can show u cocumbers on my pizza (if i was google) as a first result, because i own it. And noone points gun in the ppl heads, they can use multiple search engines if they want accurate results, simple as that.

In that scenario, Google doesn't take pizza advertisement contracts anymore. Want to advertise you pizza place on google? Fuck you, become a Google Pizza instead. Want to sell pizza, that's your passion? It's easy, you just need to create your own search engine on the internet and dethrone google, then you can sell pizza.

People can use other engines, but they don't. If they did, it wouldn't be a factual monopoly. If google isn't put in its place, it can do whatever it wants. They can become a monopoly in whatever sector they want. All in the name of free market.

[Allybeboba]

Honestly don't get that. Say something negative about US or US companies, and every american takes it as a personal insult towards them.

More than one actually. Someone took a jab one the first available post.
Many Americans tend to take blanket statements about them as attacks on America itself. And many Americans don't take to kindly to that. I know that may be very very difficult for some people that aren't Americans to wrap their brains around, but it is the way it is.

[Anon56]

sinicerly Polish citizen.

I hope one day the EU will fail and the free market will be released from the shackles, so the ppl who work hard and have good ideas will do good, but lazy arses who have to hide behind legislation to let them compete with others will do bad, very bad.

If the EU fail so does your country. And regulated market is here for a reason, it's here to protect people like you and your country. It protect the weak against the strong and give them a chance.

[Gimlix]

Google does have a monopolistic dominance over the market. It's very difficult to compete with Google today.

Thats like saying it's hard for a MMORPG to take down WoW as #1 biggest MMORPG.
It takes time, but it does happen. Same goes to google.

[Nehezbegar]

If the EU fail so does your country. And regulated market is here for a reason, it's here to protect people like you and your country. It protect the weak against the strong and give them a chance.

Before Poland entered EU we had over 7% of the economic growth, now we we are less than 3%. I am not afraid of leaving the EU, because as long as we can compete with cheap and quality products ppl will buy our stuff. If we lower taxes, the companies will start to invest here.

[zenkai]

Hopefully you can see there difference between google, where people are expecting to get a fair overview of the available results based on an algorithm and Amazon, where people are expecting to see amazon products when they search there?

There isn't a difference, both are selling a product, I would think the common sense people would look at more than just the first top search result anyway to compare prices.

[Orlong]

The guy you quoted is right. If we had allowed Microsoft to promote their own product, we would all be forced to still use Internet Explorer with Windows. But they forced Microsoft to allow all browsers on windows and not just their own product (maybe why MS now sues others when they also do self promote)
This case seems the same to me and it is to promote Competition, the essence of free market.

Let me guess. If you don't like windows, don't use it.

Total bullshit. Microsoft NEVER forced you to use Internet Explorer, nor did it block you from installing an alternative. They were sued by the EU because every copy of windows came with Internet Explorer set as the default browser and had MSN as the default homepage. They never gave you options to install another browser but they also did NOT prohibit you from installing one.

This fine was ALSO bullshit because only stupid people who dont know that you can add software to your computer were affected, and they would be too stupid to understand why Internet Explorer wasnt a good browser, or even what a browser is for that matter.

See, the EU makes their laws all about "fairness", so nobody can ever be more successful than someone else. Youre only allowed to be mediocre and equal.

Im surprised they havent forced MDonalds to hang the menu boards from Burger King, Arby's, and KFC beside their own yet

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Yes, because no one else provides a search engine, photo dump, Email, Video service, browser, it's a linux clone, its google books and here is a final alternative.

Not that the everyday Joe Blow will know how to use easily if he can even find these alternatives (How would he search for another search engine if he didnt already know about one). I could only imagine trying to show my Grandma how to install Linux and remove redeye from her pictures using GIMP, or reteach another email interface

[cuafpr]

The shitstorm that would erupt would both be damning and hilarious! No access to google search, drive, mail, youtube, android services and a number of other things and I can guarantee EU Citizens would be pretty furious at the European Commission irregardless of what it thinks.

you left google's dns service as well .. yeah companies like Microsoft, google, apple... they are the ones with the power if they ever got together and collectively flexed their muscle the modern world would be at their whim basically.

[Orlong]

One thing that people don't seem to realise is that even if Google were to pull out of European trading, which simply is not ever going to happen, the companies that are left will get a boost. People keep saying "oh, deal with X instead OLOLOL" seemingly oblivious to the speed at which the internet moves.

Yes, we might miss google for a bit while stuff starts to pick up, but those companies WILL take up the market share that google leaves.

All that being said, they aren't going to pull out of Europe and to even suggest otherwise is lunacy.

Yep, the EU people will be stuck using the best of the subpar replacements while the rest of the world will enjoy using Google. EU countries would rather drive on dirt roads than let one asphalt company pave ALL of the roads because they do the best job at the lowest cost, just so multiple companies can get a chance to do a half-assed job at a higher cost to the buyer

[Bakis]

I find it amusing that some (American) people think Google or any of the larger IT companies would pass EU as a market rather than to comply with the legislation that everyone has to play by. As pointed out previously, Googles misuse of a dominant position was brought up by other US IT giants as well.

[Orlong]

Many Americans have some kind of obsession with cheering for these giant corporations. I think it's like cheering for a perpetual winning sports team.

They live vicariously through others that tend to be successful to make their lives feel better or something when it actually hurts them in the long run.

Maybe we want them to continue to succeed because they make the best product. They didnt get to be a giant corporation by putting out a shitty product. We dont want shittier products just so more companies can get a share of the pie

[LMuhlen]

Yep, the EU people will be stuck using the best of the subpar replacements while the rest of the world will enjoy using Google. EU countries would rather drive on dirt roads than let one asphalt company pave ALL of the roads because they do the best job at the lowest cost, just so multiple companies can get a chance to do a half-assed job at a higher cost to the buyer

You mean the asphalt company that would pave the path to their own headquarters better than they do for their competition? The company that would only put signs directing people to the companies they liked? The company that would use their great pavement skills to enter other sectors with unfair advantages?

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Maybe we want them to continue to succeed because they make the best product. They didnt get to be a giant corporation by putting out a shitty product. We dont want shittier products just so more companies can get a share of the pie

They did once. Then they got a monopoly and didn't need to evolve any more. Now they can focus on killing the competition instead of providing a better product.

[Orlong]

It's harder to see this as an abusive posture because no one really cares or are fond of shop search engines enough to be bothered with them.

But imagine Google starts selling pizza. Then they promote their own pizza shop and strategically hide other pizza shops which are a menace to them.

Then they grow exponentially and one day that pizza place you love will be bought and will sell that blend corporativist pizza which is the same all around the world.

Then you would probably see how abusing of a monopoly to promote other monopolies is a danger to free market.

Except Google wasnt hiding shopping results from other vendors. They were listing their own first, and even if they did. Its their right to do so. Why should one company be forced to give free advertising to another?

[Bakis]

Except Google wasnt hiding shopping results from other vendors. They were listing their own first, and even if they did. Its their right to do so. Why should one company be forced to give free advertising to another?

Which is bad for the consumer you have to remember that the consumer protection in US is weak, its much stronger in the EU.

[Tackhisis]

But they forced Microsoft to allow all browsers on windows and not just their own product

When were other browsers disallowed on Windows? The issue was MS offering a free Web browser, when you had to pay for Netscape and Opera.

[Orlong]

You mean the asphalt company that would pave the path to their own headquarters better than they do for their competition? The company that would only put signs directing people to the companies they liked? The company that would use their great pavement skills to enter other sectors with unfair advantages?

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They did once. Then they got a monopoly and didn't need to evolve any more. Now they can focus on killing the competition instead of providing a better product.

Really? How about a list of the Google Products that have just languished and gotten shitty. In fact since Google has gotten big they continue to push out new and often free products that are better than available to the average person

[Tackhisis]

it's a linux clone

Android is not a Linux clone.

[ati87]

Total bullshit. Microsoft NEVER forced you to use Internet Explorer, nor did it block you from installing an alternative. They were sued by the EU because every copy of windows came with Internet Explorer set as the default browser and had MSN as the default homepage. They never gave you options to install another browser but they also did NOT prohibit you from installing one.

Uhm do you even know what you are talking about (don't answer)

Microsoft made it really hard for other browsers to enter the market itself, sure you could install a browser of you're choice but it didn't god dam work. Microsoft didn't respect the standards and forced web-developers to work with IE since they had a marketshare of 90% plus.

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Thats like saying it's hard for a MMORPG to take down WoW as #1 biggest MMORPG.
It takes time, but it does happen. Same goes to google.

Don't compare a god dam video game to something like this, it's apples and oranges.

If a company like Google and Microsoft wants to make people's live a hell when trying to use something else they can do so.

Intel got punished when they offered ''discounts'' for not using AMD (they are still figthing it) since they could demand such a thing and AMD can't defend itself against this bigger player.

[Ehrenpanzer]

If you don't like how EU legislation works, don't operate in Europe - sincerely an EU citizen.

Go for it. Try convincing Europe to live without Google....

[Tackhisis]

sure you could install a browser of you're choice but it didn't god dam work. Microsoft didn't respect the standards and forced web-developers to work with IE since they had a marketshare of 90% plus.

What? Microsoft created the Web standards; DHTML, Ajax, ActiveX, support for Middle and Far East languages, font substitution, EVERYTHING was invented by Microsoft.