Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Antitrust: Brussels is accepting Google - Generation NT

As expected, the final proposals Google were well received by the European Commission. And as expected, it is a mutual agreement that is looming on the horizon and will enable Google to avoid a fine hearty up to 10% of its annual turnover. If based on the year 2013 as a fine would have been able to reach $ 5.98 billion.

These proposals

Google to face charges of abuse of dominant position on the market of online search and advertising are available here.

My belief is that the new proposals obtained from Google after long and difficult negotiations are likely to respond to the Commission’s concerns

said Joaquin Almunia, European Commissioner for Competition.

The European Commission will give its positive complainants point of view and gather comments before making a final decision. A priori, it should not change your mind and commitments Google will become legally binding for a period of five years. They will be placed under the control of an independent trustee.

Among the latest concessions, when the engine display its own vertical search services in the results and so clearly identified, three other competing services will also be available in a similar format.

example below:

Google-search-1 Google-recherche-2
Before and after

Another example illustrates the results for a local search with three competing services that are exposed and accompanied by their logo:

Google-search-local-1  Google-search-local-2
Before and after

three competing services displayed will be selected from a group of eligible services via the Google search algorithm. But when Google charges for the inclusion of specialized research services, this is an auction mechanism to choose the three competitors.

order that their contents are not used in vertical search services Google third-party providers will be able to remove them without fearing a negative impact on the ranking in natural search results.

its agreements online advertising, Google has also agreed to delete the requirements of exclusivity in its contracts.

ICOMP, an organization of several plaintiffs including Microsoft, has already reacted to the announcement of the European Commission:

complainants and other stakeholders must be able to study commitments Google and not be satisfied merely with the analysis of the Commission considers that they will be effective. [...] By not not looking stakeholders Almunia takes the risk of being duped by Google. [...] We do not believe in the true intention of Google to stick to these proposals.

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