Reuters has obtained a document that shows how the European Union intends to punish Alphabet/Google for antitrust violations:
EU antitrust regulators plan to order Alphabet's Google to stop paying financial incentives to smartphone makers to pre-install Google Search exclusively on their devices and warned the company of a large fine, an EU document showed. The document, running to more than 150 pages, was sent to complainants last week for feedback. Google received a copy in April in which the European Commission accused it of using its dominant Android mobile operating system to shut out rivals.
The EU competition enforcer in its charge sheet, known as a statement of objections, said it planned to tell the U.S. technology giant to halt payments or discounts to mobile phone manufacturers in return for pre-installing Google's Play Store with Google Search.
The regulators also want to prevent Google from forcing smartphone makers to pre-install its proprietary apps if this restricts their ability to use competing operating systems based on Android. Google "cannot punish or threaten" companies for not complying with its conditions, according to the document seen by Reuters.
The Commission's investigation followed a complaint by FairSearch, a lobby group supported by companies that want to ensure they are not disadvantaged by search engine market dominance, in March 2013. Google could face a large fine because the anti-competitive practices, which started from January 2011, are still ongoing, the document said.
Here is the FairSearch website.
Related Stories
Google confirms it will appeal $5 billion EU antitrust fine
Google has confirmed the expected, that it will indeed appeal the record $5 billion fine that it was handed today by European antitrust regulators for abusing the dominance of its Android operating system.
The European Commission announced that it is fining the U.S. firm for "three types of restrictions that [it] has imposed on Android device manufacturers and network operators to ensure that traffic on Android devices goes to the Google search engine." [...] In particular, the EC has decided that Google:
- Has required manufacturers to pre-install the Google Search app and browser app (Chrome), as a condition for licensing Google's app store (the Play Store);
- Made payments to certain large manufacturers and mobile network operators on condition that they exclusively pre-installed the Google Search app on their devices
- And has prevented manufacturers wishing to pre-install Google apps from selling even a single smart mobile device running on alternative versions of Android that were not approved by Google (so-called "Android forks").
The decision also concludes that Google is dominant in the markets for general internet search service, licensable smart mobile operating systems, and app stores for the Android mobile operating system.
In a more detailed blog post, Google doubled down on its position to argue that Android has helped bring choice to the market by enabling 1,300 different companies to develop 24,000 smartphones, and bringing over one million apps to users.
Previously: Report: Feds Investigating if Google's Android Violates Antitrust Rules
EU vs. Google: Android Antitrust
EU's Leaked Plan to Punish Google for Antitrust Violations
Google's Next EU Fine Could be Even Bigger for Android Violations
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday October 02 2016, @04:39PM
This is the EU punishment for the....hahha..."cultural enrichment" the US has inflicted upon our so-called "allies."
Don't trust the US you bastards. We tapped Merkel's phone. Stay strong, nation-states. France - we want your cheese and wine. Germany - We want your bier.. Eastern Europe - we want your hot women.
(Score: 5, Funny) by takyon on Sunday October 02 2016, @04:45PM
If we're not careful, we might end up getting France's women, Germany's cheese, and Eastern Europe's beer.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Geotti on Sunday October 02 2016, @05:08PM
You surely meant Germany's women, French beer and Eastern European cheese, as that would be the worst combination possible. De gustibus non est disputandum, YMMV.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday October 02 2016, @09:45PM
But think of Germany's buxom blondes and BDSM Nazis!
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by fritsd on Sunday October 02 2016, @08:14PM
This joke is really really old:
HEAVEN is where:
The police are British,
The chefs are Italian,
The mechanics are German,
The lovers are French,
and it's all organised by the Swiss.
HELL is where:
The police are German,
The chefs are British,
The mechanics are French,
The lovers are Swiss,
and it's all organised by the Italians.
(found here (jokes4us) [jokes4us.com])
More modern version [ploum.net]
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 02 2016, @09:43PM
After Brexit, it seems funnier this way:
The police are British,
The chefs are British,
The mechanics are British,
The lovers are British,
and it's all organised by the British.
Not a joke tho. That's how it is going to be!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 02 2016, @11:53PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 02 2016, @05:13PM
Every time I land on a Bing page, I'm reminded of annoying chimes, hipster ads, and how Microsoft is trying to be cool by bribing hip-hop. Not to mention huge distracting in your face graphics. They are like someone who is annoying just by the attention they crave, and nobody wants to spend time with them for that reason.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 03 2016, @12:17AM
How much does google pay you to astroturf?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 03 2016, @03:24AM
Glad you think my writing is professional, but that was a freebie.
(Score: 2) by butthurt on Monday October 03 2016, @01:44AM
I take it you don't know how to, or don't care to, control the loading of images in your browser. You apparently use search engines by opening their home pages and typing a query, rather than by using a search feature built into your browser. Perhaps, like around 98 or 99 percent of netizens, you don't know how to, or don't care to, control the execution of Javascript in your browser? Well then, you'll love Google Analytics, the most popular analytics package among Web designers who care about aesthetics. It tracks you invisibly--no garish graphics to bother your sensitive eyes. That data is, I assume, integrated--tastefully and discreetly--with data from Doubleclick, Google Search, Gmail, Chrome [wikipedia.org], Google Play services/Google Mobile Services, etc.
https://web.archive.org/web/20101016010319/http://developer.yahoo.com/blogs/ydn/posts/2010/10/how-many-users-have-javascript-disabled/ [archive.org]
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.gms [google.com]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Mobile_Services [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 02 2016, @05:14PM
If governments really care about search engine competition they wouldn't have taken down services like Megaupload and they would have passed laws that ensured that services like Veoh (the original) won't get sued out of existence. They only care about businesses that grease the palms of politicians, limit competition, and feed the people self serving and government serving propaganda while distracting and keeping us from real issues and keeping us ignorant.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Max Hyre on Sunday October 02 2016, @07:24PM
(Score: 1) by claywar on Sunday October 02 2016, @10:35PM
Is it financial incentives, or is it punishment? If its the former, then companies are being compensated for pre-installing software. How is this different from the bloat we see on all PC sales to lower the price? You can't be punished and compensated at the same time.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Monday October 03 2016, @01:08AM
Its probably which ever way the money flows.
I'm sure Facebook is happy to pay for foisting its spyware onto every phone in the world.
The thing is, the vast majority of people, if handed a phone with no apps other than an assortment of various "play stores" and play-store wanna-bes will still go to the store they trust the most, and install the free search app that gives the best results.
That still leaves Duck Duck Go freezing in the cold because the trash results it yields, if they had an app, no one would install it.
Google's new Pixel phones may be signaling a new direction. Google just may buy HTC outright and start making an Android phone they way they want it to look instead of the hacked over bloated skins the manufacturers impose.
Then they could just hand all the other manufacturers a bare bones Android OS and let them come up with their own bloatware.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.