Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud

    Google Denies All EU Antitrust Charges Against Search Business

    By
    Jaikumar Vijayan
    -
    August 28, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Google EU Response

      Google on Thursday predictably denied European Union charges that it was abusing its dominant position in the Internet search market to stifle rivals.

      Responding to a formal statement of objections (SO) filed against the company by European Union antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager in April, Google said that its services had increased choice for European consumers while opening up new opportunities for businesses of all sizes.

      The company rejected the charge that it gave preferential treatment to products in its own comparison-shopping site when people use its general search engine to look for particular products. It also rebutted claims that its ad displays and specialized organic search results somehow prevented shopping site aggregators from reaching their consumers.

      “We believe that the SO’s preliminary conclusions are wrong as a matter of fact, law, and economics,” Kent Walker, Google’s general counsel said in a blog post Thursday. “We look forward to discussing our response and supporting evidence with the Commission, in the interest of promoting user choice and open competition.”

      With Google’s formal response, the ball is now back in the EU antitrust chief’s court in terms of what happens next. Vestager has previously noted that she would wait to review Google’s response to the charges before deciding how to proceed.

      In the EU, a statement of objection is generally considered a formal first step toward a full-scale anti-trust investigation. In Google’s case, the main focus of the SO is on the Google Shopping comparison-shopping site in the EU. The SO charges Google with giving the site too much prominence in its search engine results and potentially depriving consumers of access to other comparison-shopping sites.

      Vestager has noted that if her investigations show that Google did indeed violate EU anti-competition laws with its shopping site, the Commission could use that as a basis to enforce EU laws in other areas of Google’s business as well.

      In his blog post, Walker noted that Google has used traffic analysis data, economic data and an “array of documents and statements” from rivals spanning more than a decade, to show why the EUs claims about it hurting the competition are wrong.

      “And we show why the SO is incorrect in failing to consider the impact of major shopping services like Amazon and eBay, who are the largest players in this space,” he noted.

      As opposed to draining traffic away, the universe of online shopping overall has benefited in an enormous increase in traffic from Google, Walker said. Diverse new players have entered the market and new investments are continuing to be made in this segment.

      Meanwhile, Google has delivered, what Walker described as more than 20 billion free clicks over the past 10 years to shopping aggregation sites in the region covered by the SO, he said.

      At the same time, the manner in which people do comparison-shopping and buy products has also evolved over the years he said suggesting that users have begun relying less on shopping aggregation sites.

      “Users on desktop and mobile devices often want to go straight to trusted merchants who have established an online presence,” he said.

      Jaikumar Vijayan
      Vijayan is an award-winning independent journalist and tech content creation specialist covering data security and privacy, business intelligence, big data and data analytics.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×