Android will offer European users a browser and search engine to choose from
Back in 2009, the European Commission recognized that Microsoft was abusing its monopoly position in the operating system market by supplying its Internet Explorer browser bundled with Windows. The American corporation was forced to demonstrate a special window with a choice of browser. So it looked in 2010:
Almost 10 years have passed - and now history repeats itself, but now with the Android operating system. According to the “recommendation” of the EU, Google also decided to offer a choice of Android browser and search engine to new European users.
The last stage of the confrontation between Google and the European Union began in July last year, when the European authorities fined the company a record $ 5.05 billion (4.34 billion euros) for violating antitrust laws in Europe. Commission Chairman Margret Westagger accused the company of three violations:
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Google has still not paid a fine and has filed an appeal in a legal manner, which may take several years.
At the same time, the company responded: in October, it announced that it would separately sell licenses for the Google Apps package and search with a browser. That is, one license for a package of applications, including Google Play, Gmail, YouTube and maps. Another license is available for companies that want to pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser. Thus, phone manufacturers get more freedom in the use of competing services, which the European Commission wanted. For example, you can now use the Google Apps package with a third-party browser. Or vice versa - Google search and Chrome browser, but without a package of branded applications. The company did not say how much it would charge for the license. According to rumors, the cost comes to $ 40 for each device .
Now in this story a new twist: Google voluntarily decided to offer Android users a browser and a search engine to choose from. The corresponding window will be seen by users of new Android devices in Europe: “We have always tried to give people the best and fastest answers - either directly from Google or from a wide range of specialized websites and application providers that exist today,” Google said in a press release. “These recent changes demonstrate our constant desire to act openly and principally.”
Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world, which is installed on more than 80% of smartphones. Google says that it works on more than 24,000 different types of devices. The use of Android allowed companies like Samsung to compete with Apple's iPhone without the need to create their own software. By providing Android for free to any device manufacturer to use and modify, Google simultaneously promotes its Google Apps suite of applications.
It is obvious that the proceedings of Google with the European Commission will continue for a long time. Moreover, the latter was not limited only to the mentioned fine of 4.34 billion euros for violation of antitrust laws. Today it became known that Google has been imposed another fine of 1.49 billion euros "for illegal practices in search advertising, which consolidate its dominant position in the market." This was also reported by the same chairman of the commission, Margret Vestager, on her twitter.
The European Commission explained that the fine was imposed for the fact that since 2006, Google has entered into contracts with third-party sites, prohibiting Google competitors from placing their ads in the search results of these resources. This is considered an abuse of dominant position in the online advertising market. The corresponding investigation began in 2016. "All the violations are fixed in the contractual obligations that Google imposed on its partners - the owners of the websites," said Margret Vestager. In addition, Google used other illegal practices, abusing its monopoly position in the search market and online advertising, including putting its partners in first place in the search results, and also paying mobile device and operating system manufacturers to include pre-installed applications. search based on google.
For Google, this is the third antitrust penalty from the European Commission over the past two years:
This is probably not the end.
Almost 10 years have passed - and now history repeats itself, but now with the Android operating system. According to the “recommendation” of the EU, Google also decided to offer a choice of Android browser and search engine to new European users.
The last stage of the confrontation between Google and the European Union began in July last year, when the European authorities fined the company a record $ 5.05 billion (4.34 billion euros) for violating antitrust laws in Europe. Commission Chairman Margret Westagger accused the company of three violations:
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- Google is undermining the competition in the market for Android devices by introducing its search engine and applications into the operating system.
- Google restricts manufacturers from using alternative versions of Android, blocking access to their services.
- The company paid large manufacturers and mobile networks to put Google Search on default in their products.
Google has still not paid a fine and has filed an appeal in a legal manner, which may take several years.
At the same time, the company responded: in October, it announced that it would separately sell licenses for the Google Apps package and search with a browser. That is, one license for a package of applications, including Google Play, Gmail, YouTube and maps. Another license is available for companies that want to pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser. Thus, phone manufacturers get more freedom in the use of competing services, which the European Commission wanted. For example, you can now use the Google Apps package with a third-party browser. Or vice versa - Google search and Chrome browser, but without a package of branded applications. The company did not say how much it would charge for the license. According to rumors, the cost comes to $ 40 for each device .
Now in this story a new twist: Google voluntarily decided to offer Android users a browser and a search engine to choose from. The corresponding window will be seen by users of new Android devices in Europe: “We have always tried to give people the best and fastest answers - either directly from Google or from a wide range of specialized websites and application providers that exist today,” Google said in a press release. “These recent changes demonstrate our constant desire to act openly and principally.”
Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world, which is installed on more than 80% of smartphones. Google says that it works on more than 24,000 different types of devices. The use of Android allowed companies like Samsung to compete with Apple's iPhone without the need to create their own software. By providing Android for free to any device manufacturer to use and modify, Google simultaneously promotes its Google Apps suite of applications.
It is obvious that the proceedings of Google with the European Commission will continue for a long time. Moreover, the latter was not limited only to the mentioned fine of 4.34 billion euros for violation of antitrust laws. Today it became known that Google has been imposed another fine of 1.49 billion euros "for illegal practices in search advertising, which consolidate its dominant position in the market." This was also reported by the same chairman of the commission, Margret Vestager, on her twitter.
The European Commission explained that the fine was imposed for the fact that since 2006, Google has entered into contracts with third-party sites, prohibiting Google competitors from placing their ads in the search results of these resources. This is considered an abuse of dominant position in the online advertising market. The corresponding investigation began in 2016. "All the violations are fixed in the contractual obligations that Google imposed on its partners - the owners of the websites," said Margret Vestager. In addition, Google used other illegal practices, abusing its monopoly position in the search market and online advertising, including putting its partners in first place in the search results, and also paying mobile device and operating system manufacturers to include pre-installed applications. search based on google.
For Google, this is the third antitrust penalty from the European Commission over the past two years:
- $ 2.7 billion for abuse in the search engine market (2017);
- $ 5 billion for restrictions on Android (2018);
- $ 1.69 billion for abusing the dominant position in the online advertising market (2019).
This is probably not the end.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/444584/
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