back to article Brussels throws antitrust settlement lifeline to Google

Google has been given the chance to settle an antitrust investigation of the company's business practices in Europe, competition officials in Brussels confirmed today. The EU's competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia said this morning that he would consider "proposals of remedies" from the internet giant if it quickly …

COMMENTS

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  1. Philip Lewis

    Popcorn + Generic non-specific Cola time

    Heading ...

    (We need a popcorn icon)

  2. dotdavid
    Meh

    Nice web search business you've got there...

    ...would be a shame if anything happened to it...

  3. Lewis Mettler
    Happy

    an advantage, no doubt

    But, what about the continued illegal practice of forcing all consumers to purchase Internet Exporer? Is that not a significant disadvantage for alternative technologies?

    Yet, the EU approves that illegal act. The EU approves that?

    Seems like the EU commission should at least be consistent and just wave their hands and suggest that if Google does not exclude completely competing services from their searches that everything is just fine? You know, like the stupid suggestion that a ballot screen offsets the forced sale and use of Internet Exporer? (Google does not require anyone to use their others services. Microsoft does.)

    You do not suppose that Microsoft is behind those complaints to the EU? Nah. They know they get away scott clean with their own illegal acts. They would never suggest much higher restrictions should be placed against others? Do you think?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    remedies?

    Would these be the kind of remedies that are useful for bailing out vampire banks, vampire economies, etc?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    turnabout is fair play

    These complaints can be handled fairly for all and set a standard for search engine behavior.

    Reciprocity among search engines requires that the same expectations of behavior apply to Bing, Facebook, Twitter and specialized search such as you-tube etc. Secondary searches on Google obviously must look the same on Google as Google products. Advertising information services should be shared with competitors, but those services should be reciprocal. When Bing and Facebook develop useful ad-tools they get to share with Google.

    Rules for using snippets of info from various sources on the web are fair-use of an editorial function. Once proposed and accepted, both snippers and snippees are bound to cooperate. Walled gardens for competitive advantage are odious.

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