Google's secret search offer to EU antitrust chief LEAKED by rivals Google may have struck a deal with Brussels' competition chief to keep details of the ad giant's revised package of concessions over its search biz secret, but - perhaps inevitably - a copy of the offer has been leaked to The Register and other publications. An unnamed party sent El Reg a document containing 15 questions that …
Look,
Its very easy to argue that we (the netziens) are all interested parties.
Do you really want to go through all of the legal stuff that says that its ok for this sort of leak when it is in fact in the public's best interest?
The clause where Google can redirect back to the US domain and bypass French laws is actually pretty damning.
And here's the more interesting thing... what's in a name? By this I mean if they redirect to Google.com and the server that they redirect to is actually still sitting in France... is that still ok? Otherwise if they actually redirected to a Google.com machine back in the US of A, there would be this really nasty delay of 300+ ms just on the signal traveling at the speed of light halfway around the world and back again.
Did Almunia demand secrecy just to hide the lack of 'improvement' in this revision? Beginning to look like Almunia is painfully aware how weak the complaint really is, underpinned by complaints from competitors rotten to the core.
More important how weak his enforcement position is. Even if it survived legal challenge, if Google quit Europe they wouldn't need to redirect any traffic to the US site, most users would do it themselves. With no product sales to worry about, Almunia needs to tread lightly to retain any control over Google.
Yeah right. Google makes tons of money in Europe, and as long as they want to do that, they'll have to comply with European regulations.
And no, redirecting all traffic to your .com domain and shutting down .fr and .de domains does not make you exempt from EU regulations either. If it was that easy, all corporations would have their sites in .tv
Must suck to be doing so badly that they have to level the playing field in this way.
The sooner Microsoft disappear totally the better as far as I am concerned. They want to make everything Google does shit, so they have a chance to compete. In my world, they need to UP THEIR GAME, not lower the competitions...
Please Google, it has become altogether far too obvious that the EU is unfairly penalizing your company for being too successful and providing a product that everyone wants to use.
I beg you to tell them to piss off and disconnect search for European Union nations.
That actually works for me.
It would mean that other search engines could actually gain a foothold and survive.
It would also mean that Google would have to repatriate their offshore monies back to the US and we could use the taxes to help offset the ACA...
Just saying...
Back Dated Penalties (Guy Fawkes Night)
A retreat would still be a victory and admission that Google can not compete, at least not compete fairly.
10% penalty for each year it was in breach since the complaints first started poring in would be a big dent in
the tune of billions and billions of US dollars.
The money could be used to fund many new search engine or other European internet start-ups and take away a lot of the market share.
TVs and RADIOs would then be able to remind the public that Google is no longer operating from within Europe and encourage them to use other local providers. On each month or anniversary it would be like Guy Fawkes Night.
No, it would simply mean that all Google servers and domains that are not on .com would be mothballed and all hardware would be located far outside the purview of the EU.
Regarding "competing", when a no-name, so called "search engine" has to make false claims to the EU and cheat their way to getting the EUC to file against Google; then maybe you supporters of such crap deserve the results that they return instead of the proper ones you get from all the recognized search providers. The only competitors that Google has are 18% of the market or even less. Those that have less than 1% of the market share would never had any more than that so there was in fact "no damage done", UNLESS the idiots at the EUC would buy the argument that Bing (17.9%), Yahoo(12%), Ask(2.7%), AOL(1.3%) et al were also damaged.
How about those who want to be better than the compeition just do so and make a better product. It's pretty obvious a) they didn't and b) they can't, so they lie and the morons in the EU believe them.
Google will find a way to bring their money home and spend it elsewhere. By the way, that Google Barge that you've seen is only the first of many that will become part of the new Sovereign Nation of Google, a new corporate home, an offshore capital made up of hundreds of such barges that will house a multitude of seawater cooled data centers that will use wind, solar and temperature differential for electric power and pay no taxes ANYWHERE. All they will need is a connection to an undersea fiber hub, which they will likely install themselves.
GOOGLE will find a way to ignore what the EU says or thinks they can do. Remember, they already have all those emails between the EU comissioners and their mistresses, including the "selfies".
As a penalty for trying to evade European law after milking it so unfairly for so long, all Goggle spidering can be blocked at every internet switch. No more Google, long live Yahoo or complaint giants.
Rewards for complaint giant search engines would be massive.
Like China kicked out Google the EU can kick out Google for poor trade if not illegal and negligent trading practices.
...how the fuck Google is supposed to have a monopoly. Like I can't type in "yahoo.com" as easily as any other web address? If Google have a monopoly, it's because people want to use them. Because, you know, they're actually good at what they do. Unlike Microsoft, who are at best mediocre, and only continue in business because of the Windows monopoly. Don't forget that this whole complaints procedure has only been brought about because a bunch of "specialised" search operators - you know, those annoying bastards that think that the result you're looking for is Yet Another Search Engine - got pissed off that Google was ranking them down (well surprise fucking surprise). Oh and Microsoft, because Linux.
Seriously, Google have plenty of things you can criticise them about (fuck off, no I don't and will never want Plus), but pulling a Microsoft is certainly not one of them.
Love it, the conspiracy theorist delusions of a freetard summarised in five words.
Love it. The clueless shilling of a fucktard summarised in a single sentence.
Or are you saying that MSFT haven't been engaged in total war with anything possibly involving open-source software for years? Are you saying that Microsoft have not been trying to lock Linux up behind a patent tax because they simply cannot destroy it no matter how hard they try? It's the antithesis of their entire business strategy, and news sites and articles are littered with examples of MSFT's arseholery.
But apparently I'm a conspiracy theorist, despite the evidence being in plain fucking sight. And apparently a freetard too, despite the money I've spent on software over the years.
Yep, totally delusional.
And what the fuck has this got to do with Google having an abusive monopoly or not, asides Microsoft being one of the ones just desperate to stick the knife in, despite being the worst offender of all?
Hah hah, engaged in 'total war' with a fragmented joke of an operating system that has about 1% market share? Why would they bother? I can see from your spittle flecked post that you have far bigger issues with Microsoft than Microsoft have with Linux. Which is pretty sad really.
fragmented joke of an operating system that has about 1% market share?
I hear Linux powers more than half the servers providing the porn that you use to wank yourself to sleep, sweetie.
Not to mention the router you're most likely using. You know I hear Microsoft have been having a little problem in the mobile market. Something about some green robot or other. I mean really it's a virtual machine, but the VM is running on the ol' Toy Unix kernel, and I'm led to believe it's rather popular.
Now wipe your mouth dearie, you're dribbling, and it looks most uncouth. Yes, total war. Whether it's successful or not, well. I see the penguin is still alive and kicking. I know, I know, it's so frustrating for your paymasters to not be able to steamroller over the mobile phone industry like they have done with PCs.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
