French search company files new antitrust case against Google

By Geoff Duncan February 22, 2011

google_logo

Google is already facing antitrust scrutiny in Europe over how sites get ranked in Google’s search results; now, France’s 1PlusV is adding more fuel to the fire, filing a new complaint with the European Commission that Google deliberately prevents companies using vertical search technology from using AdSense. 1PlusV is the search engine company behind Ejustice.fr, and is also a party to the existing antitrust investigation the EC is currently conducting into Google. According to 1PlusV, Google barred vertical search companies from using AdSense for targeted advertising—although the company doesn’t say exactly how.

1PlusV’s previous complaint to the European Commission claimed that Google unfairly removed its Ejustice.fr site from its search listings, which was “catastrophic” to the site’s traffic. Google claims that its search engine rankings favor first-party content, rather than sites that offer links to third-party content. According to Google, pages with information are more valuable to Internet users than pages which, in turn, merely point to information.

1PlusV argues Google actively worked against its sites, noting that many sites Google had removed from its search results listings for the same reasons subsequently re-appeared without any apparent changes—but 1PlusV’s were still omitted. 1PlusV argues Google is deliberately suppressing vertical search engines that compete with Google’s own search results.

In a statement Tuesday, Google said it has been cooperating with the European commission to explain how it conducts business. “While we have always tried to do the right thing for our users and advertisers, we recognize that there’s always room for improvement.” Google has previously indicated it would prefer to reach an out-of-court resolution rather than engage in a protracted legal battle.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Web
Google

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

Microsoft files antitrust lawsuit against Google in EU

Microsoft-Google

Once the anticompetitive super-villain of the technology industry, Microsoft now finds itself on the other side of the battle after the company filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google on Thursday that accuses the search giant of taking measures to push out Microsoft and other competitors in the European market.

Microsoft first announced its plans to file the suit with the European Commission on Wednesday in a blog post by Microsoft senior vice president and general counsel Brad Smith.

Computing

Senate antitrust committee to look at Google search ranking

google_logo_1024x426-2

Google is no stranger to criticism and government scrutiny of its business practices, but the company has just had another shot fired across its bow by U.S. lawmakers: the antitrust subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary committee has announced it will look into complaints over Google's search ranking system.

"In recent years, the dominance over Internet search of the world's largest search engine, Google, has increased and Google has increasingly sought to acquire e-commerce sites in myriad businesses," wrote U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights. "We will closely examine allegations raised by e-commerce Web sites that compete with Google that they are being treated unfairly in search ranking, and in their ability to purchase search advertising."

Computing

Google and EU working towards antitrust settlement?

eric schmidt unfazed by apple and facebooks growth

Internet giant Google has run into increasing amounts of friction with the European Union, with the European Union launching a formal antitrust investigation almost a year ago. The EU's scrutiny has focused not only on the company's Google Books and Google Street View projects, but has also spilled over into the company's core online advertising business and even looking into whether the company demotes competitors in search results listings. However, now reports have the company looking to avoid a possible lengthy (and very public) court battle with the EU by reaching some sort of out-of-court resolution.

According to Reuters, Google executives and EU regulators are in early stages of talks aimed towards reaching a settlement of the antitrust investigation. Reuters' source says no concrete proposals have been made, and notes that it would be months before regulators decide whether they want to move ahead seriously with settlement talks or pursue a court case. As part of the investigation, regulators have sent questionnaires to Web site owners, operators of competing Internet search operations, publishers, and online advertisers about Google's business practices. The questionnaires are due back this week.