Brussels increased its pressure on Google to indict the US giant to be taking advantage of its dominant position of its search services and the popular operating system for mobile and Android tablets to prevent the development of its competitors .
“We have found that Google pursues a global strategy on mobile devices to protect and expand its dominant position in Internet search,” he said at a press conference European Commissioner for Competition , Margrethe Vestager.
the news has come after a year of investigations by the European Commission (EC) and coinciding with the first anniversary of the opening of another case against Google for allegedly monopolistic practices in relation to the results of your search.
early indications, Google imposes “unjustified restrictions and conditions to manufacturers of mobile using Android and the mobile network operators” , Vestager said.
This is not trivial, since about 80% of mobile devices in Europe-and the whole world run on Android, in the words of Vestager.
This proportion increases in the range of phones and tablets low price, so that the Commission is concerned that Google has open countryside to sweep the possibilities of other competitors to be seen and developed.
“in Europe you can be great, you can grow and can be dominant, but what you can not do is misusing or abusing its dominant position to be there and close competition. And that is what is at stake here, “he said Vestager.
You can take months or even years to complete the process of exchange of evidence, consultations and arguments between Google, the Commission and other stakeholders, since the EC does not have a time limit to rule, but the truth is that failing to convince Brussels, the giant could face a fine of a maximum amount of 10% of its annual turnover.
Referencing the data of 2015 of the parent company, Alphabet, the penalty could add up to 7,500 million dollars (6,600 million euros at current exchange rates).
there are three issues of concern to the European Commission and that Google will have to defend.
the first is that your browser Google Search and browser Chrome is installed in advance in most devices sold in Europe and, according to the EC, manufacturers and operators have no real freedom of choice.
This also lead to which de facto most consumers use default these services and do not look at other alternatives.
Google said in a statement that any of its partners can use Android without applications developed by Google.
second, the Commission believes that Google has not justified the limitations imposed by manufacturers and operators not trade mobile with altered versions of Android.
the company claims it is necessary that the system versions that are developed are similar enough to not create compatibility problems in applications.
Finally, EC no frowns that Google offers only “financial incentives” to those manufacturers and operators to commit to install only by default Google Search on their devices.
Google, by meanwhile, he explained that the agreements it has with its partners are “volunteers completely” and that “anyone can use Android without Google”.
the most immediate precedent of this new case are disputes that Brussels has maintained over the last decade with Microsoft.
the EC fined in 2013 the company 561 million euros for breaking its commitment that would be available to users its Windows operating system a screen that would allow them to easily choose your favorite browser, instead of offering only your Internet Explorer.
on that occasion, the Commission also feared that the automatic association of Internet Explorer with Windows deprived of the ability to choose a hundred million consumers who then used this operating system in Europe, so this would prevent the development of innovative products competitors.
Brussels also fined Microsoft 497 million euros in 2004 and imposed corrective measures for having used its dominant position to “deliberately restricting” interoperability between Windows PC and its competitors, and for having tying its Windows Media Player to Windows, eroding competition.
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