Google's Antitrust Problems Not Just In The US
from the google-rears-its-head dept
As Google not-so-eagerly awaits the US Justice Department’s word on whether or not it’s violating antitrust laws, it appears that the fear of Google-as-a-monopoly is not just a domestic US issue. There are a bunch of headlines about how Russia’s antitrust agency has rejected Google’s purchase of an ad agency in that country. Technically, the claim is that Google didn’t file the proper paperwork, but the agency made it clear that it’s worried about Google becoming monopolistic. Of course, as with the Google-Yahoo deal, it’s unclear what the “monopoly” is that’s being dealt with here or how people are harmed. It seems like this might just be a general “must fear Google” position, than anything based on an actual problem.
Filed Under: advertising, antitrust, russia
Companies: google
Comments on “Google's Antitrust Problems Not Just In The US”
While I think its true that Google is getting really big (though maybe not quite as big as the other guys, yet), doesn’t anti trust have to do with using your monopolized power to keep others from competing with you, rather than just having a whole lot of the market?
Also, although I don’t know about in other countries, but here in the U.S, I wonder if the current situation with Google has even the slightest to do with them not giving the govt. see their searches. Granted, I think that was a while back but….
Well. Maybe I’m wrong. I’ll just go sit in the corner with my tin foil dunce hat on now. No need to tell me I’m an idiot. 🙂
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I don’t believe that our government is smart enough to be that coordinated. But at the same time, it wouldn’t surprise me if you turn out to be correct.
I guess we’ll know the truth in a few years when PBS does a documentary that shows these things to be true.
“Of course, as with the Google-Yahoo deal, it’s unclear what the “monopoly” is that’s being dealt with here..”
Read the Sherman and Clayton Acts and you just might be able to appreciate how “monopoly” under antitrust law has an entirely different meaning from how the word is used on this site.
BTW, the above Acts are not limited to just mergers and acquisitions.
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Read the Sherman and Clayton Acts and you just might be able to appreciate how “monopoly” under antitrust law has an entirely different meaning from how the word is used on this site.
Quite familiar with both, MLS, but as we have pointed out in the past, there are serious problems with antitrust law that allows people to call something a monopoly when it’s not.
Again, we have reached this stalemate where you, MLS, insist that everything is fine because of what the law says. We’re pointing out why that doesn’t make sense.
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I most certainly did not say “everything is fine because of what the law says.” What I did note is that “monopoly” has a distinctive meaning under antitrust law. Further elaboration on this point can be found on the site for the DOJ Antitrust Division.
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Quite familiar with both, MLS, but as we have pointed out in the past, there are serious problems with antitrust law that allows people to call something a monopoly when it’s not.
If you’re that familiar with antitrust law, then you wouldn’t be questioning why the Google-Yahoo deal would be considered a potential violation of said law.
It has nothing to do with laws
Russian internet advertising market grows fast, but it’s still fairly small. And it’s already monopolized, but by russian company Yandex (55% of market).
So in this case, it can be 2 things. Either bribes for russian goverment officials wasn’t big enough (yes, you can’t make any big deal here in Russia without substantial bribes for various goverment agencies)or goverment was used by competitors to stop deal to protect their own business (there are very powerfull people among Yandex shareholders for example).
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Google is simply too big for our rather small market.
By the way yandex stil seems to be more usefull for me than google (i`m russian)
Google
let’s see now, the US now ranks 36th in the world in Press freedom and Russia is reverting to a state run bureaucracy. What could possibly be the problem with Google’s information flow? I believe “monopoly” aside from being a board game is a convenient excuse for fear.
The acquisition was rejected because the stock options they gave the Russian politicians are under water…