Microsoft has filed a complaint with the European Commission in regards to Google’s search operations in the European Union. “Our filing today focuses on a pattern of actions that Google has taken to entrench its dominance in markets for online search and search advertising to the detriment of the European consumers,” said Microsoft’s general counsel, Brad Smith. “Google has engaged in a broadening pattern of walling off access to content and data that competitors need to provide search results to consumers and to attract advertisers.” Smith added that Google has a 95% grip on the search market in Europe and that the company has aimed to stop any other firms from creating a competitive search alternative. Smith also argued that Google, since acquiring YouTube in 2006, has restricted other search engines from properly accessing YouTube videos for search results.
Similarly, Smith said Google doesn’t allow Windows Phone 7 devices to properly search YouTube content — although it does allow the iPhone and Android smartphones to do so. Google also reportedly blocks access to content owned by book publishers, restricts advertisers from accessing their own data, and blocks websites in Europe from distributing search boxes from competing search engines. “We readily appreciate that Google should continue to have the freedom to innovate,” Smith said. “But it shouldn’t be permitted to pursue practices that restrict others from innovating and offering competitive alternatives. That’s what it’s doing now. And that’s what we hope European officials will assess and ultimately decide to stop.” Hit the jump for Brad Smith’s full blog post.
[Via The Wall Street Journal]
