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Google was fined $660,000 in France over unfair competitive practices with Google Maps.
The AFP has the crazy news:
In a ruling Tuesday, the Paris court upheld an unfair competition complaint lodged by Bottin Cartographes against Google France and its parent company Google Inc. for providing free web mapping services to some businesses.The court ordered Google to pay 500,000 euros ($660,000) in damages and interest to the plaintiff and a 15,000 euro fine.
The French company provides the same services for a fee and claimed the Google strategy was aimed at undercutting competitors by temporarily swallowing the full cost until it gains control of the market.
Since Google is offering their mapping service for free, as does Bing Maps, Ask Maps, Yahoo Maps, MapQuest and so on - but because Google is doing it, they have to pay $660,000 in damages.
What am I missing? Is it just that France just really hates Google?
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
Comments:
Nospam
02/02/2012 03:58 pm
In a way, it is a right thing to do, although that is just a small fine to Google. We all hate our utilities company, we all hate our telecom companies, they monopolize the market. And company like Google will monopolize the internet market, and internet means every businesses in the future, unless we do something about it. Google already killed several industry and make itself the one that owe the industry.
JB
02/03/2012 09:28 pm
I'm thinking you had a bit too much to drink if you seriously think that. Google does charge for map usage, just not in monetary cost. They charge in information which they in turn aggregate, analyze and sell. It's not Google's fault if their business model is more efficient then the others whom I have never heard of. The other company should be left to adapt or fail.
Ian Harte
02/08/2012 09:49 am
France do have a lot of hate!