Several reports surfacing within the media have indicated that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is issuing subpoenas to Google and initiating antitrust investigations against the search engine large.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the FTC is inquiring the matters of the company. Neither the FTC nor Google have not commented on the reports.
Multiple probes against Google
The present investigation are going to be the latest within the series of similar probes against Google. the ecu Commission is already investigating the allegations against Google that it uses its dominance in web search to wrongfully strangle competition.
The financial Times has reported that the attorneys- generals of new York, Ohio and California are also conducting antitrust investigations against Google. many US Senators have conjointly demanded open hearings against the business practices of Google.
Most acquisitions created by the company recently are also under the scrutiny of investigators for their probable affect on competition within the market.
Allegations against Google
Several competitors have raised allegations against Google that the company unfairly uses its dominance within the search engine business to gain an unfair advantage in connected fields like online shopping, business reviews, videos and maps.
The rivals allege that Google arranges the results for search on its engine in such the simplest way that traffic is diverted toward the merchandise of the company like Google Places, Google Maps and You Tube.
Gary Reback, an attorney with the Carr & Ferrell law firm, who is representing many unidentified purchasers, said that the news about subpoenas by the FTC mean that case against Google is gaining impetus.
Rebeck said that he had contacted the regulatory bodies but denied to divulge the small print.
Rebeck was conjointly concerned in gap the antitrust case against the Microsoft in late Nineties. “It’s an equivalent case, it’s Microsoft redux. Everything we tend to worried about Microsoft being able to do, Google is now doing.
Exerting control over access to the net, control over how individuals use the web and the ability to require a stop online transactions, that's the facility Google has amassed,” Rebeck commented more.
The experts however show that a successful antitrust case against Google suggests that proving that it enjoys a monopoly and conjointly that it had used this position to break competitors and customers.
Aaron Edlin, professor of economics and law at Boalt Hall school of Law of UC Berkeley said that rule of thumb to prove monopoly standing in antitrust litigation is a seventy percent control of the involved market. Comscore figures show that Google holds sixty five.5 percent of the search engine market in US but analysis firm eMarketer said that Google is predicted to command seventy five.9 percent search advertising revenue within the U.S. this year.
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