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The article has this to say: "EU antitrust regulators said that by requiring mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and the Google Chrome brow

The article has this to say: "EU antitrust regulators said that by requiring mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and the Google Chrome browser to get access to other Google apps, the U.S. company was harming consumers by stifling competition." I don't see Samsung and Kindle-Android mentioned. Also, assuming these are contractual obligations that Samsung agreed to, how can it be illegal? Don't they have people that read contracts? Or is this an issue of having your cake and eating it too? > worthy several billion in punishment That's stretching it. Why are they guilty and why should the fine be so big?

justJanne 11y ago
It’s not in the article – but in the actual complaint from the European Commission. An example where this happened is http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/09/google-blocked-acers-rival-phone-to-prevent-android-fragmentation/ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/09/google-blocked-acers-...
AnthonyMouse 11y ago
> EU antitrust regulators said that by requiring mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and the Google Chrome browser to get access to other Google apps, the U.S. company was harming consumers by stifling competition. The real question is, why is it bad for Google to require Google Search and Google Chrome if you want Google Play, but OK for Apple to require their App Store if you want iOS? Obviously you have the positions reversed then, but it's still the same sort of tying, and I'm pretty sure those are the correct positions for Google too. You aren't pushing Google apps on people who want the Play Store, you're pushing the Play Store on people who want Google apps.
- unlinker 11y ago
  Apple is not licencing iOS to OEMs. They are also very far away from a monopoly.
  - AnthonyMouse 11y ago
    > Apple is not licencing iOS to OEMs. In other words they're also tying iOS to their hardware and vice versa. This is supposed to make it less of an antitrust issue? > They are also very far away from a monopoly. They sure look like a monopoly to an iOS app developer or iOS app customer who wants app store competition to drive down app store margins.
    - ocdtrekkie 11y ago
      And Tesla has a monopoly on making Teslas. Your definition of "monopoly" is inaccurate. Android is 85% of the smartphone market. iOS is 13% of the smartphone market. Android is a monopoly, iOS is not.
      - msabalau 11y ago
        If the objection is the alleged difficulty in installing competing app stores, why isn't the relevant market the market for apps, rather than the market for phones?
      - AnthonyMouse 11y ago
        So then AT&T wasn't a monopoly in 1979 because they had only a small percentage of the telecommunications market, is that what you're saying? If you don't want to buy your telephone handset from AT&T then you had lots of choices -- just move into the service area of British Telecom or the Deutsche Bundespost or dozens of others.
    - millstone 11y ago
      Antitrust law is concerned with unlawful contracts, collusion, and cartels. It's meant to ensure that businesses compete by acting independently. Apple is acting independently. They've built differentiating features (like custom software) which you can only get by buying Apple's products. Apple hopes that customers will use their products because they're better than the competition. That is exactly what antitrust law is meant to encourage. Google is not acting independently. They've built differentiating features, but licensed them under terms that prevent competition. Google hopes that customers will use their products because OEMs are contractually forbidden from selling competing products. That is what antitrust law is designed to prevent.

justJanne 11y ago

It’s not in the article – but in the actual complaint from the European Commission. An example where this happened is http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/09/google-blocked-acers-rival-phone-to-prevent-android-fragmentation/ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/09/google-blocked-acers-...

AnthonyMouse 11y ago

> EU antitrust regulators said that by requiring mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and the Google Chrome browser to get access to other Google apps, the U.S. company was harming consumers by stifling competition. The real question is, why is it bad for Google to require Google Search and Google Chrome if you want Google Play, but OK for Apple to require their App Store if you want iOS? Obviously you have the positions reversed then, but it's still the same sort of tying, and I'm pretty sure those are the correct positions for Google too. You aren't pushing Google apps on people who want the Play Store, you're pushing the Play Store on people who want Google apps.

unlinker 11y ago
Apple is not licencing iOS to OEMs. They are also very far away from a monopoly.
- AnthonyMouse 11y ago
  > Apple is not licencing iOS to OEMs. In other words they're also tying iOS to their hardware and vice versa. This is supposed to make it less of an antitrust issue? > They are also very far away from a monopoly. They sure look like a monopoly to an iOS app developer or iOS app customer who wants app store competition to drive down app store margins.
  - ocdtrekkie 11y ago
    And Tesla has a monopoly on making Teslas. Your definition of "monopoly" is inaccurate. Android is 85% of the smartphone market. iOS is 13% of the smartphone market. Android is a monopoly, iOS is not.
    - msabalau 11y ago
      If the objection is the alleged difficulty in installing competing app stores, why isn't the relevant market the market for apps, rather than the market for phones?
    - AnthonyMouse 11y ago
      So then AT&T wasn't a monopoly in 1979 because they had only a small percentage of the telecommunications market, is that what you're saying? If you don't want to buy your telephone handset from AT&T then you had lots of choices -- just move into the service area of British Telecom or the Deutsche Bundespost or dozens of others.
  - millstone 11y ago
    Antitrust law is concerned with unlawful contracts, collusion, and cartels. It's meant to ensure that businesses compete by acting independently. Apple is acting independently. They've built differentiating features (like custom software) which you can only get by buying Apple's products. Apple hopes that customers will use their products because they're better than the competition. That is exactly what antitrust law is meant to encourage. Google is not acting independently. They've built differentiating features, but licensed them under terms that prevent competition. Google hopes that customers will use their products because OEMs are contractually forbidden from selling competing products. That is what antitrust law is designed to prevent.