european union

Google to submit antitrust probe settlement offer in January

Google is getting ready to make its settlement offer to the European Union's antitrust commission, the commission's head said in a statement released today.

EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said he met with Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt today and expects a "detailed commitment" in January, according to an e-mailed statement from Alumnia's office.

"Since our preliminary talks with Google started in July, we have substantially reduced our differences regarding possible ways to address each of the four competition concerns expressed by the commission," he said in the statement.

When reached for comment, … Read more

Google offers to brand its own services to fix antitrust concerns

Google may be offering European regulators a new carrot in its effort to sidestep an antitrust suit.

Under a new proposal, Google would label its own in-house services to distinguish them from those of third parties among its search results, according to the Financial Times. The offer is Google's latest attempt to placate European Union regulators who say the search giant is crowding out the rest of the market.

"People familiar" with the proposal told the FT that Google would tag its own maps, stock quotes, airline details, and other information to clearly identify them in its … Read more

Facebook scores points in Europe after disabling facial recognition

Facebook has finally satisfied the European Union by disabling facial recognition tagging.

Facebook, which was subjected to an audit by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), was under pressure to implement a variety of changes in Europe, mostly dealing with privacy and security issues. Last December, Facebook had promised to make the changes outlined in the audit document in order to comply with European regulations.

One stumbling block was facial recognition tagging, which prompts your Facebook friends to "tag" or identify you in photos in which you appear.

Facebook has now turned off the feature for European users. … Read more

EU to market test e-book settlement proposed by publishers, Apple

The European Union's executive arm confirmed today that Apple and four e-book publishers have offered up a settlement deal on e-book price-setting that could be approved in the coming months.

According to the European Commission, Apple, Harper Collins, Hachette Livre, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster (which is owned by CBS, the same company that publishes CNET) have agreed to terminate e-book agency pricing contracts and allow retailers to set their own prices on titles for a period of two years.

The proposed deal, which the EC did not offer an opinion on, will now be open to public comment, … Read more

Windows 8 gets 'browser ballot' amid EU antitrust probe

Microsoft is pushing out an update to Windows 8 users to enable the "browser ballot" screen, even though the forthcoming operating system's release date is set for over a month away.

Windows 8 users in Europe are now given the choice of which browser -- including Microsoft's own Internet Explorer -- they wish to install.

The Windows Update-offered patch provides a Windows 8 "tiled" (formerly known as "Metro") application, which offers a range of third-party browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Maxthon 3, and Opera, along with Internet Explorer to be … Read more

Google-EU deal getting close?

As their negotiations continue, a deal between the European Commission and Google may be near.

Google faces the prospect of large fines imposed by regulators, not to mention a prolonged legal proceeding. But reports circulated today to the effect that discussions about a potential settlement may bring to a close the Commission's year-and-a-half investigation of the company's business practices.

A representative said Google had no comment on potential violations of EU competition and consumer-protection laws. "We continue to work cooperatively with the European Commission," the spokesman said. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and six state … Read more

EU court: Sale of used software licenses is just fine

The European Union's Court of Justice has reportedly crushed Oracle's hope of stopping a company from reselling its used software.

The Luxembourg-based court today ruled in favor of German company UsedSoft, which sells used software licenses. The court said that once a software company sells "a copy of a computer program," its "exclusive right of distribution" is eliminated, paving the way for other companies to sell the used licenses, according to The Wall Street Journal, which obtained a copy of the ruling. The rule applies to both physical media and copies of the software … Read more

Google does something Microsoft never does: Compromise

While Google was putting on a spectacle for developers in -- and above -- San Francisco's Moscone Center last week, more important news was being hatched around a legal table far away from its big I/O confab.

So it was that we learn that Google is now offering a grand bargain to European regulators. In May, the EC's competition chief Joaquin Almunia offered an olive branch to Google as he layed out areas of "concern" that he said involved a potential "abuse" of the company's market power. Now it seems that Google … Read more

EU General Court ready to decide fate of Microsoft's antitrust fine

Microsoft will finally learn the fate of its European Union antitrust appeal tomorrow.

The EU General Court is expected to lay down its final verdict tomorrow on whether Microsoft should be forced to pay an 899 million-euro ($1.12 billion) fine for allegedly failing to comply with a 2004 antitrust order.

Back in 2004, the European Commission required Microsoft to provide complete interoperability information to rivals to ensure their software would work with Windows. The order was part of a broader antitrust complaint that included Microsoft being required to license that information "under reasonable and nondiscriminatory" terms.

In … Read more