Google faces French legal challenge
Source: Agencies |
June 29, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
GOOGLE faces a new, multimillion-dollar challenge in Europe after a French Internet company filed a lawsuit yesterday saying the search engine giant unfairly squeezed out competitors in France.
The company, 1plusV, says it is mounting the largest single claim of its kind in Europe against Google. It comes soon after the US Federal Trade Commission, following the lead of European regulators, started investigating claims that Google has abused its dominance of Internet search and advertising to stifle competition.
The Versailles-based company is claiming 295 million euros (US$419 million) in damages from Google Inc and Google France in the suit filed in a Paris commercial court.
"We have only just received the complaint so we can't comment in detail yet. We always try to do what's best for our users. It's the key principle that drives our company and we look forward to explaining this," Google spokesman Al Verney said.
Google has said its recipe for search results is designed to give people the best recommendations, not bury links to its rivals.
1plusV operates more than 30 specialty search engines in French. For example, it allows users to search for specific legal texts.
The company says it became impossible for users to find its sites via Google searches, and claims Google did this intentionally.
The company, 1plusV, says it is mounting the largest single claim of its kind in Europe against Google. It comes soon after the US Federal Trade Commission, following the lead of European regulators, started investigating claims that Google has abused its dominance of Internet search and advertising to stifle competition.
The Versailles-based company is claiming 295 million euros (US$419 million) in damages from Google Inc and Google France in the suit filed in a Paris commercial court.
"We have only just received the complaint so we can't comment in detail yet. We always try to do what's best for our users. It's the key principle that drives our company and we look forward to explaining this," Google spokesman Al Verney said.
Google has said its recipe for search results is designed to give people the best recommendations, not bury links to its rivals.
1plusV operates more than 30 specialty search engines in French. For example, it allows users to search for specific legal texts.
The company says it became impossible for users to find its sites via Google searches, and claims Google did this intentionally.
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