April 2, 2011

Microsoft Approaches the EC, Google is the Target

On numerous occasions, Microsoft had the members of the European Commission come knocking to its door over antitrust allegation charges leveled by the search giant, Google.

The latest update, however, saw a complete role reversal. This time it was Microsoft that filed a complaint against Google with the European Commission. Apparently, Google’s dominating ways in the European search engine sphere has been giving Microsoft sleepless nights. The list of complaints with European Commission is an exhaustive one. Google allegedly disallows other search engines from cataloguing YouTube videos so they show up during searches, apart from preventing YouTube videos from playing on Windows Phones.

Factors like limiting advertiser access to data and blocking routes to book publishers' content were among the other points that Microsoft’s complaint featured. To many, this move of Microsoft may come as a surprise, since for many years now the same body has been nudging Microsoft over the similar dominance it enjoyed with its Internet Explorer. The whole debacle ended only after Microsoft agreed to include a ‘web browser choice’ screen to enable multiple choices for internet browsers.

Google, however, was unwilling to take Microsoft’s allegations sitting down. In an eWeek report, Google retorted saying that Microsoft couldn’t ruffle a feather with its complaints. It now remains to be seen how far the tech giants will go with the mud-slinging.

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