French revolt against Google's anti-competitive Guillotine

In a trailblazing and ominous antitrust precedent for Google, French antitrust authorities ruled for the first time that Google is a search monopoly that anti-competitively abused its market power by capriciousy cutting off Navx, a Google competitor, from Google's search results without warning.  

• Per the WSJ, the French authority found Google's hooded anti-competitive actions against Navx lacked transparency and "resulted in discriminatory treatment."  
• Importantly, the French filed a legal injunction that forces Google to address the situation and answer to the French antitrust authority.

  It is not surprising that the French, who in the world-changing French Revolution rebelled against the absolute power of the French monarchy, are now revolting against Google, the entity that increasingly enjoys absolute power over the fate of web businesses the world over.

  The problem for Google is that in this common sense antitrust decision, the French are effectively playing the role of modern day whistleblower in the famous old fable -- by declaring that Google, the Internet's Emperor, has no clothes on to cover their bare monopoli-ness.

  Practically, this brave challenging antitrust decision by the French could encourage the antitrust authorities in the EU or its member countries to rule against Google in the UK Foundem case, the French ejustice.fr case, or the German Ciao case. It also provides validation for the DOJ's interest in the case, and the American Tradecomet and MyTriggers antitrust cases against Google. 

  • Even more ominously it puts the EU and DOJ antitrust authorities on notice that others are stepping up to address the Google monopoly abuse problem, even if the EU and the DOJ do not. 

  As I wrote in yesterday's Googleopoly update, the evidence continues to mount that Google, the self-described "biggest kingmaker on this earth," routinely abuses its monopoly position in search to favor Google and its business partners.     

  • I believe it is only a matter of time before the EU and DOJ stand up to "the Internet's Kingmaker" and provide a check and balance on Google's out-of-control monopoly abuses.