US Gov To Make Google Sell Chrome As EU To Force Chinese Firms To Transfer IPs

Recently, we reported that Google was being pulled up by the Paris Commercial Court for breaching fair trade and competition practices.

While Google intended no malice and the move came as the tech conglomerate looked to carry out an experiment, the French specialized court issued an order, at the behest of the Syndicate of Magazine Press Editors or SEPM.

Google (which is facing new competition in the search market) planned to carry out a small, short-duration test to determine the real performance of news content on Google’s products by blocking out news results from European-based publications to 1% of EU users in nine countries.

Essentially, the counter was that Google was breaking prior commitments it made in 2022 and was stifling competition by blocking out specific publishers.

Ultimately, Google worked around the order by removing France from the experiment and reducing the number of affected countries to eight.

However, the company is now facing further accusations regarding unfair competition practices.

As per a report by Bloomberg, lawyers from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) will ask the judge who found Google guilty of operating an illegal monopoly in the search market to force the company to sell off its Chrome browser, citing an illegal monopoly in the search market.

The accusation includes allegations that Google controls how people view the internet and which ads they see on the world’s most used internet browser, which is limiting the growth of competition.

Furthermore, the lawyers will ask the judge to make Google separate Android from Google Search and Google Play, without the need for Google to sell off its Android product.

Ahead of this, Google would be required to share more information with brands advertising on their platforms and offer more controls over where their ads appear. Furthermore, it should allow them to prevent Google from utilizing their content for their artificial intelligence (AI) products. Also, it will push for “a ban on the type of exclusive contracts that were at the center of the case against Google.”

While the DOJ didn’t provide a comment, Google’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland said the Department of Justice is pushing a “radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case.” This would also harm consumers.

Source

On the other hand, the European Union is looking to force Chinese companies transfer intellectual property (IP) to European companies as they step up their trade practices for clean technologies, as per a report by The Financial Times. The move will see Chinese companies receive subsidies.

The EU plan to introduce new criteria for Chinese businesses to possess factories in Europe and share key technological information, which will include inviting bids for €1 billion of grants to develop batteries.

This adds to the recent increase in tariff imposed on Chinese automakers, which saw an increase of up to 35% on top of the 10% levy. This can see an even heavier increase depending upon policies brought in by the US’ new President elect, Donald Trump.

“If we want to play along with Trump on some of his agenda then we need to decide what to do about China,” mentioned a senior EU diplomat.

Interestingly, these requirements are similar to the ones that China has with companies operating in the country, where they must share key IP knowledge to gain access to the Chinese market.

Do you think the US Department of Justice is correct in its crusade against Google? Do you think the European Union are correct in their request of Chinese companies.

Let us know in the comments below!

First published on Tue, Nov 19, 2024

Liked what you read? That’s only the tip of the tech iceberg!

Explore our vast collection of tech articles including introductory guides, product reviews, trends and more, stay up to date with the latest news, relish thought-provoking interviews and the hottest AI blogs, and tickle your funny bone with hilarious tech memes!

Plus, get access to branded insights from industry-leading global brands through informative white papers, engaging case studies, in-depth reports, enlightening videos and exciting events and webinars.

Dive into TechDogs' treasure trove today and Know Your World of technology like never before!

Disclaimer - Reference to any specific product, software or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by TechDogs nor should any data or content published be relied upon. The views expressed by TechDogs' members and guests are their own and their appearance on our site does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by TechDogs' Authors are those of the Authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of TechDogs or any of its officials. All information / content found on TechDogs' site may not necessarily be reviewed by individuals with the expertise to validate its completeness, accuracy and reliability.

Tags:

Ad Serving and Retargeting PlatformsMobile MarketingDigital Marketing Google US Department Of Justice DOJ European Union EU China Intellectual Property IP Europe

Join The Discussion

Digital Marketing

US Gov To Make Google Sell Chrome As EU To Force Chinese Firms To Transfer IPs

Join Our Newsletter