Comments on: Google Close to Having an FTC Case on Its Hands For Abusing Search Results

By: michael arazan

michael arazan — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:44:00 +0000

If I’m paying Google $10 million a year to advertise my product and my competitor is paying Google $2 million a year, why should they get top billing?
It will probably wind up having to look at Google’s business practices though on how they receive funds for advertisements and the placements of them. in the contracts they sign I’m sure its specified what you get for what you pay for.

By: drathos

drathos — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Where’s your proof that Google is manipulating search results to boost their products? If you search for things like “web browser” or “free email,” their services show up in the results, but almost never at the top. There’s usually 4 or 5 things (sometimes more) before them, and there’s always a competitor or two before them. “Maps” lists Google Maps first, but I suspect the exact match boosts the rank – “online maps” lists it 4th after sites like MapQuest and Rand McNally.

IMHO, this whole thing is BS.

By: eoked

eoked — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 04:59:00 +0000

Windows isn’t open source.

By: Jeffrey Garcia

Jeffrey Garcia — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 01:09:00 +0000

I agree. But I think that in the case of Safari, Apple of course makes their own hardware and software. Not to mention OSX isn’t open source, while Windows and Android are. But yea, it shouldn’t be a legal issue.

By: Steven02

Steven02 — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 23:04:00 +0000

The FTC should only get involved to protect the customer. It isn’t there to protect other businesses. If Google is harming the customer, then there could be an issue. But, we live in a world with yahoo, bing, ask and other search engines. People choose the search engine that they want to use. It costs nothing to switch.

Now, when I search for stuff on Amazon, it doesn’t always seem to come up with the best priced item first. Items fulfilled by Amazon seem to come up first. Honestly, I don’t care. I know how to find what I am looking for. I can *gasp* scroll down.

By: Steven02

Steven02 — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:59:00 +0000

They are getting sued b/c they have money. Nothing new about this.

By: Andy Tapparo

Andy Tapparo — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:15:00 +0000

This is like investigating a Chevrolet dealer for selling……….(gasp!!)….CHEVIES!! C’mon. What do people expect?!?!

By: Tony Allen

Tony Allen — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:38:00 +0000

No one is stopping them from heading over to Bing are they?

By: Tony Allen

Tony Allen — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:36:00 +0000

That’s quite a bit different considering Google doesn’t make you use Google Chrome.. much less Google’s search engine. People choose Google because its a powerful tool, nobody is stopping them from going to Yahoo or Bing.

By: Tony Allen

Tony Allen — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:36:00 +0000

No but it should be their responsibility to make sure if we want another browser, we can obtain one.

By: Jon Fingas

Jon Fingas — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:39:00 +0000

And that’s how monopolies are entrenched. All you need to do is… spend millions of dollars and years of effort, neither of which might be options. It’s why many US cities only have one or two realistic Internet provider choices: cable and telephone companies count on it being too expensive for anyone but an established giant to compete.

Same is true for having businesses dependent on search. You can’t just say “start your own search engine.” Microsoft loses hundreds of millions of dollars every quarter keeping Bing alive; what’s the likelihood that an ad network or information provider can justify getting into a full search engine just to offer competition?

Again, this is how antitrust law works. It’s a valid claim when it’s unrealistic for competitors to fight back against unfair practices. The FTC didn’t tell browser makers to “just start a new desktop operating system and have it become mainstream” as an alternative to being snubbed by Microsoft; it forced Microsoft to make balance changes that helped everyone much sooner.

By: Trust-Me-Im-A-Lawyer

Trust-Me-Im-A-Lawyer — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:06:00 +0000

Yeah, we are going to fine you for promoting your products on your service that you provide for billions of people for free. I would like to get off this world now.

By: Brandon White

Brandon White — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:01:00 +0000

I’m ok with Google manipulating my search results. Its a free service that they let me use, they can do what they want with it. No one is making you use it. It is not a need, its a luxury. If you’re so concerned with their search results why can’t you use a competitors site to do searching?

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:00:00 +0000

That’s odd. I posted a link to a very informative article about this from one of the most respected search engine and search marketing news sites, and it never got uploaded. I don’t work for them, and they don’t work for Google. It’s just news about anything search related. Anyway… If you would like more understanding of the issue: http://searchengineland.com/the-majority-of-ftc-commissioners-want-to-nail-google-with-antitrust-case-136471

By: trumpet444

trumpet444 — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:52:00 +0000

But shouldn’t they be allowed to do that as well? Starbucks doesn’t sell or advertise Foldgers in their stores, and nor should they. And if you ask a barista or even the CEO of Starbucks, “who’s coffee is better, yours or Foldgers?”. He’s gonna say Starbucks is, whether it is or isn’t. This type of self interest shouldn’t be regulated. You should try both and figure it out for yourself and not rely on someone’s word as gospel. If you do, and you end up with an inferior product, then you deserve what you bought