NTERNET GIANT Google has dismissed an antitrust complaint filed by Microsoft with the European Commission as no surprise or concern, despite the potential that it could have to pay up to 10 per cent of its earnings in fines.
"We're not surprised that Microsoft has done this, since one of their subsidiaries was one of the original complainants," said Al Verney, a spokesperson for the company. "For our part, we continue to discuss the case with the European Commission and we're happy to explain to anyone how our business works."
The EC said that Google will be given a chance to provide its own account of the facts, which will obviously dispute Microsoft's allegations that it has been doing all sorts of anti-competitive things.
While Google is downplaying the Vole's complaint, it could have negative effects on its finances, with a fine of up to 10 per cent of its earnings possible, according to the New York Times. Considering that Google earned $29 billion last year alone, that could be a hefty sum.
An even starker possibility is that it might have to change the way it does things if the EC rules against it. Microsoft's allegations cover Google's search engine, Youtube, mobile operating systems, books and advertising. Changes to any or all of these areas to open the door to stronger competition could prove more costly to its business than a multi-million dollar fine. ยต
"We're not surprised that Microsoft has done this, since one of their subsidiaries was one of the original complainants," said Al Verney, a spokesperson for the company. "For our part, we continue to discuss the case with the European Commission and we're happy to explain to anyone how our business works."
The EC said that Google will be given a chance to provide its own account of the facts, which will obviously dispute Microsoft's allegations that it has been doing all sorts of anti-competitive things.
While Google is downplaying the Vole's complaint, it could have negative effects on its finances, with a fine of up to 10 per cent of its earnings possible, according to the New York Times. Considering that Google earned $29 billion last year alone, that could be a hefty sum.
An even starker possibility is that it might have to change the way it does things if the EC rules against it. Microsoft's allegations cover Google's search engine, Youtube, mobile operating systems, books and advertising. Changes to any or all of these areas to open the door to stronger competition could prove more costly to its business than a multi-million dollar fine. ยต
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