Lawmaker Tells FTC: Hold Off On Antitrust Case Against Google
Siding with Google, a lawmaker is warning the Federal Trade Commission that an antitrust lawsuit against the search giant would be "a woefully misguided step."
"As a high-tech entrepreneur and someone who has actually used Google's advertising tools to grow my businesses, I encourage the Commission to tread carefully and not undertake action that would compromise the important service provided by Google, reduce Google's ability to rapidly innovate and improve its products, or make search engine results less useful for consumers or businesses," Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) says in a letter to the FTC.
The commission reportedly is poised to recommend that antitrust charges be brought against Google for allegedly promoting its own services in the search results at the expense of competitors.
Polis questions why the FTC is focusing on search engines, given that "consumers can switch to a new service with just one click.
He adds: "If I created a better search algorithm I could set up a server in my garage and compete globally with Google. To even discuss applying antitrust in this kind of hypercompetitive environment defies all logic."
Separately, a new paper by antitrust expert and former judge Robert Bork warns that an antitrust case wouldn't benefit consumers. "A 'successful prosecution' of Google for its search practices would necessitate regulation of search algorithms and product improvements, which would retard the current pace of innovation in Internet search that has created enormous gains in consumer welfare," the paper says.
Recent Online Media Daily Articles
-
Network Advertising Initiative Proposes New Mobile Privacy Rules May 22, 9:03 p.m.
Moving forward with its plan to issue mobile privacy rules, the self-regulatory group Network Advertising Initiative ... -
Entertainment, Travel Bet On Mobile Banners May 22, 4:16 p.m.
Banner ads have long been the whipping boy of online advertising, and the same is now ... -
Marketers Should Tailor Specific Pitches To Tablet, Smartphone May 22, 2:51 p.m.
Don’t lump tablets in with mobile. That’s the takeaway of a new Forrester study looking at ... -
Good TV Content Trumps On, Whether Trad TV Or Streaming May 22, 2:42 p.m.
While consumers continue to perceive TV programming as superior in quality to that of online fare, ... -
Google Releases Self-Serve Display Benchmark Tool May 22, 2:02 p.m.
Understanding how a brand's online campaign competes with competitors requires trending benchmark data like engagement rates ... -
Twitter Brings Lead Generation To Tweets May 22, 1:14 p.m.
Twitter began testing a lead generation tool Wednesday in its tweet stream that resembles a cross ... -
DigitasLBi, Razorfish Tap Execs For Global Ops May 22, 11:26 a.m.
Publicis Groupe digital agencies DigitasLBi and Razorfish have installed new executives to run their respective international ... -
More Consumers Turn To Mobile To Research, Book Travel May 22, 8:53 a.m.
More than half of consumers used a mobile device to book travel in the last 90 ... -
Showrooming Overhyped, Mobile Key To Shopping Purchases May 22, 8:53 a.m.
Given consumers' mobile in-store shopping trends, some consider the showrooming hoopla overblown. The research process still ... -
Shopping App Swirl Adds In-Store Capability May 22, 8:53 a.m.
Swirl entered the mobile shopping fray last year with an iPhone app allowing users to learn ...
Be the first to comment on "Lawmaker Tells FTC: Hold Off On Antitrust Case Against Google "
Leave a Comment