AFP - The U.S. computer group Microsoft has openly declared war in Europe with his compatriot and great rival Google on Internet, by filing Thursday for the first time in its history, a complaint with the European Commission for abusing its dominant position.
Brad Smith, vice president of Microsoft, announced the complaint in a blog published on the website of the group in Redmond.
It has been confirmed by the services of EU Competition Commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, who already have a formal investigation against Google open since November.
Brad Smith accuses Google of using "an increasing number of technical measures" to "build walls" preventing proper access to certain content to Internet search engines online competitor of his.
It "blocks of content and data that competitors need to provide search results to consumers and to attract advertisers," source of income for the free services on the Internet, he acknowledges, with several examples support.
Brad Smith evokes including restrictions on access to online video site YouTube to search engines other than Google Search or the multifunction phones using Microsoft software.
Ultimately, Google and reinforces the dominance of Google Search, whose market share in Europe is estimated at 95%, against 5% for Bing, the search engine from Microsoft.
The Commission had already received several complaints in the past against Google.His investigation is focused for now on two markets where the giant internet hyperdominant in Europe, research and online advertising.
It seeks to verify if it promotes its own services and penalizes those of competitors in the results provided by its search engine, or if it imposes exclusivity to advertising partners.
In the immediate future, its services have "taken note" of the new complaint, saying they would like the procedure provided, request a response to Google.
They will then assess whether or not to include it in the file, allowing Microsoft to be more involved in the investigation.
For its part, Google is "not surprised," he assured his spokesman in Brussels, Al Verney, recalling that one of the subsidiaries of Microsoft had been "one of the first plaintiffs in Brussels.
The group suggested all along that Microsoft is behind his troubles in Europe.
Upon revelation of the first complaints, he noted that two of them were related to the group from Redmond: the Internet portal Ciao, acquired by Microsoft in 2008, and that of Foundem compare prices, part of him as association lobbying ICOMP.
From this point of view, the complaint of Microsoft clarifies the debate.
She is also a backlash, because a few years ago, the positions were exactly reversed: it's Microsoft that was in the sights of Brussels for abuse of dominant position, at the time because of its Internet Explorer browser, and Google on the side of plaintiffs.
The standoff lasted for years, and Microsoft had to pay heavy fines.
Brad Smith acknowledged Thursday "irony" of the situation, but assured that Microsoft had not taken his decision lightly. Google "should not be allowed to continue practices that restrict innovation and offer competing services," he stressed, saying "hope" that Brussels' decision to stop. "
