Microsoft was punished for pumping a market with a free product, with its development supported by revenues from a monopoly product, so that they could afford to give it away where competitors could not. If Google offers something for free, kills off its competitors who were charging for their version, and then starts charging when they're the only ones left, then the French court has a point.
Even the headline in the linked article is absurd: "French court protectionis
Microsoft took technology that already existed and people already used and paid for and gave it away free until the competition died out. (Word/Word Perfect Anti-trust suit ??). With Browser technology they forced Windows VARS to install IE and play by a set of rules that said no competitive products could be installed (initial Anti-trust suit) even if the customer requested it. When busted, they spit in the courts face and forced vendors by forcing vendors to only install
It became extremely popular, and is still FREE to use for anyone.
No, it's not. Not for DEVELOPERS, which is the entire point of this suit. The Maps API used to be free. Now that they have a dominant market position, it's not.
Funny, I have multiple websites that use the Maps API and I've yet to see a bill from Google for usage or the functionality made unavailable. What crack pipe are you smoking?
Funny, I have multiple websites that use the Maps API and I've yet to see a bill from Google for usage or the functionality made unavailable. What crack pipe are you smoking?
Funny, I have multiple websites that use the Maps API and I've yet to see a bill from Google for usage or the functionality made unavailable. What crack pipe are you smoking?
Maybe you should read the manual. See the usage limit column? The pricing starts above that. So, Google provides the API for free, until you start leeching off it. Fair enough. Why should Google subsidise others' businesses?
Are you seriously not getting this? Google Maps API was introduced into the market free of charge to everyone. Customers who used to pay companies like Bottin Cartographes for their map service switch to Google Maps since it's free. After stealing marketshare and customers, in October 2011 Google begins charging for its service. How is this not textbook antitrust?
Are you seriously not getting this? Google Maps API was introduced into the market free of charge to everyone. Customers who used to pay companies like Bottin Cartographes for their map service switch to Google Maps since it's free. After stealing marketshare and customers, in October 2011 Google begins charging for its service. How is this not textbook antitrust?
Stealing market share? Really? Providing an exceptional products and services to gain customers is stealing?"
I guess you are entitled to free health care, the Government owes you a house and a job, and people that work for a living are idiots right?
And we wonder why the US is so F%^&Uked up right now.
Need an analogy? Here ya go. The Church gives away wrapped sandwiches to people every day. Do you have the right to demand that they give you as many Ziplock bags as you want for free? I mean, wh
Stealing market share? Really? Providing an exceptional products and services to gain customers is stealing?"
No, keeping a product free by using revenues from a different market (in which you are a dominant player) in order to gain customers and destroy competition only to then turn around and start charging for said free product is clearly antitrust. What is not clear about that?
When they start charging for you to use Google Maps, then start complaining. Until then, don't bitch about getting hand outs from them.
Ah, I see why you don't understand. You just came here to spout your ideology based off a perceived slight without even attempting to understand the discussion at hand. Before you run your mouth off, why don't you pay a little bit of atte
Did Google stop anyone at Mapquest from updating their product to be as good or better than Google's products? No
Yes. Google supplemented their product running at a loss from other products for the sole purpose of taking marketshare. This is fine if they kept it like this but then to suddenly turn and charge for the service they have:
a) abused their market position, and b) created barriers to entry for competitors (customers now have an expense if they wish to revert back to mapquest)
You may not think this is right. It doesn't matter. The fact is other companies have done the same and have lost lengthy court battles ov
Do you understand what a Monopoly is? I believe that you have something wrong in your concept.
I didn't say anything about a monopoly. Nowhere did I mention anything about a monopoly. Don't put words in my mouth. You don't have to be a monopoly to exhibit anticompetitive behavior.
Did Google stop anyone at Mapquest from updating their product to be as good or better than Google's products? No
Did Google stop vendors from using APIs and Hooks from other vendor codes? No
Did Google say "Anything we ever do will be free of charge."? No
Did Google stop any company from using Mapquests products? No
Did Google tell the Internet that no other vendor could put products out there? No
This isn't about a better product. This is about taking a product that it would costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce, giving it away for free to destroy your competition, then turning around and charging for it once the competition is gone. It's caled dumping and it's one example of an anticompetitive practice [wikipedia.org].
> Google begins charging for its service. How is this not > textbook antitrust?
Shit, they don't like it? Why can't they use Bing Maps? Mapquest? OpenStreetMap? When did the Google Maps ninjas infiltrate and destroy France's cartography treasures?
I used to love to scan Rand McNally paper city maps. In fact the first time I saw one at a gas station I thought I had found a nuclear weapon! "Shit, does anyone know that you can anywhere, hide no man on no street that I cannot find with this?! Does the milita
Uh... I think you may have missed something. This isn't about paper map companies. The company that sued Google, Bottin Cartographes [1bis.com] offers the same product as the Google Maps API.
The next person to mention spaghetti stacks to me is going to have
his head knocked off.
-- Bill Conrad
This was predicted to happen two years ago (Score:5, Insightful)
Why would it?
Microsoft was punished for pumping a market with a free product, with its development supported by revenues from a monopoly product, so that they could afford to give it away where competitors could not. If Google offers something for free, kills off its competitors who were charging for their version, and then starts charging when they're the only ones left, then the French court has a point.
Even the headline in the linked article is absurd: "French court protectionis
Re: (Score:2, Flamebait)
Apples to Bananas comparison.
Microsoft took technology that already existed and people already used and paid for and gave it away free until the competition died out. (Word/Word Perfect Anti-trust suit ??). With Browser technology they forced Windows VARS to install IE and play by a set of rules that said no competitive products could be installed (initial Anti-trust suit) even if the customer requested it. When busted, they spit in the courts face and forced vendors by forcing vendors to only install
Re: (Score:5, Informative)
It became extremely popular, and is still FREE to use for anyone.
No, it's not. Not for DEVELOPERS, which is the entire point of this suit. The Maps API used to be free. Now that they have a dominant market position, it's not.
Re: (Score:0)
Funny, I have multiple websites that use the Maps API and I've yet to see a bill from Google for usage or the functionality made unavailable. What crack pipe are you smoking?
Re: (Score:1)
Funny, I have multiple websites that use the Maps API and I've yet to see a bill from Google for usage or the functionality made unavailable. What crack pipe are you smoking?
READ THE FUCKING MANUAL [google.com] noob.
Re:This was predicted to happen two years ago (Score:3, Informative)
Funny, I have multiple websites that use the Maps API and I've yet to see a bill from Google for usage or the functionality made unavailable. What crack pipe are you smoking?
READ THE FUCKING MANUAL [google.com] noob.
Maybe you should read the manual. See the usage limit column? The pricing starts above that. So, Google provides the API for free, until you start leeching off it. Fair enough. Why should Google subsidise others' businesses?
Re:This was predicted to happen two years ago (Score:5, Insightful)
Are you seriously not getting this? Google Maps API was introduced into the market free of charge to everyone. Customers who used to pay companies like Bottin Cartographes for their map service switch to Google Maps since it's free. After stealing marketshare and customers, in October 2011 Google begins charging for its service. How is this not textbook antitrust?
Re: (Score:2)
Are you seriously not getting this? Google Maps API was introduced into the market free of charge to everyone. Customers who used to pay companies like Bottin Cartographes for their map service switch to Google Maps since it's free. After stealing marketshare and customers, in October 2011 Google begins charging for its service. How is this not textbook antitrust?
Stealing market share? Really? Providing an exceptional products and services to gain customers is stealing?"
I guess you are entitled to free health care, the Government owes you a house and a job, and people that work for a living are idiots right?
And we wonder why the US is so F%^&Uked up right now.
Need an analogy? Here ya go. The Church gives away wrapped sandwiches to people every day. Do you have the right to demand that they give you as many Ziplock bags as you want for free? I mean, wh
Re: (Score:2)
Stealing market share? Really? Providing an exceptional products and services to gain customers is stealing?"
No, keeping a product free by using revenues from a different market (in which you are a dominant player) in order to gain customers and destroy competition only to then turn around and start charging for said free product is clearly antitrust. What is not clear about that?
When they start charging for you to use Google Maps, then start complaining. Until then, don't bitch about getting hand outs from them.
Ah, I see why you don't understand. You just came here to spout your ideology based off a perceived slight without even attempting to understand the discussion at hand. Before you run your mouth off, why don't you pay a little bit of atte
Re: (Score:2)
Do you understand what a Monopoly is? I believe that you have something wrong in your concept.
Did Google stop anyone at Mapquest from updating their product to be as good or better than Google's products? No
Did Google stop vendors from using APIs and Hooks from other vendor codes? No
Did Google say "Anything we ever do will be free of charge."? No
Did Google stop any company from using Mapquests products? No
Did Google tell the Internet that no other vendor could put products out there? No
You are ranting ab
Re: (Score:2)
Did Google stop anyone at Mapquest from updating their product to be as good or better than Google's products? No
Yes. Google supplemented their product running at a loss from other products for the sole purpose of taking marketshare. This is fine if they kept it like this but then to suddenly turn and charge for the service they have:
a) abused their market position, and
b) created barriers to entry for competitors (customers now have an expense if they wish to revert back to mapquest)
You may not think this is right. It doesn't matter. The fact is other companies have done the same and have lost lengthy court battles ov
Re: (Score:2)
Do you understand what a Monopoly is? I believe that you have something wrong in your concept.
I didn't say anything about a monopoly. Nowhere did I mention anything about a monopoly. Don't put words in my mouth. You don't have to be a monopoly to exhibit anticompetitive behavior.
Did Google stop anyone at Mapquest from updating their product to be as good or better than Google's products? No Did Google stop vendors from using APIs and Hooks from other vendor codes? No Did Google say "Anything we ever do will be free of charge."? No Did Google stop any company from using Mapquests products? No Did Google tell the Internet that no other vendor could put products out there? No
This isn't about a better product. This is about taking a product that it would costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce, giving it away for free to destroy your competition, then turning around and charging for it once the competition is gone. It's caled dumping and it's one example of an anticompetitive practice [wikipedia.org].
Re: (Score:1)
> Google begins charging for its service. How is this not
> textbook antitrust?
Shit, they don't like it? Why can't they use Bing Maps? Mapquest? OpenStreetMap? When did the Google Maps ninjas infiltrate and destroy France's cartography treasures?
I used to love to scan Rand McNally paper city maps. In fact the first time I saw one at a gas station I thought I had found a nuclear weapon! "Shit, does anyone know that you can anywhere, hide no man on no street that I cannot find with this?! Does the milita
Re: (Score:2)