Google Maps Accused of Unfair Competition in France

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
A French company has slapped Google in the face with a white glove and challenged them to a duel. At least that’s what I hear they do over there when they sue someone.;)

A French company is taking Google Maps to court for unfair competition, seeking 706,000 dollars in damages from the US-based Internet giant, a judicial official said Wednesday. Bottin Cartographes has lodged a complaint with the Paris commercial court against Google France and its parent company Google Inc. for providing free web mapping services to some businesses.
 
How do they even have a leg to stand on this case?

Oh wait, this is a member of the EU.
 
Typical France. "My company is losing money because we have an inferior product. I could spend money to hire more talented people or review my processes to see where we're going wrong. F it, that's too much work. Where's my legal department?"
 
You know normally since it's the French I'd be siding with the other guy, but they got a legit claim. Companies shouldn't be able to undercut like that, they should at least be offering their service at cost.
 
How do they even have a leg to stand on this case?

Oh wait, this is a member of the EU.

yep, Sounds about right and It's FRANCE too.

Oops, No they don't have a leg, peg or otherwise, I think they want to just Sue the big American company, Instead of starting their effort, Their lawsuit, Lame and I hope Google can crush them flat(as an example if need be).
 
The problem is that it's google's strategy. I don't see Microsoft, who charges for their OS, suing Ubuntu, who provides one for free. I realize it's not a good analogy, but the point stands.

Just because someone else is offering a similar service at a better rate doesn't mean you should sue them- maybe you can make yours better so it's worth the price you ask. Oh wait, it's the EU- never mind. Just sue them instead, it will be caught up in court for 7 years, so when you've gone under you can say it was google's fault! Sounds like a good plan to me.
 
I don't understand why we can't play the "saved your dumb ass from the Nazis" card when they try to pull this crap.
 
It's not a google strategy at all, it's a tried and true anti-competitve strategy. It's like safeway selling gas for free to get rid of the local gas pump businesses then when they're all gone they can pretty much set the price to anything they want. If any foreign company tries to pull this in the U.S. they wouldn't be doing business in the U.S. period.
 
I don't understand why we can't play the "saved your dumb ass from the Nazis" card when they try to pull this crap.

The same reason they can't play the "saved your dumb asses from the British" card? Americans love to ignore the fact that they would have been crushed during the American Revolutionary War if it wasn't for France.
 
The same reason they can't play the "saved your dumb asses from the British" card? Americans love to ignore the fact that they would have been crushed during the American Revolutionary War if it wasn't for France.

How many revolutionary wars have we had? How many wars have they had?

Nuff said.
 
You know normally since it's the French I'd be siding with the other guy, but they got a legit claim. Companies shouldn't be able to undercut like that, they should at least be offering their service at cost.

What?
 
It's not a google strategy at all, it's a tried and true anti-competitve strategy. It's like safeway selling gas for free to get rid of the local gas pump businesses then when they're all gone they can pretty much set the price to anything they want. If any foreign company tries to pull this in the U.S. they wouldn't be doing business in the U.S. period.

What?
 
How many revolutionary wars have we had? How many wars have they had?

Nuff said.

Maybe not "nuff said" since what you said has jack-shit to do with the point. Was there some convoluted thought process that somehow links the fact that France is the reason America exists to their internal wars?
 
I have no idea what your talking about Keiichi, they have no case. They're not going to magically set the prices up in France once this other company is gone. :confused:
 
It's not a google strategy at all, it's a tried and true anti-competitve strategy. It's like safeway selling gas for free to get rid of the local gas pump businesses then when they're all gone they can pretty much set the price to anything they want. If any foreign company tries to pull this in the U.S. they wouldn't be doing business in the U.S. period.

I understand the process of offering a product below cost to drive away other business competition, in the hopes that competition won't return once the prices resume profitable values. BUT, in the case of software wouldn't such litigation open the door to sue anyone who has ever offered free software (freeware) What about free anti-virus software just for an example?

It would be irresponsible to allow this precedence. How long before book publishers start suing authors for giving away free e-books?
 
Maybe not "nuff said" since what you said has jack-shit to do with the point. Was there some convoluted thought process that somehow links the fact that France is the reason America exists to their internal wars?

And what you said had everything to do with the point :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Nuff said.
 
Google Maps has always been free for everyone across the globe.

I don't think Google set out to push everyone out of the market so that they could "set the price" seeing as even if there was nobody else in the market I doubt Google would charge anything for Google maps since they make all their money in Advertising anyways.
 
I have no idea what your talking about Keiichi, they have no case. They're not going to magically set the prices up in France once this other company is gone. :confused:
Yeah they won't magically set prices, they'll just start doing it because they can and it will make good business sense.

Google Maps has always been free for everyone across the globe.

I don't think Google set out to push everyone out of the market so that they could "set the price" seeing as even if there was nobody else in the market I doubt Google would charge anything for Google maps since they make all their money in Advertising anyways.
Google does charge for providing their maps (and api) for commercial services.
 
Yeah they won't magically set prices, they'll just start doing it because they can and it will make good business sense.


Google does charge for providing their maps (and api) for commercial services.

Ok?

So they are competing with a price in the commercial market... Now correct me if I am wrong, but in the software world... Isn't this the real cash cow to begin with?

It's just like the free anti virus programs, they have a commercial variant that they charge for.

Why pick on just Google?... Because they are worth the time and the money for the return they will get when or if they win.

It's pretty simple, if Google was really a threat for not having a price on their consumer level of the product, then I think the government (or any government) for that matter would be doing more than cashing in on them.

It's a shame, it's not like I think all the big dogs are perfect and should be untouchable, but can we please touch them in the right areas that make sense. :p
 
The same reason they can't play the "saved your dumb asses from the British" card? Americans love to ignore the fact that they would have been crushed during the American Revolutionary War if it wasn't for France.

You're right. I'll continue to ignore that fact :D

I'm not arguing about the point they greatly helped. What most people see is the 25,000 deaths in the Revolutionary War, whereas you're talking over a million American deaths in WWII.
 
Ok?

So they are competing with a price in the commercial market... Now correct me if I am wrong, but in the software world... Isn't this the real cash cow to begin with?

Bottin Cartographes has lodged a complaint with the Paris commercial court against Google France and its parent company Google Inc. for providing free web mapping services to some businesses.
 
I didn't think a member of the EU was capable of suing a US company for less than a billion dollars.
 
I didn't think a member of the EU was capable of suing a US company for less than a billion dollars.

QFT, isnt google maps free anyways? How is this anti-competitive its not like they charge it any the us or any country for that matter as far as I know. Correct me if I am wrong though.
 
QFT, isnt google maps free anyways? How is this anti-competitive its not like they charge it any the us or any country for that matter as far as I know. Correct me if I am wrong though.

Lol, same thing I was saying with them talking about anti competitive practices with Microsoft including IE.
 
mapquest is free to right? why aren't they suing them too if they feel the gripe is legit.
 
You're right. I'll continue to ignore that fact :D

I'm not arguing about the point they greatly helped. What most people see is the 25,000 deaths in the Revolutionary War, whereas you're talking over a million American deaths in WWII.

I also seem to remember America joining the war after BEING ATTACKED. It's not like it was voluntary. In fact, the US stayed out of the war as long as possible.
 
I also seem to remember America joining the war after BEING ATTACKED. It's not like it was voluntary. In fact, the US stayed out of the war as long as possible.

Not to mention that the 1,000,000 US deaths seems to be a figure pulled out of Mr. Sooner French-bashing posterior. The actual US death toll - from all fronts was actually closer to 400,000 - 416,000. I should add that almost all of them were military deaths (France, on the other hand, suffered around 560,000 deaths, with more that half of those being civilian.)

The ignorance of some people on this site concerning non-tech issues - especially on items that can so easily be searched on the Web sometimes surprises me...:eek:
 
What does the Revolutionary war, WWI, and WWII have to do with this? Ahh, nothing, moving on.....

This is just some company that wants to sell something Google has been giving away mostly free for the last couple years, trying to sue because they can't compete with free. Bottin Cartographes is trying to monetize a service that Mapquest and Google offer essentially for free. Obviously they are going to need the courts help to compete.

Since Google is a mighty tasty American target, I expect this to go far in the EU courts, and then I expect EU investigations and multi billion dollar fines as well.

When will the jackasses in the US government realize that we are engaged in economic war with the EU and return the favor in our courts and with federal investigations leading to multi billion dollar fines for foreign firms? Let them help balance our budget for a change.
 
You know normally since it's the French I'd be siding with the other guy, but they got a legit claim. Companies shouldn't be able to undercut like that, they should at least be offering their service at cost.

Wait what? You want to be paying MORE, so it's "fair" to the guy who can't compete. Isn't it in within the realm of possibility, that competition exists to naturally match the value of the service with its cost? If they cannot offer a map service value proposition that people are willing to pay for, I'd say natural selection has taken its course, wouldn't you.

Google is not offering a free service. They've managed to have their costs amortarized though a healthy advertising revenue stream, and most likely some corporate deals. That people can get this service for free is the inderect result of competition, and you want to control and restrict this because some business aiming to take your money without offering additional value is losing out?
 
What does the Revolutionary war, WWI, and WWII have to do with this? Ahh, nothing, moving on.....

This is just some company that wants to sell something Google has been giving away mostly free for the last couple years, trying to sue because they can't compete with free. Bottin Cartographes is trying to monetize a service that Mapquest and Google offer essentially for free. Obviously they are going to need the courts help to compete.

Since Google is a mighty tasty American target, I expect this to go far in the EU courts, and then I expect EU investigations and multi billion dollar fines as well.

When will the jackasses in the US government realize that we are engaged in economic war with the EU and return the favor in our courts and with federal investigations leading to multi billion dollar fines for foreign firms? Let them help balance our budget for a change.

Which is interesting because since ~ 1948 europe has relied on U.S subsidies indirectly funded by, you guessed it, american corporations (the healthy American market, and the attraction their quality products offered at a competitive or landscape-beating cost provided the GDP which enabled America to save Britain, Germany, Bolivia, Netherlands, Greece, France, and eventually Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, Finland, Chezk, and on).

Not that the Cold War & WWII have anything to do with this. France is filled with whining losers. Not that all French people are. Just their regulating bodies enables and motivates the potential.
 
Which is interesting because since ~ 1948 europe has relied on U.S subsidies indirectly funded by, you guessed it, american corporations (the healthy American market, and the attraction their quality products offered at a competitive or landscape-beating cost provided the GDP which enabled America to save Britain, Germany, Bolivia, Netherlands, Greece, France, and eventually Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, Finland, Chezk, and on).

Not that the Cold War & WWII have anything to do with this. France is filled with whining losers. Not that all French people are. Just their regulating bodies enables and motivates the potential.

And when I said Bolivia I meant Belgium
 
WHere is bonsai?
High on Linux? :D

I also seem to remember America joining the war after BEING ATTACKED. It's not like it was voluntary. In fact, the US stayed out of the war as long as possible.
That's true... And funny how when we voluntarily go to war nowadays everyone has an issue with it :p
Point being: people will have an issue no matter what we do. You cannot make a decision that all 300 Million Americans will like.

Not to mention that the 1,000,000 US deaths seems to be a figure pulled out of Mr. Sooner French-bashing posterior. The actual US death toll - from all fronts was actually closer to 400,000 - 416,000.
You're correct- death toll...
I pulled Casualties, which also included the wounded or soldiers that died as an effect of the war... Which does amount to one million.
 
Back
Top