On February 3, 2011, Interactive Lab, our company based in Toulouse, filed a complaint
to the European Commission against Google for unfair practices and abuse using a
dominant position. After analysis, the Directorate General for Competition in Brussels
informed us at the end of March that it had received our complaint and opened a case.
The details of our complaint were then sent to Google in early April.
In order to focus its mission on the most damageable offenses towards the rules of
competition, the Commission may dismiss an incoming complaint if its grounds appear
insufficient, or are already covered by an active procedure.
Hence, according to
Regulation (EC) No 1/2003,
our action completes the line of
investigation on Google at the community level.
The complaint of Interactive Lab is based on our use of Google solutions since 2003,
and specifically Adwords, to promote one of our offers on the Internet :
Woxxo, a business matching service.
The grievances of our complaint, sustained by documents related to Woxxo's experience, are consistent with
those discussed in the book "Google Spleen".
With regard to Adwords, we assert that in every aspect of its operation, that is, its
communication, help topics, official blogs, and the description and implementation of
the tools which enable advertisers to manage their accounts, Google describes and
operates its advertising services in a non-transparent and misleading way.
More generally, we assert that Google, through its consistent and varied practices,
creates an abusive and
discriminatory framework which :
- imposes unfair prices and conditions of purchase to Adwords advertisers,
- applies unequal terms of service provisions to Adwords advertisers,
- takes advantage of the Internet users' trust in Google products to
manipulate their choices,
- allows Google to prosper on an anti-competitive business model,
- limits
the emergence and enhancements of competitiveness, and therefore reduces the
potential for growth and progress to the detriment of consumers.
In our opinion, the above-mentioned issues need to be thoroughly reviewed with great
accuracy. For this reason, we are pleased that the European Commission has decided
to move forward with their evaluation.
