I think the more "complex" the EU tries to make it in order to extract money from big corps the harder it can also be for smaller firms if those rules apply to those also.
You're acting like the outcome of this decision was in any way predictable based on the "rules of the EU". If I owned a website that had a search engine and comparison shopping and email, I would not expect that it's somehow wrong if my search engine shows results from my service's comparison shopping and email. I would not expect that it's somehow my obligation to seek out comparison shopping services operated by my competitors and show them on the search engine in the same way as my company's product. There isn't even a general way to do that -
am I obligated to design a custom protocol? This is borderline ridiculous, but is apparently the ruling.
What precedent is there for imposing rules this this on other businesses? "You have to design new technology and build custom services that show business information for your competitors on your advertising/websites/properties"?
You're acting like the outcome of this decision was in any way predictable based on the "rules of the EU"
It was. There are specific requirements in Article 102 about abusing dominant market positions to "apply…dissimilar conditions to equivalent transactions with other trading parties, thereby placing them at a competitive disadvantage".
If I owned a website that had a search engine and comparison shopping and email, I would not expect that it's somehow wrong if my search engine shows results from my service's comparison shopping and email.
If you owned a massive market-dominating service, then your team of corporate lawyers should expect that.
"You have to design new technology and build custom services that show business information for your competitors on your advertising/websites/properties"?
That's not what happened though – the specific instruction is:
the Decision orders Google to comply with the simple principle of giving equal treatment to rival comparison shopping services and its own service
That's all, and it is not unreasonable to impose these terms of a market dominating force that has used that dominance to crowd out competition.
What precedent is there for imposing rules this this on other businesses?
> You're acting like the outcome of this decision was in any way predictable based on the "rules of the EU"
Yes it was [0].
> If I owned a website that had a search engine and comparison shopping and email, I would not expect that it's somehow wrong if my search engine shows results from my service's comparison shopping and email
If your search engine had a dominant position in the EU market and if you used that dominance to put your shopping product above other competitors', then yes, it would not only be wrong, but also illegal.
