EU: Google to appeal antitrust ruling

Google said Thursday it will appeal the astronomical US$5 billion fine levied against it by the European Union for violating antitrust laws with its Android system. The company also angrily accused the EU of attacking its open source business model.

The Android operates on a free, open platform for smartphones, so critics said the decision could have dire ramifications for other open source systems.

The EU said that to obtain the free system, phone manufacturers had to include a bundle of Google services, such as its search bar and Chrome browser.

“Google has imposed illegal restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators to cement its dominant position in general Internet search,” the EU said in its statement announcing the fine.

In a more detailed blog post, Google doubled down on its position to argue that Android has helped bring choice to the market by enabling 1,300 different companies to develop 24,000 smartphones, and bringing over one million apps to users.

Google argued that phone makers aren’t obligated to pre-load its apps and that, even if they do, there are alternatives that have racked up significant download numbers. In particular, the company namechecked browser apps Opera Mini and Firefox, both of which have over 100 million downloads, and UC Browser, which has been downloaded more than 500 million times.

Full Content: Blog Google, Tech Crunch

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