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September 5, 2010With another antitrust lawsuit in the works..is it time to question the practices of Google or is this just sour grapes .
Do these search engines really have a case?
This from.. Ben Parr via Mashable
It has been revealed that the office of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is conduction an investigation of Google over complaints of antitrust and anti-competitive behavior, and the search giant is responding.
According to Search Engine Land, the state of Texas’ investigation is focused on whether Google (
) manipulates its search results to the detriment of its competition. The investigation was sparked by complaints from vertical search engines Foundem, SourceTool/TradeComet and myTriggers. While none of these companies operate out of the state of Texas, they only need customers in the state to help spark an investigation.
Google has since responded to the report via a blog post from Deputy General Counsel Don Harrison. In it, Harrison addresses the questions about the “fairness” of the Google search engine while providing background on Foundem, SourceTool/TradeComet and MyTriggers. This background refutes each company’s argument that Google is engaging in anticompetitive behavior.
“We look forward to answering their questions because we’re confident that Google operates in the best interests of our users,” Harrison said in the company’s response.
Google is facing a similar investigation from the European Commission over whether it manipulates search results to stifle competition.
What do you think of the investigation? Do you think Google is engaging in antitrust behavior, or is this smoke and mirrors? Let us know in the comments.