近日,谷歌對(duì)美國(guó)司法部對(duì)其進(jìn)行的反壟斷訴訟案提出異議,稱(chēng)司法部指控有余而證據(jù)不足,同時(shí)還強(qiáng)調(diào)谷歌并不是一家有害的社會(huì)壟斷性公司。
該訴訟案于10月20日在華盛頓特區(qū)的一家聯(lián)邦法院內(nèi)提起,同日,谷歌的首席法務(wù)官肯特?沃克便在博文中反駁稱(chēng)“司法部今日的訴訟存在嚴(yán)重缺陷”,他指出:“用戶(hù)使用谷歌完全是自愿行為,并未受到任何脅迫,也并非因?yàn)槭忻嫔现挥泄雀枰粋€(gè)搜索引擎?!?/p>
經(jīng)過(guò)聯(lián)邦政府為期一年有余的調(diào)查之后,美國(guó)司法部指出,谷歌暗地里曾經(jīng)與多家移動(dòng)運(yùn)營(yíng)商以及包括蘋(píng)果在內(nèi)的設(shè)備制造商達(dá)成“獨(dú)家協(xié)議”,要求其將用戶(hù)的搜索引擎默認(rèn)為谷歌。在這種情況下,谷歌成功主導(dǎo)了數(shù)字廣告領(lǐng)域,搶占了近70%的市場(chǎng)份額,在一系列搜索引擎當(dāng)中獨(dú)占鰲頭。
雖然司法部沒(méi)有明確提及該如何縮減谷歌業(yè)務(wù),但它提出了一種名為“結(jié)構(gòu)性減免”的說(shuō)法,這或許意味著谷歌有可能會(huì)面臨業(yè)務(wù)分拆,甚至業(yè)務(wù)剔除。
然而,谷歌方面堅(jiān)稱(chēng)自己會(huì)打贏官司,下文是谷歌的四大自我辯護(hù):
谷歌從不缺競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手
針對(duì)司法部對(duì)其“壟斷搜索引擎業(yè)務(wù)”的指控,谷歌公司發(fā)言人回應(yīng)稱(chēng),互聯(lián)網(wǎng)用戶(hù)的常用應(yīng)用程序遠(yuǎn)不止谷歌一個(gè),他們獲取信息的方式也不僅限于谷歌。如果要查詢(xún)飛機(jī)航班,用戶(hù)會(huì)用Expedia;如果要搜熱點(diǎn)新聞,他們會(huì)選推特;如果要隨便買(mǎi)點(diǎn)什么,那他們一定會(huì)打開(kāi)亞馬遜。
谷歌援引美國(guó)聯(lián)邦貿(mào)易委員會(huì)十年前的一項(xiàng)結(jié)論稱(chēng),谷歌的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手已經(jīng)不限于傳統(tǒng)意義上的搜索引擎,各種各樣的信息服務(wù)軟件早已層出不窮。
消費(fèi)者并未受到利益損害
壟斷指控的關(guān)鍵之處往往在于目標(biāo)公司利用其市場(chǎng)壟斷地位損害了消費(fèi)者權(quán)益,但谷歌表示,司法部未能提供具體證據(jù)證明消費(fèi)者受到了谷歌的負(fù)面影響。
考慮到谷歌的免費(fèi)性質(zhì),司法部無(wú)法像慣常那樣對(duì)目標(biāo)公司的收費(fèi)抬價(jià)行為做出指控。因而本次司法部的火力集中在谷歌的“排他性”上。司法部表示,谷歌的主導(dǎo)地位妨礙了其他企業(yè)向消費(fèi)者提供更好的服務(wù),消費(fèi)者的處境受制于市場(chǎng)玩家的減少,從而變得更糟了。
谷歌表示,它的服務(wù)和條款非但沒(méi)有侵害消費(fèi)者的權(quán)益,相反,是通過(guò)為他們提供高質(zhì)量的搜索,使消費(fèi)者受益。此外,在與蘋(píng)果等公司的交易中,它也沒(méi)有排斥競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手參與競(jìng)標(biāo)。
谷歌說(shuō),蘋(píng)果等公司將谷歌作為默認(rèn)搜索引擎的協(xié)議,就好比可口可樂(lè)買(mǎi)下了雜貨店收銀臺(tái)處的主要貨架空間。但消費(fèi)者仍然可以在超市的其他地方購(gòu)物,其他公司也能夠就這些空間的分配進(jìn)行協(xié)商。
此外,谷歌堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為,聯(lián)邦貿(mào)易委員會(huì)已經(jīng)評(píng)估過(guò)谷歌的搜索協(xié)議。但是現(xiàn)在,司法部卻仍然對(duì)這一決定有著不必要的質(zhì)疑。
消費(fèi)者可以自由下載競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的搜索引擎產(chǎn)品
谷歌表示,如果消費(fèi)者想在他們的手機(jī)上下載競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的搜索引擎來(lái)獲取信息,并更改默認(rèn)搜索設(shè)置,他們完全可以自由地這樣做,不會(huì)受到任何限制。
該公司指出,像Instagram、TikTok、Spotify和Uber等幾種流行的應(yīng)用程序都沒(méi)有預(yù)先下載到用戶(hù)的手機(jī)和平板電腦上,但仍然大獲成功。所以無(wú)論設(shè)備制造商將哪些軟件作為他們的裝機(jī)默認(rèn)設(shè)置,精明的消費(fèi)者都能夠按自己的需求,下載他們想要的應(yīng)用程序。
谷歌還提到了雅虎在2014年達(dá)成的一項(xiàng)協(xié)議,即成為火狐瀏覽器的默認(rèn)搜索引擎。而火狐瀏覽器的用戶(hù)如果想把谷歌用作默認(rèn)搜索引擎,只需要稍加更改設(shè)置即可。
廣告商之間的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)十分激烈
對(duì)于政府有關(guān)其主導(dǎo)數(shù)字廣告的指控,谷歌則予以否認(rèn):實(shí)際上,他們?cè)庥龅母?jìng)爭(zhēng)十分激烈。
谷歌表示,該公司在數(shù)字廣告方面的主要競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手——Facebook、亞馬遜和蘋(píng)果,都在繼續(xù)擴(kuò)張其廣告業(yè)務(wù),這就表明谷歌并未在該領(lǐng)域形成壟斷、將競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手排斥在外。與此同時(shí),廣告商們也可以在小眾一點(diǎn)的數(shù)字服務(wù)平臺(tái)上進(jìn)行投放,例如Pinterest、Autotrader和TripAdvisor,盡管在這些平臺(tái)上投資的回報(bào)率可能會(huì)比在谷歌上少得多。
簡(jiǎn)而言之,該公司認(rèn)為,廣告商們想要獲得更多點(diǎn)擊率,不只可以通過(guò)谷歌這一條途徑,還有更多資源來(lái)為他們的網(wǎng)站賺得流量。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
編譯:陳怡軒、陳聰聰
近日,谷歌對(duì)美國(guó)司法部對(duì)其進(jìn)行的反壟斷訴訟案提出異議,稱(chēng)司法部指控有余而證據(jù)不足,同時(shí)還強(qiáng)調(diào)谷歌并不是一家有害的社會(huì)壟斷性公司。
該訴訟案于10月20日在華盛頓特區(qū)的一家聯(lián)邦法院內(nèi)提起,同日,谷歌的首席法務(wù)官肯特?沃克便在博文中反駁稱(chēng)“司法部今日的訴訟存在嚴(yán)重缺陷”,他指出:“用戶(hù)使用谷歌完全是自愿行為,并未受到任何脅迫,也并非因?yàn)槭忻嫔现挥泄雀枰粋€(gè)搜索引擎?!?/p>
經(jīng)過(guò)聯(lián)邦政府為期一年有余的調(diào)查之后,美國(guó)司法部指出,谷歌暗地里曾經(jīng)與多家移動(dòng)運(yùn)營(yíng)商以及包括蘋(píng)果在內(nèi)的設(shè)備制造商達(dá)成“獨(dú)家協(xié)議”,要求其將用戶(hù)的搜索引擎默認(rèn)為谷歌。在這種情況下,谷歌成功主導(dǎo)了數(shù)字廣告領(lǐng)域,搶占了近70%的市場(chǎng)份額,在一系列搜索引擎當(dāng)中獨(dú)占鰲頭。
雖然司法部沒(méi)有明確提及該如何縮減谷歌業(yè)務(wù),但它提出了一種名為“結(jié)構(gòu)性減免”的說(shuō)法,這或許意味著谷歌有可能會(huì)面臨業(yè)務(wù)分拆,甚至業(yè)務(wù)剔除。
然而,谷歌方面堅(jiān)稱(chēng)自己會(huì)打贏官司,下文是谷歌的四大自我辯護(hù):
谷歌從不缺競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手
針對(duì)司法部對(duì)其“壟斷搜索引擎業(yè)務(wù)”的指控,谷歌公司發(fā)言人回應(yīng)稱(chēng),互聯(lián)網(wǎng)用戶(hù)的常用應(yīng)用程序遠(yuǎn)不止谷歌一個(gè),他們獲取信息的方式也不僅限于谷歌。如果要查詢(xún)飛機(jī)航班,用戶(hù)會(huì)用Expedia;如果要搜熱點(diǎn)新聞,他們會(huì)選推特;如果要隨便買(mǎi)點(diǎn)什么,那他們一定會(huì)打開(kāi)亞馬遜。
谷歌援引美國(guó)聯(lián)邦貿(mào)易委員會(huì)十年前的一項(xiàng)結(jié)論稱(chēng),谷歌的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手已經(jīng)不限于傳統(tǒng)意義上的搜索引擎,各種各樣的信息服務(wù)軟件早已層出不窮。
消費(fèi)者并未受到利益損害
壟斷指控的關(guān)鍵之處往往在于目標(biāo)公司利用其市場(chǎng)壟斷地位損害了消費(fèi)者權(quán)益,但谷歌表示,司法部未能提供具體證據(jù)證明消費(fèi)者受到了谷歌的負(fù)面影響。
考慮到谷歌的免費(fèi)性質(zhì),司法部無(wú)法像慣常那樣對(duì)目標(biāo)公司的收費(fèi)抬價(jià)行為做出指控。因而本次司法部的火力集中在谷歌的“排他性”上。司法部表示,谷歌的主導(dǎo)地位妨礙了其他企業(yè)向消費(fèi)者提供更好的服務(wù),消費(fèi)者的處境受制于市場(chǎng)玩家的減少,從而變得更糟了。
谷歌表示,它的服務(wù)和條款非但沒(méi)有侵害消費(fèi)者的權(quán)益,相反,是通過(guò)為他們提供高質(zhì)量的搜索,使消費(fèi)者受益。此外,在與蘋(píng)果等公司的交易中,它也沒(méi)有排斥競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手參與競(jìng)標(biāo)。
谷歌說(shuō),蘋(píng)果等公司將谷歌作為默認(rèn)搜索引擎的協(xié)議,就好比可口可樂(lè)買(mǎi)下了雜貨店收銀臺(tái)處的主要貨架空間。但消費(fèi)者仍然可以在超市的其他地方購(gòu)物,其他公司也能夠就這些空間的分配進(jìn)行協(xié)商。
此外,谷歌堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為,聯(lián)邦貿(mào)易委員會(huì)已經(jīng)評(píng)估過(guò)谷歌的搜索協(xié)議。但是現(xiàn)在,司法部卻仍然對(duì)這一決定有著不必要的質(zhì)疑。
消費(fèi)者可以自由下載競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的搜索引擎產(chǎn)品
谷歌表示,如果消費(fèi)者想在他們的手機(jī)上下載競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的搜索引擎來(lái)獲取信息,并更改默認(rèn)搜索設(shè)置,他們完全可以自由地這樣做,不會(huì)受到任何限制。
該公司指出,像Instagram、TikTok、Spotify和Uber等幾種流行的應(yīng)用程序都沒(méi)有預(yù)先下載到用戶(hù)的手機(jī)和平板電腦上,但仍然大獲成功。所以無(wú)論設(shè)備制造商將哪些軟件作為他們的裝機(jī)默認(rèn)設(shè)置,精明的消費(fèi)者都能夠按自己的需求,下載他們想要的應(yīng)用程序。
谷歌還提到了雅虎在2014年達(dá)成的一項(xiàng)協(xié)議,即成為火狐瀏覽器的默認(rèn)搜索引擎。而火狐瀏覽器的用戶(hù)如果想把谷歌用作默認(rèn)搜索引擎,只需要稍加更改設(shè)置即可。
廣告商之間的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)十分激烈
對(duì)于政府有關(guān)其主導(dǎo)數(shù)字廣告的指控,谷歌則予以否認(rèn):實(shí)際上,他們?cè)庥龅母?jìng)爭(zhēng)十分激烈。
谷歌表示,該公司在數(shù)字廣告方面的主要競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手——Facebook、亞馬遜和蘋(píng)果,都在繼續(xù)擴(kuò)張其廣告業(yè)務(wù),這就表明谷歌并未在該領(lǐng)域形成壟斷、將競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手排斥在外。與此同時(shí),廣告商們也可以在小眾一點(diǎn)的數(shù)字服務(wù)平臺(tái)上進(jìn)行投放,例如Pinterest、Autotrader和TripAdvisor,盡管在這些平臺(tái)上投資的回報(bào)率可能會(huì)比在谷歌上少得多。
簡(jiǎn)而言之,該公司認(rèn)為,廣告商們想要獲得更多點(diǎn)擊率,不只可以通過(guò)谷歌這一條途徑,還有更多資源來(lái)為他們的網(wǎng)站賺得流量。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
編譯:陳怡軒、陳聰聰
Google says the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit, though big on accusations, falls well short of proving the company is a harmful monopoly.
“Today’s lawsuit by the Department of Justice is deeply flawed,” Kent Walker, Google’s chief legal officer, wrote in a blog post on October 20 just after the lawsuit was filed in a Washington, D.C., federal court. “People use Google because they choose to, not because they’re forced to, or because they can’t find alternatives.”
The lawsuit, a result of a yearlong federal investigation, accuses Google of crushing competition through exclusive agreements with mobile carriers and device makers including Apple that make Google their default search engine. As a result, Google dominates digital ads, accounting for nearly 70% of ads purchased on search, making it nearly impossible for others to compete, the lawsuit says.
While the government did not spell out how Google’s business should be curtailed, it did call for “structural relief,” which could mean anything from breaking up Google’s business to canceling some of its current deals.
Google voiced confidence that it will prevail against the lawsuit. Here are the company’s arguments in its defense.
Google has plenty of competition
Countering accusations that it controls search, Google said that Internet users rely on a number of apps, not just Google, to find information. For example, consumers may search Expedia for flights, use Twitter to scan for news, and browse Amazon for whatever they want to buy, a company spokesperson said.
The company pointed out a decade-old conclusion from the Federal Trade Commission saying that Google’s competitors aren’t necessarily limited to general search engines. And the number of players providing those services has only grown since then, Google said.
The lawsuit doesn’t show consumer harm
Key to any antitrust case is that the targeted company has used its dominance to harm consumers. But Google said that the DOJ failed to point to anything specific that would prove consumers are negatively impacted by Google.
Because Google Search is free, the government can’t claim that consumers must pay higher prices owing to Google’s deals. So instead, the DOJ suggested that consumers were worse off because of Google’s dominance, which hampered companies from creating even better services and kept smaller players out of the market.
Rather than harming consumers, Google said its services and deals benefit consumers by connecting them to high-quality search. It also said that the deals it has with companies like Apple do not exclude competitors from bidding for their own deals with the companies.
Google likened its agreements to be a default search engine with companies like Apple to Coca-Cola buying prime shelf space at grocery store checkout counters. Consumers can still find products elsewhere in supermarkets, and other companies can negotiate for that space as well, Google said.
Furthermore, Google insisted that the FTC has already evaluated Google’s search agreements. But now, Google said, the DOJ is unnecessarily calling that decision into question.
Consumers can easily download rivals
Nothing is stopping consumers from downloading rival search engines to connect them to information on their mobile devices and changing the default search, Google said.
The company pointed to several popular apps like Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, and Uber that have been successful without being preloaded onto phones and tablets. Consumers are smart enough to download the apps they want, regardless of what device makers provide as defaults, Google said.
Google also pointed to Yahoo’s agreement in 2014 to become the default search engine in Mozilla’s Firefox browser. Google said consumers who wanted to use Firefox with Google as their default search engine merely had to change their settings.
Ad competition is fierce
Google denied the government’s assertion that it dominates digital advertising. In fact, Google said it has stiff competition.
The company’s major rivals in digital ads, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple, continue to grow their ad businesses—a sign Google isn’t shutting out competitors. Meanwhile marketers can also use smaller digital services like Pinterest, Autotrader, and TripAdvisor, Google said, though they’ll likely get much smaller returns on their spending than on Google.
In short, marketers can get clicks on their ads and traffic to their sites from more sources than just Google, the company argues.