Google faces new complaint search

22 February 2011, Last updated at 17: 04 GMT Google faces more questions on how he approached other search engines to new complaint about suspected anti-competitive conduct Google was presented by the French search engine specialist 1plusV.

It follows similar complaints from price comparison site Foundem and ejustice. fr legal search engine last year.

Those triggered a probe of the European Commission in Google's business practices, which is ongoing.

Google said it was working with the EC, adding that "there was always room for improvement".

"We worked closely with the European Commission to explain many different parts of our business. While we have always tried to do the right thing for our users and advertisers, we realize that there is always room for improvement, "the company said in a statement.

Delisted sites

1plusV is the parent company of eJustice .fr and runs the so-called vertical engines specializing in law, music and culture.

It is said that between 2006 and 2010 Google prevented vertical search firms using its AdSense online advertising service.

1PlusV, "This is the only really effective way to get targeted advertising on a search engine," said in a statement.

It also maintains that, in the weeks following the original complaint, Google delisted sites published by it.

"EJustice .fr, was disastrous in terms of its traffic, Google's decision to remove it from its search results," he said.

Google said it depends on the positioning on search results as a particular site is valuable for its users.

It said companies to improve their websites allow you to move the rankings.

But 1plusV said that eJustice. fr has been relisted in December, without modification.

"REList is in complete contradiction with the topic of Google that eJustice. fr was demolished because it does not provide any value to the user of the internet," said 1plusV.

The European Commission said it would give the opportunity to comment on the statements before deciding what to do with Google.

If Google is guilty of abuse of a dominant position in the search or advertising markets could face a hefty fine.

Baidu accused China of bias research in the complaint of monopoly

Biggest search engine in China, Baidu, is facing a potential antitrust investigation after the company was accused of blocking and degrading the search query results to a Chinese website online encyclopedia.

The company behind the website of Wikipedia as Hudong.com, said it has filed its complaint successfully with China's State administration for industry and Commerce (SAIC). The complaint requests SAIC to begin an investigation in anti-trust against Baidu and eventually the search giant 790 million yuan (120 million).

Hudong, however, does not know if or when it will begin an investigation of Baidu. SAIC can not be reached for comment.

Hudong began operations in 2005, a year before Baidu has launched its own online encyclopedia. Hudong said that his articles on popular topics are ranked low in the query results when searched on Baidu. Other search engines like Google and Microsoft Bing, rank, however, Hudong articles at the top.

"We are convinced that Baidu has used its dominant position to bully and block competitors," said Pan Haidong, CEO of Hudong.

A representative of Baidu said that the company did not want to comment on why the spokesperson was not available.

Baidu is the dominant search engine in the country, with a market share of 75.5% according to Beijing-based research firm Analysys International.

Baidu has faced similar accusations from Chinese websites alleging that the company has a deliberate distortion, said Mark Natkin, managing director of Beijing-based Marbridge Consulting. "None of the above allegations of this nature have had a significant impact on Baidu," he said.

In his defense, Baidu could always argue that the company uses a different search algorithm of a query result ranking over its competitors, Natkin added. "I don't think that will make a difference," said complaint of Hudong. "There has been no case in which (Baidu) lost millions of dollars or has had to significantly alter its business."

Baidu's dominance in the search market, however, has no doubt given advantages over small businesses Internet hoping to remain visible in the market, said Xu Dong, an analyst with Analysys International. "Small businesses want a level playing field, and this is very important to them," he said. "Believe that the Government should take measures to make more profitable the Internet market to them."