Search Engine Land
  • SEO
    • > All SEO
    • > What Is SEO?
    • > SEO Periodic Table
    • > Google: SEO
    • > Bing SEO
    • > Google Algorithm Updates
  • PPC
    • > All PPC
    • > What is PPC?
    • > Google Ads
    • > Microsoft Ads
    • > The Periodic Tables of PPC
  • Focuses
    • > Local
    • > Commerce
    • > Shopify SEO Guide
    • > Content
    • > Email Marketing Periodic Table
    • > Social Media Marketing
    • > Analytics
    • > Search Engine Land Awards
    • > All Focuses
  • SMX
  • Webinars
  • Intelligence Reports
  • White Papers
  • About
    • > About Search Engine Land
    • > Newsletter
    • > Third Door Media
    • > Advertise

Processing...Please wait.

Search Engine Land » Channel » Content » French Anti-Trust Authorities Find Google “Abused Dominant Position” In Turning Off Advertiser’s Account

French Anti-Trust Authorities Find Google “Abused Dominant Position” In Turning Off Advertiser’s Account

French regulators said today that “Google had abused its dominant position in the internet advertising market when it barred a location data company from using its AdWords service,” according to a report appearing in the Financial Times. The complainant is Navx, a company that provides “geolocalized content” of various sorts. The company complained to French […]

Greg Sterling on June 30, 2010 at 3:24 pm

French regulators said today that “Google had abused its dominant position in the internet advertising market when it barred a location data company from using its AdWords service,” according to a report appearing in the Financial Times.

The complainant is Navx, a company that provides “geolocalized content” of various sorts. The company complained to French authorities that its AdWords account had been wrongly suspended by Google. The “ruling” in this case requires Google to reinstate the company’s AdWords account “within five days.” According to a quote in the FT’s article:

Sixty per cent of Navx’s business disappeared overnight when it was barred from AdWords and the company had to lay off 12 staff, said Jean Charbonnier, Navx chief executive.

Google believed it was complying with French law, ironically, when it disallowed Navx’s campaigns. The company provides information about the location of cameras designed to catch speeding cars. In other words the data allowed smartphone users and others to avoid these cameras so as not to get caught speeding. Radar detection systems are apparently illegal in France, which is why Google turned off the account.

Navx claimed that it didn’t provide the devices merely data tied to the location of the cameras used to catch speeding cars. As a practical matter it amounts to the same thing because the end user behavior it enabled was the same.

This appears to be the first formal anti-trust ruling against Google and, as such, sets a psychological and potentially a legal precedent — although it was a regulatory and not formal judicial decision. For all these reasons Google will challenge it.

The underlying idea seems to be that because of Google’s market position — it controls nearly 90 percent of search in France — it is not allowed to simply disallow or turn off advertiser accounts without sufficient “due process” (my words) or justification. French regulators are calling for more transparency and clarity from Google.

There have been numerous cases of companies complaining about the lack of transparency and “capricious” nature of Google’s algorithm. The French authorities’ decision doesn’t touch organic but the logic here makes it just a stone’s throw away.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.


New on Search Engine Land

    Google search results spam for ‘Bill Slawski obituary’ shows the dark side of SEO

    New mobile Google ad experiment puts favicon in-line with display URL

    Google launches video health tools to help publisher monetization

    SEO pioneer and expert Bill Slawski passes away

    New Yelp feature: Request a Call

About The Author

Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.

Related Topics

ContentGoogleSEO

Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

Learn actionable search marketing tactics that can help you drive more traffic, leads, and revenue.

March 8-9, 2022: Master Classes (virtual)

June 14-15, 2022: SMX Advanced (virtual)

November 15-16, 2022: SMX Next (virtual)

Learn More About Our SMX Events

Discover time-saving technologies and actionable tactics that can help you overcome crucial marketing challenges.

Start Discovering Now: Spring (virtual)

September 28-29, 2022: Fall (virtual)

Learn More About Our MarTech Events

Webinars

Take a Crawl, Walk, Run Approach to Multi-Channel ABM

Content Comes First: Transform Your Operations With DAM

Dominate Your Competition with Google Auction Insights and Search Intelligence

See More Webinars

Intelligence Reports

Enterprise SEO Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Identity Resolution Platforms

Email Marketing Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Sales Enablement Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Digital Experience Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Call Analytics Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

See More Intelligence Reports

White Papers

Reputation Management For Healthcare Organizations

Unlock the App Marketing Potential of QR Codes

Realising the power of virtual events for demand generation

The Progressive Marketer’s Ultimate Events Strategy 2022 Worksheet

CMO Guide: How to Plan Smart and Pivot Fast

See More Whitepapers

Receive daily search news and analysis.

Processing...Please wait.

Topics

  • SEO
  • PPC

Our Events

  • Search Marketing Expo - SMX
  • MarTech

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS
  • Youtube

© 2022 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.