New EU regulations compel more transparency for search rankings
Guidelines seek disclosure of major ranking factors by Google, Amazon.
Topic: European Parliament
French antitrust decision sets the stage for Google to pay for news content in Europe
Google had sought to avoid paying copyright licensing fees by getting publishers to waive them in exchange for being included in search results.
Google won’t pay French publishers copyright fees, will limit content in search results instead
Publishers will need to give explicit consent to Google to show more of their content, says the company.
Google lobs invective at EU Copyright Directive
SVP Kent Walker urges changes in language ahead of ratification.
EU copyright directive poised to become law, includes licensing fees for search engines
Controversial 'link tax' and content filtering provisions part of the final language of the Directive.
EU approves controversial copyright directive aimed at Google, Facebook, Twitter
The new rules, which require member-state approval to go into effect, amount to a kind of 'GDPR for copyright.'
European publishers accuse Google and Facebook of ‘plundering’ their content
Publishers and media companies have stepped up lobbying for a restrictive copyright law that would effectively create 'link taxes.'
SearchCap: Google Drive rebrands, visual and voice search, Amazon’s ad opportunities & more
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: [Reminder] Ramp Up Your Amazon Ad Game: 5 tips for success Aug 20, 2018 by Digital Marketing Depot Amazon has emerged as the primary purchase channel of the US consumer. Nearly […]
EU: Google shopping search reforms working
EU Commissioner Vestager gave qualified approval to the changes put in place.
EU’s disruptive ‘copyright reform’ moves closer to passage
Legislation seeks to clean up copyright but also to subsidize traditional media at the expense of internet companies.
SearchCap: Google Trends, Yelp antitrust & Google lawsuits
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google steps up efforts to fight scams and fraud directed at SMBsMay 23, 2018 by Greg Sterling The company is filing new lawsuits, has developed tools and a stronger education program. […]
Europeans again raise the specter of breaking up Google
More of a bargaining position, it's extremely unlikely to actually happen.
Report: EU to ask Google, others to publicly reveal ranking factors
Proposed rules are designed to redress the “superior bargaining power” of the large internet brands.
European press agencies push for licensing fees for their content from Google, Facebook
It remains to be seen whether European legislators and regulators will pick up the cause, but there's a possibility that they will.
Oh No They Didn’t: European Parliament Calls For Break Up Of Google
Today, many Americans were busy preparing Thanksgiving meals or getting ready to travel to the homes of friends and family to celebrate the holiday. But Google certainly won’t be giving thanks for the European Parliament’s vote in favor of a resolution to “unbundle” Google’s search engine from the rest of its business. The widely anticipated, non-binding vote calls upon […]
SearchCap: King Of The United States, Break Up Google Conflict & More
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: German Legislator Calling For Google Breakup Has Serious Conflict Of Interest The German member of the European Parliament behind the call to break up Google, Andreas Schwab, has a conflict of […]
German Legislator Calling For Google Breakup Has Serious Conflict Of Interest
The German member of the European Parliament behind the call to break up Google, Andreas Schwab, has a conflict of interest. According to the NY Times, he has ties to and earns money from a German law firm that represents anti-Google publishing interests in Germany. German publishers lobbied for the passage of the “ancillary copyright” law […]
SearchCap: Google Poland Penalty, Break Up Google & Black Friday Shopping
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: 3 Proven Ways To Write Ads That Deliver More Conversions Now you know you need to change your paid search creative to keep it fresh. Contributor Frederick Vallaeys shares tips from […]
Europeans Have Authority To Seek Google Break Up Though Unlikely To Do So
Break Google up. That’s the thrust of a “non-binding” resolution the European Parliament is expected to adopt at some point in the near future, according to a report on Friday from Reuters. The recommendation is likely to be to separate Google’s search engine from the rest of the business. Needless to say, if this were to come to pass it […]
EU-Google Antitrust Deal May Be Collapsing
Since the first Google antitrust settlement proposal was announced in 2013 the company’s rivals and critics have complained loudly that it doesn’t go far enough to remedy what they see as Google’s unjustified “diversion” of their traffic to Google’s own “vertical” properties. They’ve lobbied regulators and produced white papers and PR campaigns aimed at undoing […]
UK House Of Lords Condemns Right To Be Forgotten
The House of Lords in the UK has little power in government or policy making except at the margins. Similarly, the British upper house’s recent condemnation of the European Right to Be Forgotten (RTBF) will have little practical impact in the UK or across Europe. Still it’s a dissenting voice from within a European government. […]
Yelp Joins Effort To Undo Current Google-EU Antitrust Settlement
Yelp has been an increasingly vocal critic of Google for several years. Now it has joined a group of companies opposing the European Commission’s current antitrust settlement proposal with Google. Originally Google and Yelp were partners. Google unsuccessfully tried to buy Yelp for a rumored $500 million a year or so before the company went […]
Right To Be Forgotten “Small Thing” Vs. Copyright Takedowns Says EU Commissioner
European Commissioner for Justice Viviane Reding was quoted in a BBC interview saying that the Right to Be Forgotten (RTBF) will be relatively easy for Google to administer. She asserted that, compared to the millions of copyright removal requests Google deals with, the thousands of RTBF requests are a “small thing.” Google also manages government removal requests on a […]
SearchCap: Suing SEOs, Googlebot Render Page & Top AdWords Impressions
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Adapting to Change, Harnessing New Trends, Eyeing the Future Search Engine Land Summit You deliver results daily, but staying successful means identifying opportunities, implementing new technologies and processes, developing great […]
Is Google’s European Antitrust Settlement In Jeopardy?
Widespread dissatisfaction among public and political figures with the existing antitrust settlement between Google and the European Commission appears to be putting the settlement in danger. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the run up to this week’s European Parliament elections saw an increase in “rhetoric against the settlement with Google.” The article depicts an […]
New Google Antitrust Offer A “Significant Improvement” Says EU
After Google’s competitors loudly complained about the company’s antitrust settlement proposal, which displayed three “rival links” to alternative’ search results, European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said it would take new “concessions” for Google to successfully settle its antitrust case with Europe. Google has now reportedly made those concessions. Almunia characterized Google’s updated settlement offer, submitted last […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, June 13, 2013
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the Web. From Search Engine Land: Facebook To End Sponsored Search Ads — For Now Facebook has said that it’s getting rid of sponsored search results for the time being. It’s not walking away from “search advertising,” […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, May 28, 2013
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the Web. From Search Engine Land: Getting Away From Our PPC Campaigns This Summer Having just finished marching in three parades and playing Taps at Memorial Day observances to honor our deceased veterans, I find myself looking […]
EU Says More Google “Concessions” Needed Before Antitrust Settlement
The vigorous lobbying efforts of Google critics FairSearch.org and Foundem’s SearchNeutrality.org seem to be paying off. Earlier today EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told members of the European Parliament that additional “concessions” would probably be required of Google to settle the antitrust investigation against the company and avoid litigation and potential financial penalties. According to […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, June 16, 2010
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: And Now, Google Itself Runs Oil Spill Ads We’ve covered earlier how both BP and legal firms are advertising on Google. Now Google itself is targeting oil spill related terms to […]
EU To Search Engines: Get Rid Of Your Data, No Keep It
Arguing forcefully that it’s necessary to protect privacy, the “Article 29 Working Party” of the European Parliament has been trying to get search engines to cut their search data retention to six months. But in a crazy turn of events, a proposal that would directly contradict those efforts and require retention for up to 2 […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, January 23, 2008
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Will The European Union Decide IP Addresses Are Personal?
The head of an EU group looking into search privacy issues said yesterday that Internet Protocol addresses assigned to computers should be treated as personal information. Below, more about that plus a look at some comments about how the search engines have been reported to the European Parliament to be dealing with privacy.
SearchCap: The Day In Search, January 22, 2008
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Google-DoubleClick Drama Moves To European Stage
Much of the discussion and debate in the U.S. over Google’s proposed acquisition of DoubleClick was about the impact of the deal on consumer privacy, even though that wasn’t technically part of the anti-trust analysis before the FTC. Accordingly, the FTC approved the acquisition with one commissioner dissenting largely on privacy grounds. Now, Pamela Jones […]