11/04, 12:25pm
NY claims Intel threatened PC builders
New York state's Attorney General Andrew Cuomo today filed a lawsuit against Intel that accuses the company of antitrust abuse. The Delaware-based complaint maintains that Intel violated both state and federal laws by allegedly threatening companies with retaliation if they used AMD processors and in some cases paying out billions of dollars in financial incentives disguised as rebates. Intel engaged in "bribery and coercion" to keep its control of the market, Cuomo says.
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10/20, 4:05pm
EU deal for Euro-wide music licensing
The European Commission today reached a roundtable agreement with several music stores and labels to ensure more widely distributed music for the continent. Apple, Amazon, BEUC, EMI, Nokia, PRS for Music, SACEM, STIM, and Universal now say they will work with the Commission to desegregate music licensing in European Union countries and have labels produce licenses that work across multiple if not all member states. They will also more freely exchange information so that companies can get rights outside of a musician's home country.
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10/16, 1:00pm
Draws fire from Mozilla designer
Apple's Safari browser may occupy too central position in upcoming European versions of Windows, critics say. Users should soon be presented with a special browser ballot, explaining what web browsers are, and more crucially offering a choice of apps beyond Internet Explorer. The feature comes as a result of pressure from the European Commission, which has accused Microsoft of hampering competition by bundling IE with Windows, forcing developers to design for it and potentially limit their innovation.
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10/07, 9:20am
EU to market test Win 7 browser choice
The European Commission on Wednesday said it would conduct a market test (PDF) of Microsoft's proposed browser ballot feature for Windows 7. The plan will let EU residents buying the Microsoft OS choose from one of multiple major web browsers shortly after they receive the system and use that in place of Internet Explorer. A successful test would make the ballot standard for most European copies and would resolve the ongoing antitrust case accusing the American firm of abusing its Windows monopoly.
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09/28, 8:15am
EU limits MP3 player sound levesl
The European Commission on Monday set volume limits for MP3 players in all European Union member states. Similar to existing rules for maximum volume exposure anywhere, the limits should prevent devices from outputting sound louder than 80 decibels under their default settings. Officials argue the limits are necessary as many devices can play music at levels loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage but without warning listeners.
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09/16, 3:10pm
Yahoo, MS in talks with EU over deal
European Commission antitrust regulators are involved in low-level, exploratory talks with Microsoft and Yahoo regarding their search engine deal, according to a Wednesday report. The informal discussions are not yet at a level that would challenge the union, but could lead to a formal review of possible anti-competitive factors in the deal, like Microsoft and Yahoo are facing from US regulators.
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09/15, 11:50am
Intel criticizes EU fine
Intel in European Union court files today fought against the recently imposed $1.45 billion fine for its alleged antitrust violations. The American processor designer believed the European Commission didn't provide enough evidence that Intel practices hurt AMD's European PC business in an "immediate, substantial" way. It instead claimed that AMD was actually gaining share for some of the five-year period covered by the fine and that AMD's struggles were linked more to specific PC builders and regions.
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08/18, 11:00am
Exploding iPhone reports
Apple is looking into media stories of one or more exploding iPhones in Europe, according to European Commission spokeswoman Helen Kearns. Reuters notes that in in France, a teenager says he was injured when his iPhone shattered, shortly after it began making a hissing noise. Although Apple has only stated that it is waiting for the damaged phones before making a judgment, it is noted to be in contact with the Commission.
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08/10, 5:05pm
Microsoft update process
Late last week, software giant Microsoft announced in a US district court that it will change the way the express install works for Internet Explorer 8 with its Windows operating system, as per a Monday report. Microsoft has drawn flak for making IE 8 the default browser despite user's preferences whenever they ran the Windows Update and selected the Express install, with competitors Mozilla and Opera filing complaints.
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08/03, 11:00am
Microsoft Drops Win 7 E
Microsoft this weekend revealed that it would drop plans to launch Windows 7 E for Europe following a change in attitude from the European Commission. The special release, which would have provided Windows without any browser at all, is being scrapped as the Commission has tentatively embraced the company's browser ballot approach to providing a choice of web browsers. These customers should now get the same version of Windows 7 as elsewhere.
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07/24, 3:20pm
Euro Win 7 Multi Browser
Microsoft this afternoon hoped to settle the European Commission's antitrust case over unfair web browser bundling by promising to give users a choice of web browsers when Windows 7 ships in October. The proposal mimics the EC's solution and would provide a "ballot" that lets first-time users choose from one of multiple browsers, all of which would be pre-loaded in Windows. As before, users could also download other browsers and set them as the default.
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07/22, 1:20am
Intel appeals EU antitrust
As expected, Intel on Wednesday appealed the record-setting 1.06 billion Euro antitrust fine it recently received from the European Union. The appeal was made in a Luxembourg court, according to a company spokesperson response to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required). The fine was ordered in May, when the EU's antitrust regulator ruled that Intel was offering rebates to computer makers that encouraged them to stop buying a large amount of chips from rival AMD, among other anticompetitive practices.
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07/01, 4:00pm
EU caps now in effect
The previously promised cap on roaming rates for phone calls made from cellular devices went into effect today. The European Commission-mandated cap applies to calls made throughout the 27-country union, and is estimated to save consumers as much as 60 percent in cellular phone bills. The new limits will drop the price of making a call in a country other than one's home to the equivalent of 61 cents per minute, excluding sales tax, from 65 cents. Receiving calls will fall from 31 cents to 27 cents.
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06/12, 8:45am
EU Say Win 7 E Not Enough
Microsoft's decision to pull Internet Explorer from Windows 7 in Europe isn't enough to address EU antitrust complaints about the company's abuse of the market, the European Commission said Friday. The continent's officials now say that Microsoft's proposed solution would actually hurt competition as it would leave the five percent of those buying retail copies of Windows each year with few options. Instead of having an immediate choice, buyers would have to resort to obtaining a physical copy of a web browser or else some alternative.
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06/11, 1:30pm
Win 7 in EU wo Browser
Windows 7 will ship to Europe without a copy of Internet Explorer, a leak has revealed this afternoon. Since confirmed by Microsoft, text obtained by CNET shows that PC builders will have to include a browser themselves, including Microsoft's, and will have the option of installing more than one. The new version should be titled Windows 7 E and would ship both to all EU countries as well as Croatia and Switzerland.
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05/26, 8:45am
EU Pushes Pan-Euro Music
The European Commission today pressed music labels on switching to a Europe-wide licensing strategy for music that would let Apple and others run stores for the entire continent. Citing early agreements with EMI as well as French agency SACEM, antitrust Commissioner Neelie Kroes argues that labels need to follow suit and switch from their current country-by-country approach, which forces iTunes and other stores to segregate their audiences and musicians to collect pay through local agencies rather than a single source.
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05/21, 4:55pm
Microsoft cancels hearing
After being granted two extensions to respond to anti-trust allegations against it in Europe regarding its web browser, Microsoft has now cancelled its oral hearing scheduled for the start of June. In a Thursday blog post, Microsoft's Associate General Counsel David Heiner explains a number of the key decision-makers in the matter won't attend, as the date coincides with the International Competition Network (ICN) meeting in Zurich.
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05/13, 7:50am
Intel Fined 1 45B by EU
The European Commission today gave Intel a 1.06 billion Euro ($1.45 billion) fine for its alleged antitrust violations in the computer market. The fine is the largest ever applied by the EC against a company and is prompted by serious accusations hinted at in a late leak. Regulators charge that Intel sabotaged AMD's chances in the market place since 2002 by paying PC makers to either cancel or delay AMD-based systems, giving them illegal incentives to limit the number of AMD systems they sell, and paying at least one major retailer to stock only Intel-based models.
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05/11, 10:45am
EU Likely to Fine Intel
Sources said late yesterday that the European Commission will rule against Intel on Wednesday for its purported anti-competitive behavior versus AMD. Those aware of the case have told Reuters that the Commission will not only issue a fine but force Intel to change the way it sells processors in Europe. Intel's attempts to hinder AMD's success were "naked," according to the tip.
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05/11, 7:00am
Microsoft writes defense
Microsoft this weekend claimed Google's internet browser, Chrome, will be given more market dominance should the European Commission continue with its antitrust charges against Microsoft. The company expects Opera and Mozilla, each of which have agreements in place with Google, will default their browsers to the Google search engine. According to the FT, this claim was contained within Microsoft's written appeal to the EC.
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05/07, 8:05am
Mozilla Complains on Win 7
Mozilla and Opera on Thursday criticized Microsoft over settings in the Windows 7 release candidate that they claim are designed to be anti-competitive. The two web browser developers point out to FT that users who opt to upgrade to Windows 7 from Vista rather than install fresh are given an "express" option that automatically reverts the default browser to Internet Explorer even if Firefox, Opera or another browser was set as the default before. Although the "custom" choice lets users maintain this setting, Mozilla and Opera argue that Microsoft is hoping most users won't be aware of this or that it will be considered too much extra work.
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05/04, 1:30pm
EU sets MS antitrust plans
A date has been set for Microsoft to defend itself against European antitrust charges, Reuters reports. Between June 3rd and the 5th, representatives for Microsoft are expected to testify in a closed hearing before the European Commission, elaborating on the outlines of a written response submitted on April 28th. The company was originally ordered to reply by March 12th, but was granted two extensions, first to April 21st and then the 28th.
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04/27, 1:10pm
EU extends music copyright
Last week, the European Parliament has extended music copyrights from 50 to 70 years, just in time to keep early rock-and-roll songs out of the public domain, according to a Monday Ars Technica report. The move will allow bands such as the Beatles and some 1950s bands to avoid having songs fall into the public domain. At the same time, Parliament asked the European Commission to launch an assessment of movie copyrights by January 2010, which could see their copyrights extended as well.
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04/22, 7:45pm
EU set to fine Intel
The European Union has prepared a draft decision in an ongoing antitrust case against Intel that appears to be approaching completion, according to the Wall Street Journal. Unnamed sources familiar with the matter claim the EU will seek a fine against the company, although the draft can be modified as it continues through the process.
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04/22, 4:05pm
Judge Extends MS Oversight
District of Columbia Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly today extended the oversight of Microsoft's compliance with an antitrust ruling by 18 months to May 12th, 2011. The move follows a Department of Justice request for a second extension and comes supported by Judge Kollar-Kotelly after she determined that the ability to watch Microsoft's actions was in a "much better place" than when an extension was signed late last year.
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04/22, 11:55am
EU Roaming Caps Start July
The European Union Parliament today voted in favor of a plan from the European Commission to cap roaming rates for cellular service in any of its member states. The motion takes effect July 1st and will particularly cut data and text messaging costs. Internet access out-of-country will be limited to €1 per megabyte at wholesale rates, or far less than the €1.63 charged today. Text messaging will also drop sharply with individual messages costing no more than €0.11 versus an average of €0.28.
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04/15, 3:40pm
Microsoft 2nd EU Delay
Microsoft today said it had been given a second extension by the European Commission to prepare a response against antitrust charges that it has unfairly controlled web browsers. Having already been given a first extension that gave it until April 21st, the American firm has until April 28th to provide its own stance and early defense against the claims. Why the added time is required hasn't been formally explained.
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04/10, 2:35pm
MS Fined for Price Fixing
German antitrust regulatory officials today fined Microsoft 9 million Euros, or the equivalent of $11.8 million, for alleged price fixing on its Office suite. The American software developer was found responsible for unfairly setting the price of Office 2007 Home and Student illegally by talking to Microsoft about the price before promptly promoting the software together. An official commentary defends the verdict by noting that it was Microsoft's particular approach to the deal and not the act of agreeing to a price itself that broke the law.
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03/11, 11:50am
MS Extension on EU Charges
The European Commission today said it would give Microsoft extra time to respond to its statement of objection that accuses Microsoft of breaking antitrust laws by requiring that Internet Explorer ship with Windows. The American company now has until April 21st to provide an initial response after it complained that the original eight-week deadline, or March 12th, didn't give it enough time to offer a proper answer to the charges. It's not known if the delay will affect other aspects of the case.
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03/04, 10:05am
EU Softens MS Monitoring
The European Commission today said it would scale back its efforts to monitor Microsoft's compliance with a 2004 antitrust ruling that has forced the American software firm to provide code to third-party developers. In a statement, the European Union's legislative wing said it "no longer requires" a full-time monitoring agency to keep Microsoft in check and instead says it will rely on consultants as needed. The dedicated monitors had been in place since 2005.
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02/24, 6:10pm
Google backs EU
Google has jumped into the conflict between the European Commission and Microsoft, backing the EU in the antitrust proceedings. The commission has objected to the practice of bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, which it claims "harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice." The search-engine giant must first ask for permission from the EU to provide arguments, as a third party, in the ongoing litigation.
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02/24, 5:25pm
Intel denied oral hearing
The latest update in the long-running European Commission anti-trust case against Intel has the chipmaker finally responding to the Supplementary Statement of Objections (SSO) filed by the EU in July. Intel has confirmed it made a response on February 5th but has been declined an opportunity to immediately defend itself in an oral hearing. The rejection comes after the company had failed to provide a response for seven months since the July start of the case and had been denied further delays.
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02/09, 1:10pm
Mozilla joins EU vs. MS
Mozilla is throwing its support behind a European Commission ruling on bundling Microsoft's Internet Explorer with Windows, according to the company's CEO. Microsoft received a Statement of Objection from the Commission last month, accusing it of violating European competition laws. The action was initially sparked by a complaint from Opera, which produces third-party web browsers. Mozilla itself develops the Firefox browser.
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01/28, 11:45am
EU Rejects Intel Delay
The European Union's Court of First Instance late Tuesday rejected requests by Intel to stall its investigation into claims of abusing its lead in processors to stifle AMD and other competitors. Court president Marc Jaeger rebuffs claims that Intel needs more time to prepare a response and that the investigation was mishandled, saying that the chipmaker was "in no way prevented" from building its argument.
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01/16, 2:55pm
EU Objection to Microsoft
Microsoft today said it has received a Statement of Objection from the European Commission that finds the software developer has violated European competition law by tying Internet Explorer to Windows. Though preliminary, the message tells Microsoft that the forced bundling is unfairly excluding competitors from Windows PCs. It adds that the changes made to open competition as the result of a US antitrust ruling in 2002, such as letting PC vendors bundle non-IE browsers and change defaults, aren't enough to avoid violating European law.
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09/26, 9:10am
EU Universal Broadband
The European Commission today outlined a goal for all European Union member states to have access to high-speed Internet access by 2010. Calling broadband an "essential condition" for a good economy, Commissioner Viviane Reding likens fast Internet access to a basic utility and explains that certain countries are at an inherent disadvantage due to the absence of at least some form of broadband coverage in some areas. Only 40 percent of Romanians have the option of access faster than dial-up, the official mentions in one example.
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09/24, 1:15pm
EU to cap roaming charges
The European Commission on Tuesday announced a planned law that would limit how much network providers can charge for text messages and downloads when users are roaming outside of their home country in Europe, according to a WSJ report (registration required). Under the proposed law, a single text message sent within the European Union will cost the equivalent of 16 US cents, down from about 42. Charges for passing on text messages between mobile operators will be limited to just under 6 cents.
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07/24, 2:30am
Nokia, Qualcomm settle
Hours before going to trial, both Nokia and Qualcomm have reached an all-encompassing settlement over a year-old patent feud between the two companies, which could save them hundreds of millions in legal fees and help Nokia focus its development efforts in an increasingly competitive landscape. While the details were not disclosed, the settlement includes an up-front payment by Finish handset maker Nokia and on-going royalties payable to US-based Qualcomm. In addition, Nokia has agreed to assign ownership of a number of patents to Qualcomm, including patents declared as essential to WCDMA, GSM and OFDMA.
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07/17, 3:25pm
EU Charges Intel Again
The European Union's European Commission on Thursday filed its previously rumored additional complaints about Intel's practices. The Statement of Objections argues that Intel offered discounts to European resellers in exchange for either delaying, limiting, or completely eliminating AMD-based systems from their lineup. This unfairly prevented AMD from getting a foothold in the market, the Commission says.
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07/16, 12:30pm
Pan-European music OK'd
The European Commission has ordered music copyright organizations to allow pan-European licensing schemes, says the Associated Press. At present, companies looking to sell music throughout Europe must negotiate agreements with 24 separate collecting societies, scattered throughout the European Union. While this may protect national industries and culture, the Commission has ruled that it also breaks antitrust regulations, giving the societies monopolies in their respective homelands.
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07/16, 9:30am
EU Plans New Intel Charges
The European Commission is planning to file yet more antitrust charges against Intel for its alleged monopolistic behavior, the Wall Street Journal now says (registration required). The extra accusations would specifically focus on claims that Intel provided financial incentives to larger European resellers if they would drop any sales of AMD-based systems, all but pushing the smaller chipmaker out of the markets for most home computers and low-cost servers.
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07/07, 12:15pm
Microsoft Protests EU Fine
Microsoft today argued in the European Commission's Court of First Instance that the record $1.4 billion fine imposed against it is unfair. The complaint follows a promise to appeal the EU-run Commission's decision and claims that the punishment is both excessive and was imposed without giving Microsoft legal options it expected before it was fined.
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07/03, 12:45pm
European music royalties
The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance has come out against proposed changes to how online music royalties are collected, writes the Associated Press. The conflict stems from an ongoing investigation by the European Commission, aimed at addressing antitrust concerns relating to the lack of Europe-wide royalty schemes. The Commission notes that currently, national copyright agencies have effective monopolies in their respective regions; there is also a need to negotiate as many as 27 separate royalty schemes for an album, something which may be hampering the spread of European music.
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07/02, 12:45pm
Nokia/NAVTEQ deal OK'd
The European Commission has approved an acquisition of map maker NAVTEQ, Nokia has announced. With this validation in hand, the company says it has met all regulatory concerns, and plans to complete the buyout within a matter of five days. "NAVTEQ will play a key role in our Internet services strategy," reads a statement from Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. The acquisition will also likely save the company money on licensing, as it has previously had to pay companies like NAVTEQ for each use of a map on a phone.
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05/22, 12:10pm
EU Watching MS Open Move
European Union officials will be watching Microsoft's open format support to ensure the developer's move remains honest, the European Commission said on Thursday. The regulatory body says it will specifically monitor the newly added support for the universal Open Document Format (ODF) to determine if it delivers on Microsoft's promises of interoperability with other programs, many of which already support ODF but until now have been unable to send those files to users of Microsoft's software, forcing them to choose a more restrictive format such as Microsoft's DOC format for Word files.
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05/14, 4:30pm
TomTom OK to Buy TeleAtlas
European Commission officials today cleared GPS maker TomTom's plans to buy Tele Atlas. The government body says the buyout "would not significantly impede" competition in GPS navigators and attached no restrictions to the deal, which lets TomTom use an in-house source for its own maps. Although the possiblity exists for TomTom to artificially limit competition by blocking sales of Tele Atlas maps to outside companies, the existence of its rival Navteq makes that "unlikely," the Commission says.
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05/09, 1:50pm
MS to Appeal European Fine
Microsoft today said it would appeal the nearly $1.4 billion fine levied against it by the European Commission earlier this year. The company has not explained its specific motivations behind the objection, but says the move is an effort to "seek clarity" from the Commission's court and that Microsoft's opposition with the appeal is to the fine itself rather than the ultimate verdict.
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04/07, 10:00am
EU Greenlights In-Air Call
The European Commission today opened the doors to cellphone service on commercial flights over the territory. Ending a near-universal ban on the practice, the organization has set out rules and established technology that it says should allow calling without endangering aircraft. Phones that support the 1,800MHz phone band will have the option of both making and receiving calls as well as SMS text messages while in flight. By using the specific frequency, airlines can force cellphones to connect to the picocell that shares the wireless connection rather than create interference with the aircraft's electronics, which can theoretically occur when the phones boost their signal strength to reach ground towers.
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03/28, 12:40pm
Europe probes Nokia/NAVTEQ
The European Commission has begun a serious investigation into Nokia's planned purchase of NAVTEQ, Reuters says. The inquiry has an initial deadline of 90 days, with a possible extension to 125; in question is whether or not the deal violates any monopoly concerns. The Commission observes that NAVTEQ is only one of two major producers of digital maps for GPS services, which could give Nokia an unfair advantage in its cellphone business.
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03/11, 4:30pm
France funds Google foe
The European Commission has approved the contribution of €99 million in French funding to a potential Google competitor, writes Agence France-Presse. The Quaero search engine project represents a collaboration between 23 different companies, including France's Thomson; it has not, however, so far found enough funding to get started, as its costs in the next five years are projected to be €199 million. The Commission itself has expressed doubts about Quaero, saying it "is not spontaneously underpinned by the market owing to divergent interests within the consortium and to uncertainties regarding the project's chances of success."
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