It seems the executives and lawyers at Google Germany have been working really hard lately. This weekend, words spread about three complaints against the organized were filed with Germany’s Federal Cartel Office.
Ciao, a Microsoft-owned online network for shoppers, is behind one of the complaints. Euro-Cities, which is a mapping site, and publishers’ associations BDZV and VDZ, are responsible for the other two. They’re unhappy about an advertising contract, Google Maps’s lack of fees and Google News’s use of snippets.
Kay Oberbeck, spokesperson for Google Germany, responded by telling the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, “We are very willing to explain our products and business practices to the Cartel Office and show that we are convinced these are in line with German and European law.”
Not matter how much Google is of its compliance; the company could be facing an uphill batter. Earlier this month, Germany’s justice minister alleged, “what’s taking shape there to a large extent is a giant monopoly,” and Google’s been treated with hostility many previous times in the country, too.