ANTI-TRUST POLICY : NEW COMPLAINT AGAINST GOOGLE.

Google has another complaint to add to the list: this time it concerns anti-competitive agreements (Article 101 TFEU) rather than abuse of dominant position - although these agreements are in fact the origin of Google's position as leader in the search engine market.

ICOMP, a collective of technology companies (including Microsoft), lodged a complaint with the European Commission on 30 January, which highlights the "illegal" system set up by Google to achieve its position of market leader in online search. Its dominant position is not the result of technological superiority, the association emphasises, but of a group of "anti-competitive agreements with partners in every new technology sector [...] which aim to restrict clients' and consumers' access to search engines or competing publicity platforms".

These agreements include exclusivity clauses with Google which, de facto, penalise other actors in this market and strengthen Google's position. In online research, the number of searches is essential: this is how algorhythms become more and more sophisticated and efficient. Via an ever-growing number of searches,a Google has been able to make its products perform better and prevent competititors from doing the same, which has contributed to a progressive strengthening of its dominant position.

ICOMP is developing these procedures in three areas: online research, advertising policy - clients for online publicity - and practices regarding content editors, who...