Google’s Android Target of New Antitrust Complaint

BRUSSELS — A group of companies led by Microsoft have called on European authorities to launch an antitrust investigation into Google‘s dominance of mobile Internet usage on smartphones. The “FairSearch” initiative of 17 companies — which includes Microsoft, Nokia, and Oracle — claims Google is acting unfairly by giving away its Android operating system to mobile device companies on the condition that the U.S. online giant’s own software applications like YouTube and Google Maps are installed and prominently displayed. “Google is using its Android mobile operating system as a Trojan horse to deceive partners, monopolize the mobile marketplace, and control consumer data,” said Thomas Vinje, the group’s Brussels-based lawyer. (MORE: Was Instagram Really Worth $1 Billion?) Android operating systems are installed on about 70 percent of new smartphones, according to analyst estimates, handing Google the largest market share worldwide, followed by Apple‘s iOS platform. Systems ...

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