A lengthy investigation into whether Google has been abusing its dominance of Internet search to stifle competition in India is moving into its next phase.
The preliminary findings of the three-year-old probe have been submitted to the Competition Commission of India and to Google.
The inquiry revolved around complaints filed by several websites contending that Google has been unfairly highlighting its own services in its influential search results at the expense of its rivals.
The allegations are similar to other accusations of illegal self-promotion in the U.S., Europe and other parts of the world.
Google has until Sept. 10 to respond to the preliminary findings in India, although that deadline could be extended.
Google says it is confident it will be cleared of wrongdoing in India.
The Mountain View, California, company is already facing allegations in Europe that it rigged its shopping results to thwart rivals. European regulators are still examining whether Google manipulated other types of search results to keep traffic away from sites that could diminish its advertising sales.
Google has denied the allegations in Europe. If it loses the case in Europe, Google could be fined more the $6 billion.
Antitrust regulators in the U.S. wrapped up a probe into Google's practices in 2013 without requiring that the company make any major changes to how it ranks websites.
Avid completes acquisition of Wolftech
Avid®, known for software solutions for professional media production, has completed the acquisition of Wolftech Broadcast Solutions, a leader in cloud-based multiplatform news planning, production and publishing solutions.
The acquisition enables Avid to combine its digital-first, end-to-end media solution with Wolftech’s expertise in story-centric workflow management. News organizations will be able to increase efficiency and accelerate story delivery through enhanced remote collaboration and multiplatform amplification.
Avid CEO Wellford Dillard stated, “Wolftech is unquestionably on the leading edge of where the industry is going, and this acquisition demonstrates Avid’s commitment to transform news, sports, and live production workflows. We are delighted to welcome Wolftech into the Avid family.”
Wolftech CEO Arne Berven added, “We were focused on finding a partner that could accelerate the adoption of our platform globally. We explored a number of possibilities, but when we talked to Avid, we knew it was the right match.”
The closing of the acquisition follows Avid’s announcement on October 7 that the company had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Wolftech.
With this acquisition, Avid deepens the integration between the two toolsets while continuing to embrace an open approach in partnering with a wide range of media production tools and newsroom systems. Existing Wolftech customers will benefit from Avid’s global scale for customer support and professional services.
Ian Axton, head of production operations for ITV News, said, “As a customer of both Avid and Wolftech we’re excited about the benefits this acquisition will bring to our users and our business. Wolftech has transformed... Read More