Google Tipped off EU Regulators on Microsoft Browser Compliance Issue

By Paul Thomson :: 7:27 PM

Microsoft was fined by European Union antitrust regulators earlier this week for not complying with orders to include an Internet browser selection screen on new PCs shipped in the EU.

The fine was steep – $730 million. But the interesting part of this case is that it looks like regulators were tipped off to Microsoft’s non-compliance by Google and Opera. A report published by the Financial Times confirms that Google ratted out Microsoft.

Why would Google point out Microsoft’s transgressions? Many point to Microsoft’s recent advertising campaign, “Scroogled,” which didn’t paint Google in the best light. The initiative attempted to freak consumers out and move them to Bing search and Outlook e-mail by pointing out that Google scans e-mail contents to determine advertising placement – it may have been all the prompting that Google needed to deal with Microsoft.