Tag Archive | "european commission"

Microsoft Backing-up EU’s Case Against Google


Microsoft Corporation supported, Thursday, the European Union’s probe against Google Incorporation’s suspected monopoly of the online search market. Brad Smith, General Counsel of Microsoft, said that they are planning to file a complaint against Google with the European Commission.

Microsoft said that the entire point of the case is Google’s pattern of thwarting competition and stopping anyone who might provide creative competition. No one from the European Commission confirmed receipt of such complaint.

The European Commission started a formal investigation on Google on November 2010. They did this after receiving a couple of complaints from other web companies saying that Google was intentionally making sure the smaller companies do not rank in the search results.

Al Verney, Google’s spokesperson, said that they are not surprised of Microsoft’s actions as the initial complaints stemmed from one of the company’s subsidiaries. The very first complaint started from Ciao, an online shopping website, which is owned by Microsoft’s Bing. However, Microsoft’s complaint will definitely add weight on the case as it is said to have a detailed and specific examples of Google’s alleged monopoly of their industry.

Verney said that they are always willing to explain the mechanics of their business. He also said that they are currently discussing this matter with the European Commission.

Brad Smith of Microsoft said that Google has ensured some technical measures to make sure competing sites cannot properly access YouTube videos. With that, Microsoft and even Yahoo, can never come close to Google.

Smith further said that Windows operated phones of Microsoft is blocked from properly operating with YouTube, whereas its Google counterpart Android perform better with YouTube.

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Unilever Gets Approval to Buy Sara Lee Unit by Kenya


Unilever, a British-Dutch consumer goods corporation, gets the approval of Kenya to buy Sara Lee Corp’s ancillary in the east African nation, according to a government notice presented on Friday.

An Unilever official who does not want to be named stated that the company had purchased Sara Lee’s local body care businesses.

As a dual-listed company, Unilever consists of Unilever N.V. in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Unilever PLC in London, United Kingdom. It owns world’s several consumer product brands in beverages, foods and other home and personal items.

In fact, they own 400 brands through acquisition but they focus on their 13 “billion-dollar brands” that achieve more than €1 billion annual sales.

Sara Lee, also a global consumer-goods company, has sold a number of brands for the past five years. This is considered as part of a strategic move from a once rambling company that sold everything from underwear to hotdogs to one that is focused on its core coffee and protein businesses.

The European commission granted Unilever’s $1.3 billion agreement to purchase Sara Lee’s body care unit. Sara Lee even mentioned that it had received a strong interest in its remaining household businesses.

Sara Lee Kenya LTD engages in the promotion of shoe care products, which comprises of cleaners, polishes, and wax under the Kiwi brand. They also include insecticides under the Ridsect brand.

Sara Lee Corporation is actually based in USA. However, it has operations in more than 40 countries, which includes Kenya, and sells its consumer goods in over 180 nations around the world.

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