新聞翻譯 - Time - Google Faces Fresh U.S. Scrutiny Over Market Power

Google Faces Fresh U.S. Scrutiny Over Market Power

Google商業手段再次遭受全美調查

Google just can’t seem to keep “the man” off its back.

Google似乎就是無法擺脫”某人”的魔爪

It’s only been a few months since Google walked away from a multi-year federal antitrust investigation into its search practices, with the legal equivalent of a slap on the wrist. Now, Google is said to be facing another antitrust probe, this time into its dominant position in the market for online display advertising. The Federal Trade Commission has launched a preliminary inquiry into whether Google is unfairly using its display ad market power to curb competition and push companies toward using its other products and services, according to multiple reports.

幾個月前，Google多年來被反壟斷法調查其搜尋服務終告結束，在法律上這可是意味濃厚的警告。 現在Google表示他們將面臨另一波反壟斷法調查，這次則是Google佔據領導地位的網路廣告。  公委會以報告中所指出，初步針對Google是否不公平的利用其廣告力量壟斷競爭，並且促使其他公司使用自己旗下的產品做調查。

  The new FTC inquiry, which is in its early stages and may not result in a formal probe, is focused on Google’s giant DoubleClick unit, which the search giant purchased in 2008 for $3.1 billion. DoubleClick offers marketers and publishers tools to help them place and track display and video ads. Google’s YouTube video service is also a major force in display advertising. In the first quarter of 2013, Google accounted for 24.1% of the display ad market, up three points from a year earlier, according to data from market reach firm IDC. Yahoo! and Facebook accounted for 9.9% and 9.2%, respectively.

  這個公委會先前質疑但可能無法正式調查的是Gooogle在2008年以31億美金購併的DoubleClick公司，也是新調查的重點。 DoubleClick公司提供商人及出版商放置及追蹤網路與影片廣告的工具，而Google的Youtube影片服務也是廣告的主力之一。 在2013年第一季報告中，Google廣告市佔率達24.1%，較去年成長了3%，而根據市場調查公司IDC的資料，Yahoo!與Facebook市佔率則分別為9.9%與9.2%。

  Google’s text-based search ads are well known to consumers because they are present on most Google search result pages. But the company also has number of advertising products that aren’t consumer-facing, but are designed for online marketers and publishers. These include the DoubleClick Ad Exchange, which is an advertising marketplace that generates revenue for Google, as well as DoubleClick for Publishers, which allows websites to track ad performance. If Google is using its market power to push companies to use these or other company products — or is bundling its products together in a practice known as “tying” — Google could run afoul of federal antirust laws.

  Gooogle的關鍵字廣告因總出現在搜尋結果上而被消費者熟知。 同時也擁有非消費者面向的廣告產品，設計給網路行銷或出版商，像是為Google帶來廣告收益的DoubleClick Ad Exchange，而DoubleClick for Publisher則能讓網站追蹤廣告效果。 如果Google用其市場力量促使別人使用自己的產品或者包裝成套裝軟體搭售，則Google的作法將會與反壟斷法牴觸。

  Google’s DoubleClick purchase was controversial, and was subject to a lengthy FTC review that concluded in December of 2007, paving the way for the deal. Ultimately, the FTC decided that “Google’s proposed acquisition of DoubleClick is unlikely to substantially lessen competition.” However, the agency emphasized that it planned to “closely watch these markets and, should Google engage in unlawful tying or other anticompetitive conduct, the Commission intends to act quickly.” A Google representative declined to comment on the reports of a new probe.

  2007年12月在公委會冗長複審下決議的購併DoubleClick案確實有其爭議，最後，公委會認為Google購併DoubleClick，實質上不太可能造成壟斷，但是，公委會強調他們會嚴密監控市場，而至於Google是否非法搭售或者反競爭式經營，公委會將快速反應。 一位Google發言人對調查不做評論。

  The FTC’s inquiry comes just months after Google agreed to make voluntary changes to its search business in order to avoid a major federal antitrust lawsuit into whether it uses its search market power to harm rivals. Several of Google’s competitors, including Microsoft and Yelp, had argued that Google unfairly demoted rivals in its search-engine results in order to steer users toward Google’s own competing products.

  公委會的調查恰巧在Google為了躲過壟斷訴訟而自願改變搜尋服務一個月後，當時Google涉嫌用其搜尋市場力量去損害競爭對手，數個Google的競爭者包含微軟、Yelp宣稱Google不公平的降低競爭對手在搜尋引擎中的結果，好讓Google產品成為使用者的唯一選擇。

  But the FTC ruled unanimously that it lacked sufficient evidence to charge Google with antitrust violations. Under the terms of the deal, Google agreed to make relatively modest, voluntary changes to its search engine. Compared with the prospect of a major federal lawsuit — which would have been the most significant federal antitrust case against a tech company since the U.S. went after Microsoft in the late 1990s — these voluntary changes amounted to a slap on the wrist.
 但公委會一致裁定沒有足夠的證據去起訴Google壟斷，根據協議，Google同意對其搜尋引擎做出具誠意、自願性質的改變。 相較於可能成為1990年微軟訴訟後最大宗的壟斷案，這些協議下的改變，就像是個警告。

  Google’s deal represented a bitter blow to the search giant’s rivals, including Microsoft, which lashed out at the settlement. In a blog post, Microsoft VP and deputy general counsel Dave Heiner wrote that “2013 hopefully will be the year when antitrust enforcers display the resolve that Google continues to lack.” Steve Pociask, president of the American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research, said in a sharply worded statement that federal regulators “failed to use their authority for the betterment of the marketplace and to the advantage of consumers.” He added: “Letting Google off with a letter promising not to do it again is like believing Lindsay Lohan will stay out of trouble this time.”

  Google的協議對競爭者可說是沉重打擊，尤其Microsoft更是大力抨擊該和解案。 微軟副總裁與副法律顧問Dave Heiner部落格中也寫到：希望2013年，執法者能夠拿出面對Google持續擺爛的解決之道。 美國消費者學會的市民調查部門主管Steve Pociask更嚴厲表示聯邦高層沒有使用他們該有的力道去改善市場與維護消費者的權益，他更說道：讓Google承諾不會再犯就像是相信琳賽·蘿涵不會在闖禍一樣。

  Given that the latest probe into Google over its display ad practices is reportedly still in the preliminary stages, it’s too early to tell whether the inquiry could evolve into another multi-year investigation. There’s little doubt, however, that that’s precisely what some of Google’s rivals would like to see. At this point, given Google’s dominance in the Internet ad market, regulatory scrutiny is to be expected. When you’re number one, having a target on your back comes with the territory.

  儘管針對Google廣告的調查據聞仍在準備階段，會不會發展成另一個長達數年的調查還很難說，但毫無疑問，這就是Google競爭者所想看到的。 在這個階段，任Google在網路廣告市場的地位，管理階層的調查還是可預見的。  當你是老大，在背後有個目標是理所當然的。