FairSearch is a group of organizations that lobby against
Google
Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
's market dominance in online search and related practices. The group is controlled by Oracle and Naspers executives and has been characterized as a
consumer protection organization, a Google watchdog, as well as a
front group for Microsoft.
Many of its other members are also Google competitors, such as Expedia and Oracle.
Established in October 2010, FairSearch was formed as an international non-profit association incorporated under Belgian Law by travel
verticals and
online travel agencies to oppose Google's acquisition of travel software firm
ITA followed by Microsoft in December that same year. In September 2012 Oracle and Nokia joined in filing a complaint regarding
Android with the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
, alleging that its free-of-charge distribution model constituted anti-competitive
predatory pricing
Predatory pricing is a pricing strategy, using the method of undercutting on a larger scale, where a dominant firm in an industry will deliberately reduce the prices of a product or service to loss-making levels in the short-term. The aim is th ...
.
From at least 2011 to at least 2014, former
Attorney General of Rhode Island
The Attorney General of Rhode Island is the chief legal advisor of the Government of the State of Rhode Island and oversees the State of Rhode Island Department of Law. The attorney general is elected every four years. The current Attorney Gene ...
Patrick Lynch was working with the
Digital Citizens Alliance, sending messages to US attorneys and encouraging them to investigate Google.
FairSearch hired Thomas Vinje, a top antitrust lawyer from Clifford Chance, as well as the PR firms Burson Marsteller and FIPRA International, to lobby lawmakers and journalists. In the EU transparency register, Burson Marsteller acknowledges having received up to €199,999 from FairSearch in 2016, and FIPRA International €49,999. Elizabeth De Bony, Director at Burson-Marsteller acts as executive director of FairSearch. However, the latter's filings with Belgian authorities stated in 2017 it received no money or membership fees since its creation in 2013. "The origin of the money to pay these outside advisers remains unknown.”
In December 2016, Microsoft quietly removed its financial support from FairSearch.
References
External links
fairsearch.org- US Site
fairsearcheurope.eu- European Site
Lobbying organizations in the United States
Front organizations
Internet governance advocacy groups
Criticism of Google
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