Microsoft, Nokia Complain to EU About Google App Bundling in Android

From DailyTech: Just as Google was on the verge of escaping one investigation with European regulators, it may be caught in yet another -- but this time, regarding its Android operating system.

Fairsearch Europe -- a group of Google competitors including Microsoft, Nokia and Oracle -- have filed a complaint against Google for the way it builds the Android operating system to benefit Google apps in most smartphones.

According to the complaint, Fairsearch Europe is accusing Google of using its mobile OS "as a deceptive way to build advantages for key Google apps in 70 percent of the smartphones shipped today."

In other words, if a phone maker uses Android and other Google apps like YouTube, they must agree to position those Google apps on the forefront and other special locations on the phone's desktop.

At this point, the European Commission must decide whether to pursue the complaint or not. It's unclear if the commission will do so or not yet, but the European Union's antitrust chief Joaquín Almunia said regulators have been monitoring the Android operating system on the side while formally investigating Google's search practices.

The European Commission opened a formal antitrust investigation into Google's search behavior in November 2010. The investigation aims to find out whether Google has taken advantage of its search dominance by displaying links to its own services or not, despite competitors having more relevant offerings.

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