EU continues it's war on US tech companies

[dead0man]

link-EU

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4 of the 5 largest fines in EU history have been aimed at US tech companies...coincidence?


I've said it before and I'll keep saying it, they aught to just leave Europe.  Just threatening it would be enough to make the bureaucrats fear the inevitable back lash....yeah, probably not.  Just GTFO.

[parochial boy]

Is it a coincidence that the US produces a disproportionate number of monopolistic giants that that think the laws don't apply to them? Probably not

Is it a good thing that the EU, one of the few organisations with the ability to take them on, is actually willing to? Absolutely

[dead0man]

Is it a coincidence that the US produces a disproportionate number of monopolistic giants that that think the laws don't apply to them? Probably not

in what way is Google a monopoly?  What other US companies are/were monopolies?

[parochial boy]

You really think google/windows/facebook haven't exploited their market position? (Which is what the fine is about - not whether they actually  are monopolies or not)

[Tender Branson]

That's ok. They are massive tax and market cheats.

Besides, we are young and need their money (if they do business here, they need to be taxed properly - instead of stuffing their money in tax havens) !

[dead0man]

You really think google/windows/facebook haven't exploited their market position? (Which is what the fine is about - not whether they actually  are monopolies or not)

I think every company ever tries to exploit their market position.  You don't think <___insert your favorite Europen company here____> tries to exploit there market position?  And if it's about that, why did you bring up monopolies first?

That's ok. They are massive tax and market cheats.

Besides, we are young and need their money (if they do business here, they need to be taxed properly - instead of stuffing their money in tax havens) !

tax cheats?  How can a group that has Greece as a member bitch about somebody else being a tax cheat?

[parochial boy]

You really think google/windows/facebook haven't exploited their market position? (Which is what the fine is about - not whether they actually  are monopolies or not)

I think every company ever tries to exploit their market position.  You don't think <___insert your favorite Europen company here____> tries to exploit there market position?  And if it's about that, why did you bring up monopolies first?

Monopolistic behaviour and "being a monopoly" are not the same thing; and regardless of whether "almost all companies" try to exploit their market position, whether or not they are able to is a reflection of their power within the market place - which is why it is absolutely right to go after tech giants like google/facebook/microsoft.

Part of the reason that these giants tend to emerge in the US is that the US has weaker antitrust law than the EU.  Remember that the EU also imposed mandatory audit rotation on the big 4 accountancy firms, three of which are European.

tax cheats?  How can a group that has Greece as a member bitch about somebody else being a tax cheat?

tbh, attacking Ireland, the UK, Luxembourg or the Netherlands as enablers of tax cheating would be a fair enough criticism too. To which the answer is that it is about time the EU does something about them (especially Luxembourg).

[Antonio the Sixth]

Wonderful news! Glad to see the EU do something good every once in a while.

[dead0man]

Obama thinks you guys do sh**t like this 'cause your tech companies suck

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[Storebought]

The EU has yet to fine Volkswagen a single euro for their cheating scandal, and that one actually kills people. Trump is right: the EU is a protectionist racket.

[DavidB.]

Wonderful news! Glad to see the EU do something good every once in a while.

Agreed, and also agreed with Parochial Boy's first comment.

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it, they aught to just leave Europe.

Would be a godsent.

[Santander]

And the US government typically punishes European banks, auto manufacturers, etc. more harshly than their American counterparts. As Trump would say, these are killers they're dealing with, they can handle it.

[PSOL]

Maybe Europe can finally get a entrepreneurial domestic tech culture

[dead0man]

Maybe Europe can finally get a entrepreneurial domestic tech culture

they might, but protectionism vial legal shenanigans won't get them there.  They have to actually be better.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Maybe Europe can finally get a entrepreneurial domestic tech culture

they might, but protectionism vial legal shenanigans won't get them there.  They have to actually be better.

The original complaint that resulted in the fine was filed by Microsoft.
I guess your outrage over the EU's unfairness prevented you from observing that little detail.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Obama thinks you guys do sh**t like this 'cause your tech companies suck

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So now you take Obama's word as gospel? I didn't see that coming.

[DavidB.]

Wow, I love how all of us European posters are united in this!

[EPG]

The EU wishes to impose a digital tax. In the absence of consent, it will informally tax American companies. And American anti-trust authorities will retaliate by informally taxing European companies - though they're actually better at anti-trust in general than the German and French Colbertists who flit between industry, politics and public administration. It's a stable equilibrium. The real problem may be that breaking up a hundred Volkswagen plants doesn't have to make the cars worse, but "breaking up Facebook" definitely makes the network worse as it becomes far less complete for its users - advertisers can just dial down their rates.

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

Wonderful news! Glad to see the EU do something good every once in a while.

Agreed.

Maybe Europe can finally get a entrepreneurial domestic tech culture

May we long be spared such a thing.

[dead0man]

Obama thinks you guys do sh**t like this 'cause your tech companies suck

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So now you take Obama's word as gospel? I didn't see that coming.

so, everybody you've ever quoted in support of something, you take their word as gospel?  That's the only way this comment makes any sense.....either that or you have a weird hard on for me that makes you not think things through before you post.  Either way, get help.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Obama thinks you guys do sh**t like this 'cause your tech companies suck

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So now you take Obama's word as gospel? I didn't see that coming.

so, everybody you've ever quoted in support of something, you take their word as gospel?  That's the only way this comment makes any sense.....either that or you have a weird hard on for me that makes you not think things through before you post.  Either way, get help.

In the context of the discussion in which you posted this it clearly sounded like an appeal to authority to me, as if Obama coming to the defense of his country's companies somehow countered Parochial Boy or other posters' arguments. So I was surprised that you of all people would take Obama as a definitive authority.

[Mopsus]

I don’t usually expect to see the EU as a bulwark against global Satanic psyops, but credit where credit is due.

[DavidB.]

I don’t usually expect to see the EU as a bulwark against global Satanic psyops, but credit where credit is due.

They don't like the competition.

[dead0man]

In the context of the discussion in which you posted this it clearly sounded like an appeal to authority to me, as if Obama coming to the defense of his country's companies somehow countered Parochial Boy or other posters' arguments. So I was surprised that you of all people would take Obama as a definitive authority.

you do know that I like Obama right?  Probably more than most people that actually voted for him at this point.  They're a fickle bunch.




also, if you haters of Google use Google, you're assholes, you know that right?  So what garbage search engine do you use instead?  Altavista?  Hot Bot?  Bing!

[mvd10]

In the context of the discussion in which you posted this it clearly sounded like an appeal to authority to me, as if Obama coming to the defense of his country's companies somehow countered Parochial Boy or other posters' arguments. So I was surprised that you of all people would take Obama as a definitive authority.

you do know that I like Obama right?  Probably more than most people that actually voted for him at this point.  They're a fickle bunch.




also, if you haters of Google use Google, you're assholes, you know that right?  So what garbage search engine do you use instead?  Altavista?  Hot Bot?  Bing!

We should start the libertarians/neoliberals for Obama society !