TOKYO Japan antitrust regulators on Wednesday defended his decision to approve a new Internet search agreement between Google and Yahoo Japan Corp, a move that has attracted criticism from experts and Microsoft Corp. antitrust surprised.
In a press conference on Wednesday, said Takahide Matsuyama, General Secretary of the Company without charge Competition Commission, Japan, Yahoo Japan Corp. is given the regulatory authority prior to the announcement on Tuesday announced the offer to consult the Yahoo Japan using Google technology for their own Internet searches.
The company said that Google and Yahoo Japan to run their companies individually, although they share a common search engine and advertising platform, he said.
Under these circumstances, the club did not immediately a problem with antitrust laws, Mr Matsuyama added that the FTC continue to monitor how to ensure a true partnership that Yahoo and the Google Japan to the original conditions Stick develop.
Once completed, the partnership between Yahoo and Google in Japan would be in more than 90% of all Web requests result in Japan led by the United States
Web giant data centers.
The decision of the Japanese regulation differs from the approach adopted by the antitrust authorities in the U.S.
Yahoo Japan spokesman Toru Nagano is a difference between the case of the United States and the acceptance of your company Google in Japan is that, unlike the United States
Vetter, Yahoo Japan has never developed its own proprietary search engine and advertising. Currently developed with technology from Yahoo Inc.
its search engine and search ads to run. Before that, for three years until May 2004 Google has the systems to be used.
As last year, Yahoo said Microsoft will use technology, their research activities, Yahoo Japan to the left, to strengthen choose Google and Microsoft.
Yahoo Japan Masahiro Inoue CEO said Tuesday that it is a factor that Microsoft had been slow to find his Bing search service in Japan. Microsoft removes Bing beta label in Japan on 12 July, ie the system has left the testing phase, is the search engine market share in Japan about 3%.
An official Google does not immediately respond to a Request for Comment.
In Europe, Google is already with antitrust test. In April, Google said that European competition authorities have a preliminary investigation into complaints about the tactics of the Internet group of three European companies opened website. Google has denied, violated European laws or measures to take in order to restrict competition.
Jiro Tamura, a law professor at Keio University, the FTC said that Japan can not fully understand the new features in the area of research, search engines are improving more consultation process. Controlling over 90% of search queries to Japan argues, Mr. Tamura, the search engine Google is always better than rival services in time.
I do not know whether, the Federal Trade Commission to understand what we expect from this collaboration, said Tamura, a Japanese expert in competition law.
He said that the Japanese antitrust authorities are very careful about their active European colleagues and the U.S., and may have to wait to see how the association plays before taking any action.
Ted Henneberry, a key partner in the competition and competition law at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, said he was astonished that no Japanese legislation provides more detail than the FTC reputation for extremely careful not to rush a decision.
Given the extensive research in the United States and Europe performed on Google and the agreement between Google and Yahoo, it is difficult to understand, said
Henneberry. A situation in which someone will end up with 90% market share in Japan without a thorough investigation would be out of character for the FTC.