TOKYO — Japan’s antitrust authority stated Monday that Google, the US search giant, must rectify its advertising search restrictions that impact Yahoo in Japan.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission said in a statement that a recent investigation into Google’s activities revealed that it was hurting fair competition in the advertising sector.
Japan’s Anti-Monopoly Body Orders Google To Fix Ad Search Limits Affecting Yahoo
Yahoo Japan Corp., which later merged with the Japanese social media platform Line, began offering keyword-targeted search advertising services utilizing Google’s technology after the two businesses forged a partnership in 2010.
The FTC claims that Google imposed limits in its search advertising deal with Yahoo Japan for more than seven years, limiting its ability to compete in focused search ads.
An FTC investigation into whether this violated the Anti-Monopoly Law prompted Google to lift the limitations.
Google said in an emailed statement that it has fully cooperated with the commission’s investigation and that the agency has not determined that it has breached antitrust laws. It committed to follow the commission’s orders and provide “valuable” search services to Japanese consumers and marketers.
Japan’s Anti-Monopoly Body Orders Google To Fix Ad Search Limits Affecting Yahoo
Line Yahoo declined to comment.
Google will be subject to a three-year review to ensure that necessary improvements are implemented, according to the commission. It did not impose any fines or other penalties on Google, which remains popular in Japan.
The commission’s decision comes after another setback for Google in Japan. Japanese doctors launched a civil case against the corporation last week, seeking damages for what they call baseless, insulting, and frequently inaccurate statements.
Japan’s Anti-Monopoly Body Orders Google To Fix Ad Search Limits Affecting Yahoo
The Tokyo District Court lawsuit seeks 1.4 million yen ($9,400) in damages for 63 medical professionals who posted ratings on Google Maps.
Google responded by saying it is working “24 hours a day” to remove misleading or incorrect content on its platform, using human and technology resources “to delete fraudulent reviews.”
SOURCE – (AP)
