Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has been cleared of allegations over anti-competitive practices in Canada.
The matter has been under investigation for three years by a Canadian competition regulator. The investigation probed into whether Google had been involved in unfair practices in its ad business and it was somewhat similar to the 2013 investigations that were carried out by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
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The Canadian Bureau made a recent announcement that it was shutting down the investigations which had taken three years. The bureau claimed that it only came across one incident where the company was involved in anticompetitive conduct in AdWords. This is because the AdWords contacts restricted firms from advertising on more than one platform. That was in 2013 when the investigations were launched. The bureau has since then shut down the investigations on account of insufficient evidence.
Alphabet’s Kent Walker stated that the company was happy that the Canadian Competition Bureau has terminated the investigations. He added that Google works hard to give users a great experience in a competitive landscape. Google has promised not to carry out similar restrictions on products in Canada for the next five years. Despite the fact that the Canadian Bureau has terminated its investigation, it maintains that it is still interested in what the company is doing. The bureau plans to keep a watchful eye on Google, its developments and how it conducts itself.
David Fewer stated that the decision by the Bureau meant that it will be Analyzing Google’s regulatory oversight. He stated that the investigation steered the bureau into the right direction. Mr. Fewer is the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic director at the University of Ottawa. Other reports indicate that the European Union is ready to file antitrust charges against Google for its Android OS over market abuse, and that might happen soon. This will be one of the biggest regulatory issues for the company. If the charges are successful, the company will be required to pay $7.4 billion.
