Earlier this week, European regulators said that they are investigating the online advertising deal between Google and Yahoo, even though that deal affects only the U.S. and Canadian markets. Such a revelation is a disturbing sign of the globalization of government meddling and the out-of-control use of antitrust as a weapon.
This news follows on the heels of rumblings from the U.S. Department of Justice, which recently hired Sandy Litvack, former DOJ antitrust chief under President Jimmy Carter, for possible antitrust charges against Google. This caused Google stocks to drop more than five percent in an already shaky marketplace.
If this story gives readers that déjà vu feeling, that’s because the underlying theme has unfortunately become common for any successful technology company. Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Qualcomm, and others face or have faced competitor-driven government investigations meant to slow them down.
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