Madrid, (EFE).- The National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has initiated a disciplinary proceeding against Google and its parent company Alphabet for restrictive practices against competition that would affect publishers of Spanish press publications and news agencies.
As reported on Tuesday, the regulatory body is investigating a series of practices that would amount to an abuse of Google’s dominant position with respect to publishers and agencies in Spain.
Specifically, the CNMC is studying the possible imposition by Google of unfair commercial conditions for the exploitation of its content protected by intellectual property rights.
Likewise, the investigated practices would include possible acts of unfair competition that could affect the public interest by distorting free competition, which would mean infringing the Intellectual Property Law and exploiting the situation of economic dependence in which press publishers and agencies would find themselves. .
For this reason, and in view of the information collected after a complaint from the Spanish Center for Reprographic Rights (CEDRO), the CNMC’s competition department considers that there are rational indications of the commission by Google of violations of the Law for the Defense of Competition (LDC) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
After the opening of this file, the CNMC will have a maximum period of 18 months for its investigation and resolution.
After learning about this matter, Google has told EFE that it will analyze this case in detail, and will proceed to answer the questions of the competition regulatory body.
That said, he has pointed out that he works constructively with publishers in Spain and Europe, while he has highlighted the “significant” investments that the company makes through its products, programs and financing.