Google claims microsoft IE7 unfair

Microsoft default search engine in new browser strangely enough

2 May 2006 0:34 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Google has cried foul to the European Commission over Microsoft's new internet browser, IE7, automatically directing web browsers to Microsoft's search engine by default.

Not content with being the default for search engine for Firefox, Opera, Netscape and AOL Explorer, Google raised the concern as part of a European Commission investigation into Vista.

Steve Langdon, a spokesman for Google, said in an interview with the New York Times.

"In those discussions, we have expressed our concerns that Microsoft's approach to setting search defaults in IE 7.0 benefits Microsoft while taking away choice from users."

Google is concerned that Microsoft may be able to gain an unfair advantage of extra internet traffic by directing people to its own search engine instead of giving them the choice to visit Google, however what is strange, is that it is something the software company already does in the current version of Internet Explorer.

"The market favours open choice for search, and companies should compete for users based on the quality of their search services", said Marissa Mayer, the vice president for search products at Google said in the article. "We don't think it's right for Microsoft to just set the default to MSN. We believe users should choose."

According to the article, Microsoft has replied saying that "Google is misreading its intentions and actions. It says the default settings in the browser, Internet Explorer 7, are easy to change. And it says the product was designed with consumers and many partners in mind."

Via: nytimes.com