Google blasted over DoubleClick acquisition

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 17 April 2007 06:57

Your IT - Home IT

A US Internet forum has added its voice to the growing chorus of opposition to Google's planned acquisition of DoubleClick, accusing Google of "systematic theft of intellectual property [and] systematic click fraud."

The organisation, NETCompetition.org aims to be "a forum to promote competitive Internet choices for consumers through an open, rigorous, and illuminating discussion and debate of 'net neutrality' legislation/regulation." The allegations are set out in a white paper by its chairman, Scott Cleland, entitled "How Google-DoubleClick is Exploiting Antitrust Law's Weak Underbelly to Dominate Internet Advertising." Cleland is also president of Precursor LLC a research and consulting firm.

The white paper claims to "[take] an in-depth look at Google's recent acquisitions and their overall business objective to get rid of potential competitors in a clever manner that will not likely be scrutinised by the Government."

It claims that "Google's 'global growth strategy' is the public euphemism for its grand plan to systematically foreclose its potential Internet advertising competition." It contends that The DoubleClick acquisition "skilfully exploits antitrust law's weak underbelly, so it is unlikely to be blocked by the Government."

According to the White Paper: "Google's very sophisticated (anti-competitive) foreclosure strategy goes beyond acquisitions to include: share-buying "business partnerships;" systematic theft of intellectual property; systematic click fraud; weak Sarbanes-Oxley internal controls; predatory proposed regulation of broadband competitors; and aggressive competitive arbitrage of privacy law."

"Google's acquisition of DoubleClick provides a rare glimpse into Google's imperial ambitions, which is to leverage its dominance in search to dominate the overall Internet advertising marketplace," said Cleland.