Getty Images files charges with EU commission, alleges Google Image Search promotes p

[Wireless News]

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/iDkmL9Z4tgUbDPTxiMdPKw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztmaT1maWxsO2g9ODY7cT03NTt3PT EzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/digital_trends_973/68f4628f7532f239bd2b2437f107fa36 (http://news.yahoo.com/getty-images-files-charges-eu-164453367.html)Now that the European Union’s competition commission has officially filed charges against Google, a range of companies have decided to-pile on by airing their own grievances, looking to chip-away at Google’s dominant market share. A case in point:-Getty Images has filed a complaint with the EU’s antitrust commission, charging-that Google Image Search displays photographs and content without providing proper compensation. Getty Images’ complaint plays off of the EU’s central claim that Google has abused the dominance of its Android operating system by-forcing manufacturers to prioritize Google apps and services like Google Search, Chrome, and the Play Store, leaving little room for competition. Related: -FTC is continuing its probe into Google’s dominant Android OS And competition is exactly what Getty Images believes Google is stifling with its Image Search. The photo agency says Google “scrapes” image content from other publishers, offering these copied images in search results to just about anyone for free. And a recent change in 2013 has allowed such-images to display in a high resolution, making it unnecessary for people to click through to the original website. This directly affects Getty Images’ revenue, the complaint alleges. But that’s not all — Getty further charges that-Google will remove image content entirely from its searches if companies do not consent to their content being “scraped” or copied — and removal from search results is-equivalent to becoming invisible on the Internet. The complaint isn’t a first for Getty, as it previously filed an action with the commission-in June 2015. “Google’s behavior is adversely affecting not only our contributors, but the lives and livelihoods of artists around the word — present and future,” says Getty Images General Counsel Yoko Miyashita in a blog post. “By standing in the way of a fair marketplace for images, Google is threatening innovation, and jeopardizing artists’ ability to fund the creation of important future works.” Displaying these images in search results has also turned users into “accidental pirates,” due to widespread copyright infringement, Getty said. Related:- Supreme Court green-lights Google despite claim of “infringement on a massive scale” Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that its parent company, News Corp., filed a similar complaint with the commission relating to-Google’s search results, claiming that the company is “reinforcing its dominance in general search” by copying content from publishers in connection with its display of news articles. The Mountain View company is also facing an escalated probe from the Federal Trade Commission, who has been looking into Google’s “home-screen advantage” on Android. We have reached out to Google for comment and will report on any response.



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