Legal Regulation Of Abuse Of Market Dominant Position In Internet Search Engine Industry From The Eu Antitrust Charges Against Google

The first decade of the 21^st century has witnessed the soaring of Internet search industry spurred by an unprecedented Internet innovation and profound technology revolutions.In particular,the emergence of search engines as a key technology largely accelerates the undergoing changes in modern information acquisition and dissemination.Meanwhile,the Internet search industry is subjected to anti-trust investigations,which shadow the future of the industry.Recently,industry giant Google has been accused by EU of abusing its dominant position in the Internet search engine market,along with the accusations of manipulating search results,crowding out rivals,and against the interests of EU consumers.Unlike traditional unilateral market,the Internet search industry is a typical two-sided market.The distinctive characteristics of Locked-in Effect and Network Effect make the industry so unique in many ways,not only in market definitions but also in market dominant position,which make is very hard to identify the abuse of market dominant position.In order to stress these issues in the Internet search industry,this thesis investigates the legal regulation of abuse of market dominant position using the interpretation of the EU antitrust case against Google as an example.This thesis is comprised of the following four chapters,which cover the overview of Google case,the forming mechanism of the market dominant position,the recognition standards of the dominant position and the suggestions of legal regulation in two-sided markets,respectively.The first chapter elaborates the EU antitrust case,introduces the process of the case and combs the controversy.Moreover,explanation of the contents and applications of the relevant provisions of the EU competition law is also provided.The general theory of market dominant position has been interpreted in the second chapter.The forming mechanism of the market dominant position of Internet search industry based on two-sided markets theory and its characteristics have also been studied.The recognition mechanisms of the Internet search industry market dominant position are summarized.The third chapter of this article studies the recognition standards of the abuse of dominant position in Internet search industry.The main types of abuse in the Internet search industry and its particularity are listed specifically to resonant with the general theory and the EU's allegations against Google.Furthermore,the standards of the abuse of market dominant position in Internet search industry are identified.The fourth chapter summarizes the article with a perfection of the anti-monopoly regulation system in Internet search industry for the abuse of market dominant position.It is suggested that the definition of the relevant market for Internet search industry should be further blurred from the characteristics of the two-sided markets.The ultimate goal of the regulation system should focus on consumer welfare,especially consumer choice protection.Meanwhile,the difference and conjugation between legal systems deserves further attentions.