Are Google and Microsoft Attempting To Snuff Out The Competition?
It looks like Google is trying to snuff out the competition. At the moment, they are trying to switch YouTube from Flash to h.264. H.264 is a patent-encumbered high-definition video algorithm. The problem with this is that, no browser can legally play h.264 besides Google Chrome and Safari. Most notably, Firefox, the browser with 22% of the browser marketshare, will never be able to play h.264 videos because, if it did, it would have to drop the GPL from its tri-license. Originally, Google was going to use the unencumbered by patents, and equally high quality, Ogg Theora codec as their replacement for flash, but decided to switch to h.264. Being unencumbered, Ogg Theora can be played on all browsers, but that wouldn’t be good for Chrome’s marketshare to have fair competition. I remember that a while back, Firefox was constantly being advertised on YouTube, as opposed to the current Google Chrome ads.
As everyone knows, YouTube is the largest video provider on the Internet, and the average Internet user most likely comes in contact with a YouTube video very often. Is it possible that by converting from Flash to h.264, Google is trying to steal the market from FireFox and Internet Explorer? Videos are one of the hallmarks of the Internet. If YouTube was suddenly only available for Chrome and Safari, then there could be a mass exodus from the other browsers. In my opinion, this is a blatant abuse of a monopoly and therefore, Google should be sued by the United States and the European Union for anti-trust. Does Google really think that they can get away with this?
If you are concerned about this, then it’s a good time to report it to the Federal Trade Commission, because there is currently an on-going probe on Google led by the United States Department of Justice.
Ironically, Google is the victim in this next problem. Microsoft is currently switching the search default from Google to Bing on Windows computers, via updates. Yet another cheap attempt at monopoly abuse.
With the European Union and United States Department of Justice looking to destroy a couple of monopolies, Google and Microsoft better quit it, or face the consequences.
Sources:
Slashdot article about YouTube replacing Flash and Theora with h.264
GNU GPL
Wikipedia article on h.264
Information about the current anti-trust probe on Google
Tags: Anti-trust, Bing, flash, Google, h.264, microsoft, monopoly, YouTube
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July 3, 2009 at 8:25 pm
I don’t like the way youtube is veering at the moment. But as far as browsers themselves go, all of the big browser makers have forced codec requirements out of the w3c’s HTML5 spec.
Microsoft want Silverlight because they’ve invested a tonne of money in it, and they want the web to look better on Windows.
Apple want h.264 and AAC because they’ve invested a load of money in it, and they want the web to look better on Safari.
Neither Apple nor Microsoft care about the patent problems inherent with h.264, because all of their browser-users buy software licences. They can offset the royalty costs there.
Mozilla and Chrome don’t want to support any codec that might mean they have to pay any royalties, as that would kill their projects.
As far as Chrome goes, Google are commited to supporting both technologies. If they can be so forward-thinking there, why can’t they do the same with Youtube? Be bold, Google.
July 3, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Meh. Typo. “Mozilla and Chrome” should read “Mozilla and Opera“.
July 4, 2009 at 7:19 pm
too many monopolies and not enough court cases to break up the monopolizers
July 10, 2009 at 9:26 pm
More like too many politicians in bed with the corporations, and not enough honest ones to break them up.