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Comment by citilife | Hacker News Reader

I don't think they really can. Effectively, they'd have to block Google in the EU. Otherwise, Google can technically just stay in the U.S. and sell services. Ad's don't have to be location based, pretty sure a lot of advertising is elicit materials (such as porn) anyway - which already may not be allowed.

Unless you stop people from just heading to the top search engine in the world, they'll keep using it.

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There are several things the EU can do. First of all, they can freeze and/or seize Google's assets in Europe. Like bank accounts and real estate. Or even more important to Google, all of their European datacenters.

The EU can also disallow sales of Google's products, like any android phone. Or products like the chromecast, and don't forget Nest and Google Home.

And selling ads in Europe from a foreign country isn't too easy either. It is a lot harder to do business with a company which is on the other side of the ocean, and officially doesn't have a precense in the same economic area.

If Google leaves all of that behind in Europe, and is not really allowed to do business in Europe anymore, soon enough there will be a competitor that stands up and can do things better. Especially if they can actually open offices in Europe and do business without major hurdles.

> There are several things the EU can do. First of all, they can freeze and/or seize Google's assets in Europe. Like bank accounts and real estate. Or even more important to Google, all of their European datacenters.

> The EU can also disallow sales of Google's products, like any android phone. Or products like the chromecast, and don't forget Nest and Google Home.

Without giving them plenty of time to pullout? This will probably trigger panic across of the multinationals.

> Without giving them plenty of time to pullout?

These things take a long time. Google was abusing its search monopoly before the EU started a seven-year investigation that resuled in a $2.7 billion fine ... which it is now appealing.

Google settled with the US in 2013. It agreed to change some of its search practices and got away without a fine.

I'd be surprised if Google didn't know it was abusing its search monopoly. I'd assume it calculated that it was more profitable to keep doing it until compelled to stop.

Either way, a seven-year investigation provides plenty of time to prepare for exit strategies, if required, and it would grossly incompetent not to have prepared for them.

I say that blocking google in EU would actually be a good thing for a consumer. It would force people to try out alternatives (which do exist).

Google currently has a monopoly for search, email, maps (and many other services which I care less about) it is crazy that we allowed it to happen.

It's not too far fetch that Google pretty much owns the internet. If Google blocks you or your company you might as well not exist.

There never should be a single entity that has so much power.

If the EU forced Google to breakup search, email, and maps, (and assuming they're monopolies now) why wouldn't those continue to be monopolies?

There’s a simple trick known as asking the banks where Google keeps their money to freeze those assets.

And that place is called the US.

This didnt even work when it was simply a question of having transnational companies on the level of facebook having to pay taxes.

And then there’s other solutions you can do.

E.g., seizing Google’s copyrights and patents, and selling EU usage rights for them. Or seizing the physical hardware, and selling them (and the software on them) off.

There’s many many solutions here.

In the past, european governments have already seized airplanes from airlines upon landing, and threatened to auction them off, to pay a single unpaid $500 ticket return fine.

> E.g., seizing Google’s copyrights and patents, and selling EU usage rights for them. Or seizing the physical hardware, and selling them (and the software on them) off.

The retaliation from the US government on that one would be pretty epic. I wouldn't want to be an owner of a patent heavy European company at that point. Our current President is quite familiar with eminent domain.

What's the trade balance with IP between the US and the EU? Whichever side is benefiting from that the most, also has the most to lose

Actually, AFAIK Google still stashes most of it's European profits with a Caribbean island to avoid the taxes of bringing it back to the US. I know Apple's announced a plan to bring their money back in, but I don't know if Google has yet. With the current tax deal in place, they have little reason not to.

Blocking companys and growing ones own version of them, worked well for nearly every country who did it. (China, South Korea, Japan). Its a miracle the EU did this not earlier, and i guess Trumps punitive tariffs encourage dreams in some well-bribed politicians, to look for new sources of income by growing there own it-giants.

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