A French court found Google guilty of the charge of "abuse of dominant position Google Maps on the market" and ordered that the web giant to pay compensation for damages to a local mapping company called Cartographes Bottin, and other 15 000 euros fine.
According to the verdict issued by a court in Paris on Thursday, the fact that Google Maps offer services for free for some companies practice is "unfair." This is the first time Google is convicted in a case involving the supply of maps of their service.
"This was a battle of two years and an unprecedented decision," said Jean-David Scemmama, a lawyer for the French company. "We proved to the court that Google's strategy to eliminate their competitors," celebrated the lawyer to the Economic Times newspaper.
In a statement, a spokesman for the web giant said the company will appeal the decision. "We are convinced that a free tool maps and high quality is beneficial for both users and enterprises. There is a lack of competition against us in this sector both in France and the rest of the world, "concluded the company.
This is not the first time Google Maps yields headaches for its parent company in the courts of the land of baguettes. In 2011 the company was fined 100,000 euros for violations of privacy involving the service Street View.
