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Competition Case - 40099 Google Android

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  Competition Case - 40099 Google Android Richard Maher <maher_rjSPAMLESS@hotmail.com> - 2016-07-18 20:04 +0800
    Re: Competition Case - 40099 Google Android "Evertjan." <exxjxw.hannivoort@inter.nl.net> - 2016-07-18 14:19 +0200

#30889 — Competition Case - 40099 Google Android

From: Richard's Hotmail
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2016 7:54 PM
To: 'comp-greffe-antitrust@ec.europa.eu'
Subject: Re: Competition Case - 40099 Google Android

Further to the above case currently before the European Commission ( 
http://ec.europa.eu/competition/elojade/isef/case_details.cfm?proc_code=1_40099 
), I wish to bring to your attention to what, in my view, is potentially 
a far more egregious example of Google's abuse of market dominance in 
the Android market place.

Unlike the "search service" referenced in the original case before the 
Commission, my complaint deals with the deployment of Google's "push 
notification service" Google-Cloud-Messaging (GCM), or as it has 
recently been rebadged, Firebase-Cloud-Messaging (FCM).

Whereas a Search Service can be easily changed via a user-selectable 
browser Option, the choice of Push Service for all Android Chrome, 
Opera, and Samsung/Android browser users is mandated to be Google's GCM 
Push Service. This bundling of services is hidden from the users' view 
and incapable of modification on the 3 browsers mentioned. (For an 
example of a browser that does facilitate a choice of Push Service, 
please see Mozilla's Firefox. The Firefox Configuration Editor 
(about:config page) currently permits the user to select a different 
push service via the services.push.serverURL parameter)

With GCM's monopoly of exclusive deployment to the 3 most popular 
Android Web Browsers, access to the Push Service market is hindered for 
all other Push Service providers, especially if they do not also happen 
to be browser manufacturers. Thus they are excluded by Google from the 
opportunity of competing on price, service, or features.

Additional points of relevance: -
[1] The specifications dealing with plug-and-play standards for browsers 
and Push Notification Services are:
-- Client https://www.w3.org/TR/push-api/
-- Server https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-webpush-protocol-07
[2] Any interim opinion or decision from the Commission would be quite 
timely as Microsoft is currently implementing the Push API for its own 
Edge browser. As with Google's GCM on Android, Microsoft's Azure 
Notification Hubs should not be permitted to monopolize the Push Service 
market on Windows/Edge.
[3] I have no knowledge of any business relationships that Opera and/or 
Samsung have with Google regarding their deployment of GCM clients, or 
why Samsung have self-limited their Push Service target-market to "only 
for Samsung services (Samsung Apps, Samsung Link, Samsung Wallet, 
Samsung Pay, etc.)"
[4] Push Notification functionality, in its current form, is very new to 
the browser world but destined for ubiquitous HTML5 Web App deployment. 
We must ensure that competition can thrive.
[5] I do not envisage that Google wrote specific or individual GCM APIs 
for Samsung and Opera. Therefore I see no reason why this GCM API cannot 
be made available to Firefox users as well. As much as one Chrome user 
may choose to use Mozilla's Autopush Notification Service, another 
browser user may wish to use GCM for their Firefox notifications.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if should you require clarification 
of additional information.

Please also note that the above is purely my personal opinion. I trust 
you'll agree that it merits further investigation.

Regards,
Richard Maher

™ All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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#30890

Richard Maher <maher_rjSPAMLESS@hotmail.com> wrote on 18 Jul 2016 in 
comp.lang.javascript:

> All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

As are all dogs, iphones and country-houses.

I hope that push-messages, memes and good jokes will never be,
or I will not respect such owners.

-- 
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)

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