Google fined in France for offering free access to Google Maps

Google will have to pay an indemnity of 500,000 euros to a French company after losing, in the first instance, to a process in which it was accused of unfair competition, mainly for offering Google Maps as a free model.

According to the documents of the process, presented by Bottin Cartographes – which charges a fee for access to online maps – Google offers Google Maps free of charge to conquer the market and later put into practice an alleged “financing model”.

In a statement by the AFP news agency, Bottin’s lawyer was pleased with the end of the process after a two-year battle. “It was an unprecedented decision, we proved the illegality of the strategy [do Google] to end the competitors ”.

The Mountain View giant, however, has already informed the French press that it will appeal the decision.