People sometimes characterize the EU’s tech laws as an assault on U.S. companies, and the accusation is not entirely groundless—American dominance in the field naturally means most of the big-name investigations and enforcement cases target firms from the country, and some EU lawmakers have clearly protectionist motives. However, it can’t be stressed enough that U.S. companies are very adept at using European rules to target their own national rivals.
When Google got hit with a $2.7 billion antitrust fine over its comparison-shopping practices, Microsoft—previously a prime target for EU antitrust enforcers itself—was partly responsible. That $5 billion Google fine relating to Android? The complainants included Expedia, TripAdvisor, Oracle, and Microsoft, again. Yelp has complained about Google. Slack has complained about Microsoft. And now Google is trying to wield EU law against Apple.
