Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Fined For Giving Free Maps Access

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has been ordered to pay $680,000 in fines for offering free Maps.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Fined For Giving Free Maps Access

The French court has ordered Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) to pay $660,000 in damages and $20,000 in fines to a French mapping company Bottin Cartographes for undercutting its competitors by freely offering its Google Maps service.

Bottin filed the unfair competition complaint against Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) two years ago.

A Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) spokesman said, “We will appeal this decision. We remain convinced that a free high-quality mapping tool is beneficial for both Internet users and websites. There remains competition in this sector for us, both in France and internationally”.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares were at 585.11 at the end of the last day’s trading. There’s been a -0.7% change in the stock price over the past 3 months.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Analyst Advice
Consensus Opinion: Moderate Buy
Mean recommendation: 1.23
(1=Strong Buy, 5=Strong Sell)
3 Months Ago: 1.19
Zack’s Rank: 9 out of 28 in the industry