欧盟为何要和谷歌撕到底

The EU is poised to open a new front in its showdown with Google as early as today by announcing formal charges in relation to the company’s Mobile operating system, Android. The case would represent a new chapter in Brussels’ efforts to combat the alleged abuses of US technology companies, and has already drawn comparisons to its clash with Microsoft a decade ago.

欧盟(EU)于周三在与谷歌(Google)的较量中开辟一条新的战线，宣布与谷歌移动操作系统安卓(Android)相关的正式指控。此案将代表欧盟打击美国科技公司所谓过分行为的努力的一个新篇章，并且外界已将此案与欧盟10年前与微软(Microsoft)的交锋进行比较。

Hasn’t the EU already charged Google with anti-competitive behaviour?

欧盟不是已经指控过谷歌存在反竞争行为了吗？

Yes, this would be a second charge sheet, known as a statement of objections. The first accused Google of abusing its dominance of online search to promote its own shopping services unfairly. Google denies the charge.

是的，这将是第二份起诉书（也就是“异议声明”）。第一份起诉书指控谷歌滥用其在网络搜索领域的主导地位，不公平地推广自己的购物服务。谷歌否认这一指控。

How dominant is Android as the operating system on smartphones?

作为智能手机操作系统，安卓在多大程度上占据主导地位？

Very. More than 80 per cent of smartphones globally use Android’s open-source system, which can be used free of charge by anyone. By contrast, Apple’s own iOS operating system represents only about 13 per cent of the market, according to data from Gartner.

极大。全球超过80%的智能手机采用安卓的开放源系统，这一系统可供所有人免费使用。相比之下，根据高德纳(Gartner)的数据，苹果(Apple)自己的iOS操作系统仅占约13%的市场份额。

Is being so dominant illegal?

占据如此主导地位是否非法？

No, but EU rules mean that Google faces special requirements not to crush new market entrants.

答案是否定的，但欧盟的规定意味着，谷歌面临着不能压制市场新进者的特殊要求。

Why does the commission think Google could be harming other companies?

欧盟委员会为何认为谷歌可能在损害其他公司的利益？

Margrethe Vestager, competition commissioner, says she is concerned that Google is forcing phonemakers and operators to enter into contracts that preload Google apps on to smartphones. This means that Google could be stifling smaller, innovative app makers and service providers.

欧盟竞争事务专员玛格丽特•维斯特格(Margrethe Vestager)表示，她担心，谷歌正迫使手机制造商和运营商签订在智能手机上预装谷歌应用的协议。这意味着，谷歌可能在扼杀规模较小的创新型应用制造商和服务供应商。

Wasn’t this problem of pre-installed software at the heart of EU’s epic Microsoft case?

欧盟与微软当年那场历史性诉讼案的核心问题不就是预装软件问题吗？