TypicalSurfer - 1:12 pm on Nov 3, 2012 (gmt 0)

Google is always pushing the envelope in regards to what they can get away with, be it privacy issues, patent issues or in this case just plain common decency, they end up in court because they want to end up in court.

Why?

It's a strategy known as "pretend to fail". It is by design. By pushing the edge and in many cases going over the edge they invite regulation and who better to engage in the regulatory process than themselves, they'll be players at the table when these bureaucratic "fixes" are negotiated and the impact of those regulations will serve to stifle competition by raising the bar of entry into their market areas.

In the regulatory environment authored by google, innovation and competitive products will not be enough to compete with google.

You can see that strategy playing out now with various privacy and trade regulatory bodies around the world right now. They are at the stage where they "are sitting down with regulators" or "negotiating with commission members" on a wide array of issues, they are pretty close to establishing the government rule that fits into their agenda and hijacking the bureaucratic process to their favor. Who better to enforce their monopoly than hapless/compromised politicians and petty bureaucrats?

Don't be fooled people, this is how they all roll. Google is no different.