1. Can Google be characterized as a monopoly? Justify your answer by specifying and comparing the characteristics of a monopoly with those of Google.
2. What is competition law? How would you justify the existence of global competition law that tries to regulate monopoly or anti-competitive practices?
3. What type of anti-competitive business practices is Google accused of in the matrimony search controversy in India?
4. What will be the outcome of heavy regulation of participants like Google and Microsoft in the Internet market?
5. What should the CCI do with respect to the allegations against Google? What factors should the regulators take into account while investing the allegations against Google?

Competition among search engines INTRODUCTION Google's 2012 plan to gear up its flight search service in India by allowing users to compare fares and book tickets made Yatra, Makemytrip, Cleartrip and many other domestic travel portals in India nervous. There were fears that this development might turn out to be discriminative as Google had the dominant share in Internet search service. Fearing a substantial reduction in their share of the search market, these domestic portals had the option of lodging a complaint against Google with the Competition Commission of India (CCI). Though domestic travel portals in India did not register a complaint with the CCI, there were already two existing complaints, alleging anti-competitive behaviour by Google. Citing discriminatory trade practices, the most recent complaint had been lodged by the marriage portal BharatMatrimony.com. Earlier, Eximcorp India Pvt. Ltd. had also reported a similar issue to the CCI; the CCI had ruled that complaint to be an individual consumer dispute having no bearing on competition in India.4 Google's business practices had been challenged and/or come under the scanner of anti-competitive law in many other countries. In 2012, the search giant was in news headlines of many leading newspapers in the United States. The New York Times reported on October 12, 2012, that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was preparing a case that looked at the question of whether Google manipulated its search results to favour its products, and whether it made it more difficult for rivals' products to appear prominently in those results. Since November 2010, Google had also been under the scrutiny of the European Union antitrust watchdog for favouring its own products in search results. This case was settled with Google 1 This case has been written on the basis of published sources only. Consequently, the interpretation and perspectives presented in this case are not necessarily those of the companies referred to in this case or any of their employees. 21. Nandkumar, "Google Getting Ready to Offer Flight Search Service in India: Makemytrip, Yatra May Move Fairplay