The European association Open Internet Project (OIP) was founded in May 2014 by several digital companies (Axel Springer, GESTE, LeGuide.com, Synhorcat GNI, etc.) to fight against abuses of dominant position as well as all attacks on free competition on the European digital market.
In this perspective, OIP fights for a healthy and balanced competitive environment in which French and European champions will be able to emerge and develop without fearing abuses of dominant position by the market structuring platforms.
The digital world cannot be dominated by one, two or three global players with the power to determine the rules and operating principles.
This is why the association has been fighting, since its creation, alongside those who suffer from abuses of dominant position by these structuring platforms, which by their market power are able to proceed to the eviction of any form of competition, and to impose in the digital environment their own standards.
On May 15, 2014, the founders of the OIP adopted a Manifesto, in which European consumers and digital entrepreneurs, addressing European governments to the European Commission, parliamentarians, and all political leaders, demanded a ban on Google’s practices of favoring its own services and content.
Indeed, the dominant position of Google’s search engine in France, as in many European countries, has been undermining neutrality and diversity of access to online information for many years.
In 2015, the association filed an official complaint against Google Shopping and its practices of favoritism in favor of its own online price comparison services, which led to the disappearance of founding members of the association: leGuide.com and Foundem.com.
The Open Internet Project is committed to supporting innovative digital players who face unfair competition in the European digital market. Every day we see that the American Internet giants, the GAFAMs, do not respect our rules of the game, and abuse their dominant position in order to favor their own offers to the detriment of French and European players
Whether it’s about personal data protection, digital sovereignty, competition on the merits of innovation, rules for the cloud, principles of privacy, respect for our laws, our institutions, our values, the fair distribution of value and fair remuneration of creation and content, … The Open Internet Project stands alongside European digital entrepreneurs to contribute to an open and ethical digital environment, whose innovative and efficient offers and solutions bring not only added value for European consumers, but also for the benefit of States, companies and citizens around the world who value an open digital environment.