Google Isn't Evil Yet

Skyhook is suing Google for "interfering with its business, costing the small company sums exceeding "tens of millions of dollars."  Skyhook went on the record to call Google "evil" using its "Don't Be Evil" mantra against it.  Several news stories such as this one were written up to call Google evil.  I found this on Reddit and replied to it in a comment.  This comment was voted WAY up, so it appears that people think it's insightful.  So, I'll repost it here:

The missing information in the article was that Skyhook was attempting to execute a contract that would have made its services EXCLUSIVE on Motorola devices - contractually forcing Motorola to remove parts of Android that handle location services - potentially breaking the Android API on Motorola phones.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/technology/16phone.html?_r=2&hpw

Skyhook is using its patents and other "intellectual property" to monopolize the market for positioning when a GPS satellite is not visible (indoors, in a city, during harsh weather). Skyhook's terms would have made Android less functional potentially breaking Google Maps, Google Navigate, etc. and forcing users into a proprietary application stack. Google is using its muscle to attempt to open up the market to competition in a space where both Skyhook and Google can provide services on top of the Android platform by forcing companies like Skyhook to stop with these "exclusivity" deals. I don't understand how that makes Google "evil" on its face. There is nothing Google is doing that prevents Skyhook from being installed on Android so long as nothing is removed. Skyhook is making a marketing appeal, but look who has more to lose and who has more to gain through all of this.

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