인터넷 검색서비스의 검색편향 우려는 인터넷검색 서비스 사업자가 검색결과를 제공함에 있어 자사 콘텐츠를 우선적으로 노출하고 경쟁 전문검색서비스의 콘텐츠는 노출하지않거나 임의적으로 후순위로 노출하는 것에 대한 우려이다. 이 경우 경쟁 전문검색사업자가 시장에서 배제되고 인터넷 포털의 검색시장에서의 지배력이 인접시장인 전문검색시장으로 전이될 수 있다는 것이다. 이러한 검색편향의 우려는 해외에서 구글이 검색결과 제공방식을 blue link 방식에서 universal search 방식으로 변경하면서 검색결과에서 자사 서비스를 우선 노출시키면서 촉발되었다. 이에 대한 미국와 EU 경쟁당국의 판단은 상이하다.
미국에서는 혁신과 이용자 후생 증진에 초점을 맞추어 경쟁제한의 의도가 없는 부수적인제약으로 판단했고, 반면 EU에서는 구글 이외에는 다른 대안적인 검색서비스가 없는 상황에서 구글의 자사서비스 우대행위는 경쟁사업자 배제효과가 있다고 보았다. 국내에서도 공정거래위원회는 2013년 네이버 및 다음이 일반검색결과에서 자사의 전문검색결과를 제공하는 것은 경쟁제한성이 있다고 보고 조사를 개시하였는바, 최종적으로는 자사 서비스임을표시하고 경쟁 사이트에 대한 링크를 제공하는 방식의 동의의결로 종결되었다. 이후에도검색서비스 사업자의 검색편향에 대한 규제논의는 계속 되고 있는바, 검색서비스를 전기통신으로 취급하여 통신법 체계에서의 경쟁상황평가 및 사전규제체계를 마련하려는 방안이다. 그러나 검색서비스는 이용자의 검색질의어에 검색엔진이 응답하는 것일 뿐 엄밀히 볼때 그것이 법상 통신의 기능을 수행하는지는 다소간에 의문이 있으며, 사전규제는 과다집행으로 인한 집행의 오류 위험이 높다. 한편, 검색서비스에 대하여 경쟁법 집행을 하는 경우에도 검색결과 제공방식에 대한 경쟁법 집행은 사후집행이라고 하더라도 역시 집행의오류 위험이 있을 수 있다는 점에서 인터넷 검색서비스에 대한 경쟁법 집행도 신중히 이루어져야 함을 제언하고 본고가 인터넷 검색서비스에 대한 합리적인 제어방안을 마련하는데조금이나마 기여가 되기를 바란다.
There is a concern of search bias in internet server search. It’s about the internet server search operator provides its own contents preferential than of other competitive vertical search engines or even not expose. In this case, the competitive vertical search engines will be excluded from the market and the market power in search market of internet portal transferred to specialized vertical search service market, which is adjacent market.
This concern starts from Google case first. In 2007, Google changed its display way of searching, from the blue link method that offers only an external site link depending on the search service ranking associated of query, to the method for offering its own contents on the first page, which has been inspired from the US and EU competitive authorities. About Google’s method changing of search results, the FTC focused on the point that it can be viewed as an innovation to increase consumer welfare, and decided not to take any action regard to these “search bias” allegations. In contrast, the EU treats Google’s action as a violation of law which will lead the user’s misunderstanding and the exclusion effect on competitive specialized search site. In 2013, the Korea Fair Trade Commission also treated the way of showing its own contents in general search results which happens in Naver and Daum as illegal, so that they executed investigation overit. KFTC insists that it can be viewed as cross-selling of market dominant operator, which would lead forced transaction or exclusion of competitive operator. In domestically, it finally ends by marking the company’s own service and providing a link to the competitive site. The discussion on modifying search bias of search service operator is still raised. It tries to treat search service as the categories of telecommunications to prepare regulations in advance in telecommunication law system. In other words, it means to impose a special pre-ban obligation to the business operator who has a dominant force in the market definition of the search service. However, the search service is only likely response of search engine by query language of the user, it’s difficult to treat as telecommunications in functional. In addition, if regulate market under the situation not easy to judge market definition and market power, there is a danger of falling into the error of excessive enforcement and hindrance of internet industry’s innovation. On the other hand, if impose competitive law in search service industry, the method of showing search results can be seen only the difference of business model, can’t be seen an illegality. Toward the changing method from blue link to Universal search of Google, the EU also just expressed concern that it may lead user’s misunderstanding and exclusion effect on competitive specialized search sites, they also said it is difficult to say that the Universal search is a violation of law itself. In the case of the domestic search services market, in order to avoid infringement of intellectual property rights by other’s unauthorized crawl, it provide search contents results turned into DB through directly or partnership, and there is not many Korean content from the search service fetal movement stage. Therefore, the concern of leading user’s misunderstanding and exclusion effect of competitors in domestic market is much less than Google. Competition law is a law system which needs uncertain concept of market definition, the judgment of market power, and the restrictive competition conditions, and there may be some errors happen in the executive process. Even deal with the post-executive procedure, it still has risk of the errors of enforcement happen. Therefore, the competition law of the internet search service should also be executed carefully.