Google Sues The US Government For Only Considering Microsoft Solutions

Most folks wouldn’t dare to take on the US government, but then again, Google isn’t just anybody. The search giant has sued the US government, specifically the Department of the Interior (DOI), for not seriously considering Google Apps when it put out a Request for Quotation (RFQ) to handle its messaging needs. The DOI stated in its RFQ that the solution had to be part of the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite, a clause that Google argues is “unduly restrictive of competition”. The DOI justified its limitations by saying Microsoft had two features that other solutions did not, namely unified/consolidated email and “enhanced security”, something that Google disputes, noting various problems with Microsoft solutions and downtime issues. Regardless of the outcome of this legal wrangle, you can bet that it will involve a lengthy legal battle.