Google hit with lawsuit for dropping free Workspace apps
- Reference: 1659963929
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/08/08/google_workspace_lawsuit/
- Source link:
At the $5 million suit's core is an allegation that Google promised early adopters of what would later become Google Workspace that they would get to use a free version of the service for as long as the search giant offered it.
Google Apps first [1]arrived in 2006 , was rebranded G Suite in 2016 and, in 2020, the rebrando-wand was waved once again to give customers the Google Workspace of today.
[2]
The complaint
[3]PDF
, filed on August 5 in a San Jose district court, alleges: "From 2006 until 2012, in order to convince potential users to leave well-developed suites of services offered by Google's competitors (eg, Microsoft Office), Google made a promise to early adopters of Google Workspace. Google promised that such users would always be provided a free version of Workspace (including at least the features that the service had when these customers signed up) as long as Google offered the Workspace service."[4]
[5]
As far as Workspace is concerned, after being referred to as a [6]legacy service , the freebie G-Suite apps were [7]discontinued in favor of Workspace this year, although one could [8]continue to use the tools for personal use .
[9]Campaigners warn of legal challenge against Privacy Shield enhancements
[10]Google battles bots, puts Workspace admins on alert
[11]End of the road for biz living off free G Suite legacy edition
[12]Dutch public sector gets green light to use Google Workspace
Key to the complaint is an allegation that the workplace apps that first emerged in 2006 were refined with the assistance of feedback from those early adopters, resulting in something that was professional enough to actually charge for by 2012.
As well as castigating Google [13]for dropping its "don't be evil" slogan ("Google's abandonment of the credo "don't be evil" is well-illustrated in this case," the lawyers claimed), the complaint reproduced statements from the search giant at the time, including:
"...organizations that sign up during the beta period will not ever have to pay for users accepted during that period (provided Google continues to offer the service)."
[14]
The Register asked Google for its reaction to the complaint, and we will update this piece should a response be forthcoming. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2006/08/29/google_bundles_software/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YvEzIVzD-6dkP@N84DdVVAAAAFA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/08/08/strtford_v_google.pdf
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YvEzIVzD-6dkP@N84DdVVAAAAFA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YvEzIVzD-6dkP@N84DdVVAAAAFA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/21/g_suite_legacy_free_edition/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/20/google_sours_on_g_suite/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/18/google_keeps_legacy_g_suite/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/26/privacy_shield_schrems_warning/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/30/google_workspace_admins_alert/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/21/g_suite_legacy_free_edition/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/30/google_workspace_dutch_government/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/01/google_opinion_column/
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YvEzIVzD-6dkP@N84DdVVAAAAFA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"Google promised early adopters of what would later become Google Workspace that they would get to use a free version of the service for as long as the search giant offered it."
So they've decided not to offer it any more, so nothing to see here then. Seriously though stop trusting Google not to ruin their apps and not bin them when the wind direction changes, here be dragons.
I'm sure there was a little star saying terms and conditions apply
"So they've decided not to offer it any more..."
From my minimal reading into this topic (very minimal admittedly), Google havent actually stopped offering the services, they've simply changed the name and pretended it's a completely new service.
"Hi I'd like to use this voucher to buy a Big Mac."
"I'm sorry Sir, but we no longer sell Big Macs."
"But what's that then?"
"That's our new Burger, the Gros Fromage. It's made of two 1.6 oz beef patties, special sauce, iceberg lettuce, American cheese, dill pickles, and minced onions, served in a three-part sesame seed bun."
"But that's exactly whats in a big Mac!"
"Yes Sir, but this is a Gros Fromage, not a Big Mac. See, it says it right there on the packaging."
Except, they are offering it. Their marketing for the various name changes was clear over the years that these were rebrands, to better reflect the goal of the service changing.
The component parts are still there though.
Its a bit of a bait and switch.
I assume they meant "offer the service" as "offer the free service", which they're no longer doing. That's the kind of sneaky language places like using. I can't feel too annoyed at Google though because they gave people a free service for sixteen years; if they made it a short time before taking it away, I would also think it's a bait and switch, but I never expect free or unlimited things to stay available, and sixteen years is plenty of time for a service to last before something changes in it.
Getting away with it
"That's the kind of sneaky language places like using."
Maybe if they got sued then they would not like it as much.
Lawyers = bad, My lawyer = good
Offer it at a loss
This is why something needs to be done by the big players. Offering services like this at a loss to draw people in. Wait a few years until they are so embedded they won't want to leave, then BAMMM, change the service to a paid for one. So those getting it free and having shaped their small company round it now have to fork out money they can't afford.
I had gsuit after I left a company that was in bed with it, I mean using it. Wanted to keep the knowledge heaven forbidden another company was foolish enough to buy into gsuite. I then discovered for only a couple of extra pounds a month I could get the business package, keep just one user and get unlimited drive space. I could use that drive space as backup storage. Cheaper that gdrive 2tb a year package. And cheaper than OneDrive 1tb package. Was only £11 a month. Did that for about a year or 2 until Google decided they were changing all packages. Everyone would have to decide what they needed and move. If I wanted to continue with unlimited drive space I'd have to move to an enterprise license, even for just one user.
Fuck that. I cancelled it. Funny thing was the past company was on the cheapest package per user to give the illusion it was cheaper than going to MS365 (it wasn't) with the changes in packages they will def have been forced onto the higher cost tier.
Re: Offer it at a loss
I have been using it for years for the storage, they sent emails for 2 years to switch, but this year said it would be changed after a specific date if i didn't do it (giving a discount). With the discount its around 30p more, after the discount ends it will be around £5 more / month.
For 'unlimited' storage (until its not) its not a bad price, I do have the 'minimum' number of users subscribed (have multiple people sharing). So do get over that limit.
$5M for not getting something for free
This may be the first time ever someone sues a company for not providing a service for free.
There are plenty of legitimate reasons to file lawsuits but this one doesn't look like one of them and will probably be dropped in the blink of an eye.
*ads* companies ?
"Ad" companies, surely in BrEnglish ?
Fas of Ben Yagodas NOOBs will know what I am talking about
(misses point).