Search Blog / Web

Custom Search

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Google given EU anti-trust deadline

The Punch - Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper
Breaking News, information and opinion in Nigeria
Google given EU anti-trust deadline
Dec 19th 2012, 23:00

Google has been given a month to address complaints its search results favour its own services over those of its rivals.

According to a British Broadcasting Corporation report, European Union regulators said they would end their investigation into the allegations if Google came "forward with a detailed commitment text in January 2013".

If found guilty of breaching anti-trust rules, Google could face a fine of up to $4bn (£2.5bn).

Goole said it continued to co-operate with the EU competition commission.

EU competition commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, said he had "decided to continue with the process towards reaching an agreement" to settle the investigation.

"Since our preliminary talks with Google started in July, we have substantially reduced our differences," he wrote in an emailed statement.

"On the basis of the progress made, I now expect Google to come forward with a detailed commitment text in January 2013."

The commission had been investigating Google since November 2010, following complaints from several rivals.

In May this year, Almunia said Google had the chance to outline steps to address the claims, rather than face formal action.

The investigation centres on four areas: the manner in which Google displays "its own vertical search services differently" from other, competing products.

How Google "copies content" from other websites – such as restaurant reviews – to include within its own services the "exclusivity" Google has to sell advertising around search terms people use restrictions on advertisers from moving their online ad campaigns to rival search engines.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...