Google clears another step in E.U. antitrust case

Submits remedy proposals to antitrust body

4/15/2013
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BRUSSELS — A spokesman for the European Union’s antitrust body says Google has submitted proposals to address concerns that it is dominating the online search and advertising markets.

The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm, is investigating whether Google Inc. unfairly favors its own services in its Internet search results.

Google’s search engine — the world’s most influential gateway to online information and commerce — enjoys a near-monopoly in Europe.

Spokesman Antoine Colombani said today Google has submitted in legally binding form a list of remedies to address the Commission’s concerns. Those will shortly be put to a market test to see whether they will be sufficient.

The Commission will make a final decision on the case — launched in 2010 — sometime after learning the market test’s results.