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8/3/11

Europe Prepares to Probe Google Hard and Deep - by Jason Mick

According to a Reuters report citing two unnamed sources, the European Union's probe into possible antitrust violations by Google Inc. (GOOG) has greatly expanded. Google, who recently set aside $500M USD to deal with antitrust settlements, is accused of various wrongdoings in nine different complaints. The EU had only received four complaints, previously.

A source comments, "The Commission has nine formal complaints now. The new complaints come from small companies."

But while the EU may be probing Google to see if it's been naughty, Simon Holmes, the chief of SJ Berwin, a lawyer at EU and competition law firm, says that the new complaints don't necessarily mean game over for Google. He remarks, "Google's strong position means there are lots of interests involved. But there is nothing wrong per se in having a strong position. The mere proliferation of complaints doesn't increase the likelihood of infringements. It means there are issues certain parties want to be investigated."


For more: DailyTech - Europe Prepares to Probe Google Hard and Deep

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