Google’s latest proposal to settle an antitrust investigation in Europe does not go far enough, the European Union’s competition commissioner said on Friday, dealing a blow to the company as it tries to resolve the case.
The inquiry, which began in November 2010, centers on whether Google has abused its dominant position as the most widely used search engine in Europe, and in particular on whether Google has favored its own products and services over those of rivals. In October, the union agreed to a tentative deal that would have required Google to make concessions to provide rivals with greater visibility on Web search queries.
Speaking to Spanish radio, Joaquín Almunia, the union’s competition commissioner, said Google’s “latest proposals are not acceptable.” He added that time was running out for the company to offer further concessions that would allay the authorities’ concerns about potential anticompetitive practices. He did not say which of Google’s concessions had not gone far enough.
Although Mr. Almunia’s comments stopped short of a formal rejection of Google’s proposal, any deal will now most likely be delayed until after the spring.
Read more: Europe Antitrust Official Is Dissatisfied With Google Proposal - NYTimes.com
No comments:
Post a Comment