EU: Commission to Google: shape-up or pay-up

After two concession proposals offered by Google to European competition regulators were deemed inadequate, repots say the European Commission is heating up the pressure against the search giant accused of abusing its dominant position in the search market.

European Commissioner Joaquin Almunia announced Wednesday that if Google does not improve its settlement offer, authorities will be forced to initiate formal procedures against the company, a move that would be lengthy, but one that could lead to billions in fines, reports say.

In a statement in Brussels, Almunia said he is willing to “see if Google can improve their proposal,” or else authorities will “go to the traditional route.”

”We need more, not during the next year but during the next weeks,” he said.

The Commission said it is looking to resolve the issue by this spring after nearly four years of antitrust investigation efforts into the company and allegations by its rivals that Google is anticompetitively displaying its own, sponsored links in search results.

Full Content: ABC News

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