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EU: Rivals lash out at Google’s proposal

By  |  May 14, 2013

Concessions offered by Google to the European Commission are too weak and will only reinforce the search giant’s dominance unless the regulator demands further concessions, say the company’s rivals. Last month, Google looked to end a more than two-year investigation by the Commission through a settlement proposal that sees the company presenting search results with links to competing search engines and to clarify which results were Google-owned. As the regulator tests the efficacy of the proposal, rivals are now arguing that the settlement does not adequately address competition concerns, one company – Foundem – argued it could actually make the situation worse. Foundem is a UK-based price comparison site. In an official statement, Foundem argues that the proposal could “legitimize [Google’s] existing abusive practices. German mapping website Hotmaps went on to argue that the settlement was “unacceptable.” The Commission has until the end of May to decide whether to accept the offer; Google risks fines up to $5 billion if a settlement is not reached.

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