EU may seek more search concessions from Google

European Union regulators are trying to extract more concessions from Google after hostility to plans to settle the four-year antitrust probe into its search activities. The EU got "very, very negative" feedback to the proposed settlement from Google rivals, such as Microsoft and Expedia. They asked the EU to examine allegations that Google discriminates against rivals in search results, the EU commissioner for competition, Joaquin Almunia said in a Bloomberg TV interview in Italy. "Some complainants have introduced new arguments, new data, new considerations," the commissioner said. "We now need to analyze this and see if we can find solutions, Google can find solutions, to some of these concerns that we find justified." 

Almunia has been seeking voluntary concessions from Google for two years to avoid a more aggressive investigation that could lead to fines. Google continues to work with EU regulators about concerns they’ve raised, Al Verney, a spokesman for Google in Brussels, said. Google may be asked by the EU to change how data from competing services are displayed along with search results, a person familiar with the EU probe said in July. Other modifications may include addressing how YouTube content is presented in reply to search requests and changes to a paid auction for competitors to bid on search links. 

Microsoft said last week that its test of Google’s proposal to end the probe showed it would divert traffic to Google’s own services. A travel website group, ETTSA, said Google may generate an extra EUR 330 million from links it would auction to rivals under the planned settlement. The EU will "probably" open a formal investigation into Google’s Android mobile operating system if regulators don’t get "adequate" answers from the company to complaints, Almunia said.