The EU Competition Commission can fine Google up to 10% of its annual (EU) sales if its found guilty of cheating competitors by distorting internet searches to favour itself - up to $6.6 billion.
Quote:
The European Union accused Google of cheating competitors by distorting internet search results to favour its shopping service, and launched another antitrust investigation into its Android mobile operating system.
Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the US tech giant, which dominates internet search engines worldwide, had been sent a Statement of Objections - effectively a charge sheet - to which it can respond.
She also said other probes into Google's business practices would continue. "I am concerned that the company has given an unfair advantage to its own comparison shopping service, in breach of EU antitrust rules," she said.
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from the ABC:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-1...-abuse/6395996
And ....
Quote:
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Rejecting suggestions - recently from President Barack Obama himself - that the EU was pursuing an anti-American, protectionist policy, Vestager, a liberal former economy minister, said about a quarter of the firms which had complained to the EU authorities about Google were themselves U.S.-owned.
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Quote:
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It also launched another antitrust investigation into the Android mobile operating system, a key element in the U.S. tech giant's strategy to maintain revenues from online advertising as people switch from Web browser searches to smartphone apps.
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SBS:
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2...earch-abuse-eu
I can't find the reference at the moment, but I heard on the TV news that Amazon was one of the complainants.