Google Could Be Facing Antitrust Charges In The EU

Europe's antitrust authority, the European Commission, looks to be preparing to file antitrust charges against internet search giant Google Inc GOOGGOOGL in the coming weeks.

According to The Wall Street Journal, EU officials have been gathering evidence to support their claims and asking companies to make their confidential complaints about the company's practices public.

Google Denies Foul Play

The EU case alleges that Google has been driving users to its own websites rather than fairly ranking search results.

However Google's representatives say that isn't the case, citing the fact that many of the company's other businesses have failed to catch on.

Google+ has never gained mainstream usage as a social media sharing site, while Google Maps' Street View never caught on in some EU nations.

EU Not Backing Down

Still, the European Commission looks likely to bring charges against the search giant in the coming days.

In addition to questioning Google's search practices, the EU is expected to investigate whether or not Google has been "scraping" content from other sites.

Bad For Business

Whether the case is quickly settled or drawn out, antitrust accusations are bad for business. Microsoft Corporation MSFT was investigated by the EU back in 2005 for stifling competition and the company ended up paying €1.7 billion in fees.

Even without a massive fee, Google will still have to deal with the aftermath of being accused of unfair business practices, which could become a barrier to entry in new markets and delay some of its product launches.

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U.S. Investigation Yields Similar Complaints

This is not the first time Google has been accused of tipping the scales in its favor.

Earlier this year, a Federal Trade Commission document was leaked revealing that investigators believed that some of Google's tactics were in fact questionable.

In 2013, the FTC decided to terminate the investigation after Google made some changes, but the document contained many of the same complaints that the EU is planning to prosecute.