Google would be able to settle with the current European Union antitrust probe by next year. The tipping point was the offer of the search engine company to modify how it provides search results to those using its service. The said offer and possible settlement was confirmed by the EU's competition chief.
According to EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, "We have negotiated improvements until yesterday. If our investigation of this improved proposal in satisfactory, I will continue the commitments route and end up with a formal decision next spring." He made these remarks at an event in the European Parliament in Brussels.
The world's biggest search engine company had offered to allow its rival search firms to bid for the right to list results to specific queries on the webpage of Google. According to Almunia, Google promised to provide links to specialized search services together with their logos. The package also included Google's commitment not to stop online publishers from accepting the services of other online search advertisements.
Confirming the settlement was Google's Senior Vice President and General Counsel Kent Walker, who through an emailed statement said, "Given the feedback the European Commission received on our first proposal, they have insisted on further, significant changes to the way we display search results. We've made the difficult decision to agree to their requirements in the interests of reaching a settlement."
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