|
The
European Union has accused Google of promoting its shopping
service in Internet searches at the expense of rival services in
a case that has dragged on since late 2010.
Several people familiar with the matter told Reuters last month
they believed that after three failed attempts at a compromise
in the past six years Google now had no plans to try to settle
the allegations unless the EU watchdog changed its stance.
The Telegraph cited sources close to the situation as saying
officials planned to announce the fine as early as next month,
but that the bill had not yet been finalised.
Google will also be banned from continuing to manipulate search
results to favour itself and harm rivals, the newspaper said.
The Commission can fine firms up to 10 percent of their annual
sales, which in Google's case would be a maximum possible
sanction of more than 6 billion euros. The biggest antitrust
fine to date was a 1.1 billion-euro fine imposed on chip-maker
Intel <INTC.O> in 2009.
The Commission and Google both declined to comment.
($1 = 0.8841 euros)
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan in London and Foo Yun Chee in
Brussels; Editing by Clelia Oziel, Greg Mahlich)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
