-EC rejects speculations on Google probe.(European Commission)(Brief article)

INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

9 February 2011 -- European Union antitrust officials on Tuesday denied rumours of talks with Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) on settling accusations that the US firm has allegedly misused its dominant position on the Internet search market, the Financial Times reported.

The European Commission's statement came in response to reports that Google might be attempting to close the case by resolving the concerns raised by the probe, which was launched last November.

The commission said it was still carrying out its market investigation and was expecting the answers to confidential questionnaires it had sent to a number of businesses offering online search services as part of the Google inquiry.

The probe was opened after three rival Internet search groups filed a complaint against Google, claiming the US company was giving preference to its own services when turning online search results.

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