It's official: In an attempt to settle an ongoing probe into Google's search engine practices, the search giant has submitted a detailed proposal to the European Union (EU).
EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia confirmed that the proposal had been received but declined to give any details regarding its contents.
Almunia has been investigating Google since 2010, when the company was accused of using its search engine to unfairly promote its own services over those if its competitors, as well as outright copying restaurant and travel reviews from other web sites.
According to Reuters' unnamed sources, "Google's offer includes labeling its own services in search results to make them stand out from rival services and also imposing fewer restrictions on advertisers."
Since an official antitrust lawsuit would take years to see through to the end, Almunia is hoping to settle the dispute, and he asked Google to turn in a comprehensive set of proposals by the end of January. If the E.U. accepts a settlement, Google would escape fines that could add up to $50 billion, not to mention the more important fact that its ability to continue operating in Europe wouldn't be hampered.
Still, just because Almunia wants to avoid lengthy litigation doesn't mean that he'll accept just any offer from the search company.
"To be seen as a success, any settlement must include specific measures to restore competition and allow other parties to compete effectively on a level playing field," said David Wood, legal counsel for ICOMP, in a statement to the New York Times. ICOMP is group backed by Microsoft, who also supports tougher regulations on Google.
If, for whatever reason, the companies against Google find that an accepted settlement doesn't go far enough, they could choose to sue the European Commission for failing to resolve the matter in an efficient way. Some organizations, like Michael Weber's German-based mapping service hot-map.com, have already noted they're keeping any option on the table.
If the settlement proposal isn't good enough, he said, "we will take into account all legal options we have and we won't hesitate to use them."
That could explain why the EU has taken a considerably tougher tone with Google compared to its equivalent in the United States, the Federal Trade Commission.
On Jan. 3, the FTC settled its own antitrust probe into Google and found the search giant largely innocent.
"Although some evidence suggested that Google was trying to eliminate competition, Google's primary reason for changing the look and feel of its search results to highlight its own products was to improve the user experience," said FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz at the time of the ruling.
Many companies and consumer groups found the decision lacking, so it'll be interesting to see how Google fares at the EU.
