European Union Lays Groundwork for Antitrust Charges Against Google

Apparently, Europe’s competition regulator is preparing to move against Google soon, setting the stage for charges against the company in a five-year-old investigation that has stalled three times and sparked a political firestorm.

The European Commission, the European Union’s top antitrust authority, has been asking companies that filed complaints against Google for permission to publish some information they previously submitted confidentially. Shopping, local and travel companies are among those that have been contacted. Antitrust experts said the requests were a strong indication that formal antitrust charges were being prepared.