Brussels move opens the door for Washington

When Google learned that the then-newly elected Obama administration wanted to name Christine Varney head of the Federal Trade Commission, it was so uneasy that it lobbied the White House transition team against the move. Jon Leibowitz ultimately got the job with strong backing of an ally in the Senate and, to Google's disappointment, Ms Varney was named head of the Department of Justice's antitrust division. Soon Google will find out whether its nervousness was justified.

The European Commission's move opens a door for the DoJ to follow suit and initiate a probe into a company with strong ties to the Obama White House. Antitrust attorneys in Washington on Wednesday said the DoJ would examine the competition issues at the center of Europe's preliminary probe but that US officials faced more hurdles before opening a formal inquiry. According to a person familiar with the matter, the European probe, which is at an early stage, had not yet risen to the level of senior officials within the antitrust division at the DoJ. Legal experts say Ms Varney has so far taken a tough but measured stance against Google and would not rule out the possibility of opening an investigation into concerns of anti-competitive behavior.