Google Told to Expect Large Fines in EU Antitrust Probe

The European Union threatened to levy fines on Google that would be large enough to act as a deterrent after accusing the company of squeezing out rivals in the comparison-shopping market.

The EU’s competition watchdog told Google it could face a fine based on its AdWords revenue stemming from European users, according to a version of the statement of objections released to complainants The EU also said it may tell Google to make changes to how its shopping services are displayed. The European Commission “intends to set the fine at a level which will be sufficient to ensure deterrence,” the EU regulator said in the document. The regulator “considers that, based on the facts described in this statement of objections, Google committed the infringement intentionally or, at the very least, negligently.”