BRUSSELS – The European Union said on Monday that Google Inc. must in "amatter of weeks" outline steps it is willing to take to easeconcerns about alleged abuses of its dominant position in theonline search market. European antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia said that after a 1 year investigation the EU had pinpointed four specific areas ofconcern and insisted the problems needed to be dealt with quicklybecause the high-tech industry changes so rapidly. "Restoring competition swiftly to the benefit of users at an earlystage is always preferable to lengthy proceedings," Almunia said. Google, the world's most popular search engine, also faces asimilar antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission inthe United States. The EU's concerns, brought on by complaints from Google's rivals,center on how the internet giant deals with its search results, howcontent is used and how advertising is run on its search engine. Almunia suggested it was in the interests of both the 27-nation EUand Google to find a quick resolution to the antitrust concerns.The investigation could drag on for years, by which time the marketin the fast-evolving internet sector may have rendered the EU'sconcerns obsolete. At the end of an investigation, however, Googlecould face a fine of up to 10 percent of its annual revenue. Almunia noted Google had committed to discuss the antitrust issuesand avoid legal action from the EU. "This is why I am today giving Google an opportunity to offerremedies to address the concerns," he told reporters. At the start of the probe in November 2010, three competitors, oneowned by Microsoft, said that links to their services appeared toolow on Google's general search results. They also noted that whenGoogle, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., offers similarservices, such as online price comparison, it put its own linkshigher on the sponsored search results, the ones companies have topay for. The EU Commission's investigation also assessed whether Googleprevented advertising partners from placing ads from Google'scompetitors on their sites. On Monday, Almunia said that Google displays some links to its ownvertical search services differently than it does for competitors."We are concerned that this may result in preferential treatment." He also said Google might be picking up content from competitorsand using it without prior authorization. "We are worried that thiscould reduce competitors' incentives to invest." A telephone request to Google for comment was not immediatelyreturned. ICOMP, an internet business group which is sponsored by Microsoft,said it welcomed Almunia's statements. "It is vital that the terms of any agreed settlement includemeasures to quickly redress the harm caused to European businessesand consumers and are sufficiently robust to ensure that such harmis not repeated," said ICOMP counsel David Wood. "We trust thatthis will prove to be the case and a competitive online marketplace will be restored.". We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Auto ECU Programmer Manufacturer , China Car Key Cutting Machine for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Automotive Diagnostic Tools.
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