BRUSSELS, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The European Commission said it had reached a tentative settlement with U.S. search engine giant Google over allegedly unfair business practices.
Rivals had charged Google with directing a disproportionate amount of searches to its own products and services, leaving them out in the cold, a situation made critical by Google's dominance in the search engine market. In Europe, Google's share of Internet searches is about 90 percent, even more than its 70 percent share of the U.S. market, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
In the tentative deal announced Wednesday, Google agreed to direct more searches to rivals, but did not admit to any wrongdoing. There is also no fine involved, the Times said.
The deal is tentative, as the European Commission's antitrust division said it would allow for public feedback before making the deal binding.
The deal, however, is expected to hold, said Joaquín Almunia, the European Union's antitrust commissioner.
"If I receive strong arguments that oblige changes to my decision, I am always ready, I am flexible," Almunia said Wednesday.
However, "I don't see why, from now on, I would change my mind based on the proposals Google has put forward," he said.
Some rivals called the deal soft.
"Almunia risks having the wool pulled over his eyes by Google. We do not believe Google has any intention of holding themselves to account on these proposals," said David Wood, an attorney for Icomp, a trade association for Internet companies.
