UPDATED 22:18 EST / AUGUST 29 2017

APPS

Google says it will comply with EU demands on shopping search results

Search engine giant Google Inc. has said it will comply with European Union demands to amend the way it displays its shopping search results.

The apparent concession comes after the company was slapped with a record $2.7 billion fine for engaging in anticompetitive behavior last June. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Google has officially informed the EU of its plans to comply with its antitrust rules, but has not made its proposals public at this point.

Last June, Google was found guilty of abusing its dominance of the search engine market to promote its Google Shopping comparison tool at the expense of its competitors. The European Commission that investigated Google said its illegal practices led to a more than 80 percent drop in traffic to rival shopping comparison services.

In addition to being fined, Google was also given 60 days to come up with a plan to end its anticompetitive conduct. That 60-day window expired on Tuesday, and assuming the EU accepts Google’s proposal, it will have an additional 90 days to implement its plans. Failure to do so will lead to further fines of up to 5 percent of the company’s daily revenue.

“The obligation to comply is fully Google’s responsibility,” the European Commission said in statement to Bloomberg, without elaborating on exactly what the company needs to do to comply. The European Commission added that the onus is entirely on Google to come up with a solution that satisfies it.

Although Google has indicated it will comply, it seems far from happy with the EU’s original verdict. Following that decision, Google said it “respectfully disagreed” with the EU’s conclusions and would “review the Commission’s decision in detail as we consider an appeal.” There’s no news yet on whether Google still might launch an appeal, but it appears it’s on hold for now.

Image: 422737/pixabay

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