EU Launches Antitrust Probe of Google

The European Union has begun an antitrust investigation into Google after a handful of sites that compete on some level with Google alleged that it was pushing them unfairly down its search rankings. One of the sites, Ciao.de, is a subsidiary of Microsoft, the Wall Street Journal reports. Another site, Foundem.co.uk, is a member of a Microsoft-led consortium fighting Google in Europe, a Google lawyer wrote on a company blog.

The investigation is at an early stage, but it reminds some observers of the decade-long EU antitrust investigation that eventually culminated with Microsoft adding rival browsers to its Windows 7 releases in Europe. “IT BEGINS,” blares Silicon Alley Insider; “Google’s Microsoft Moment?” asks blogger John Battelle.
(More European Union stories.)