Google Granted More Time To Respond to EU Antitrust Charge

By Tom Fairless 

BRUSSELS--European Union regulators have granted Google Inc. more time to respond to charges that the U.S. search giant skews search results to favor its own comparison-shopping service.

The European Commission, the bloc's top antitrust regulator, said in a statement that it had "agreed to extend Google's deadline to respond" to the EU's allegations after the company requested the extension to review the documents in the case file. The new deadline is Aug. 17.

A spokesman for Google said that the company had requested "additional time to review the documents they've provided us."

The EU accused Google in mid-April of violating the bloc's laws and gave the company ten weeks to respond to the allegations, escalating a five-year investigation. Those ten weeks elapsed last week, but the EU's antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said the clock was still running for Google because the company hadn't immediately been granted access to the case file.

The commission frequently grants extensions in major antitrust cases, to ensure that companies are given ample opportunity to defend themselves. That helps avoid legal hurdles if the regulator needs to defend its judgment before the EU's appeals courts in Luxembourg.

"In line with normal practice, the Commission analysed the reasons for the request and granted an extension allowing Google to fully exercise its rights of defence," the regulator said on Monday.

Google can also request a hearing in front of the commission to better explain its case.

Write to Tom Fairless at [e-mail]

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