Microsoft has filed a formal complaint with European competition regulators over Google’s dominance of the internet search market on the continent, escalating an argument that has already placed the internet company at the centre of a probe by Brussels.
Microsoft alleges that Google is abusing its dominance of the online search market in Europe, of which it controls about 95 per cent, and that it is impeding fair competition.
The filing adds to complaints by several other companies, including one owned by Microsoft and one that is supported by a Microsoft-funded lobby group, over what they claim are Google’s restrictive practices and bias in the advertising and search markets.