Google and the dull artillery of EU antitrust litigation

The competition chief gave the company 10 weeks to respond to accusations of it favouring its own services in Google Shopping - so what is happening?

The halls of diplomacy cultivate a special kind of patience. In conference rooms and annexes, idealism doesn't so much burn out as diffuse - splintered by endless meetings and dull documents. "We hoped for more," younger selves cry. "But we were doomed to cooperate."

One of Brussels' cooperation efforts that has been running the longest is the European antitrust case against Google. Complaints that Google prioritises its own services in manipulating search results, abusing its dominant position over 90% of the search market, started rumbling eight years ago and were formalised in 2009. The European commission opened an inquiry, and 20 organisations added complaints, ranging across Google's methods of modifying search, scraping content, slicing advertising, and making exclusive data deals.