French anti-trust focuses on Google

01 July 2010

Google has been ordered to clarify the conditions of its keyword ad service after being ordered to restore an ad for a French mapping service.

The internet search provider has been accused of a lack of transparency by French antitrust regulators and given four months to explain the conditions of its ad service. This follows a complaint from Navx, which was angered after Google scrapped its listing with the AdWords service.

In a statement, the regulator said: "Google has implemented the content policy of its AdWords service in a way which lacks objectivity and transparency, resulting in a discriminatory treatment of speed camera database suppliers.”

Google, which could face a fine as part of the complaint, has the option of appealing to the French courts. The complaint represents the second anti-trust accusation made against Google this year after an EU investigation into the demotion of EU competitors in search results.

Josh Colley, London