European regulators looking into complaints about Google’s search rankings, business practices

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Google’s business practices under fire in Europe

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google says it has been notified by European regulators that three rivals have filed complaints targeting the Internet search leader’s business practices.

In a blog posting Tuesday, Google indicated that the grievances revolve around how it ranks Web sites in its search results and the online advertising system that generates virtually all its revenue.

Google didn’t say whether the European Commission has opened a formal investigation.

The complaints were filed by: Foundem, a price comparison service in England; ejustice, a legal search engine in France; and Ciao, a European shopping search engine owned by Google rival Microsoft.

Google said it’s confident all its practices comply with European laws governing fair competition.