Google rejects European antitrust charges

SAN FRANCISCO — Google formally rejected European Union antitrust charges that its business practices stifle competition and restrict consumer choices, setting the stage for regulators to decide next year if they will levy hefty fines against the Internet giant.

"We can't agree with a case that lacks evidence and would limit our ability to serve our users," Kent Walker, Google’s senior vice president and general counsel, wrote in a blog post on Thursday.

Europe's top antitrust official Margrethe Vestager has accused Google of unfairly promoting its shopping service and undercutting competitors by limiting their ability to place search ads on third party websites.

"We will carefully consider Google's response before taking any decision on how to proceed and cannot at this stage prejudge the final outcome of the investigation," the European Commission said in an emailed statement.

The latest development underscores the high stakes for Google, which is facing three antitrust cases in Europe.

The European Commission has also charged Google with using its popular Android mobile software to promote its own services over those of competitors.

The concern for Google: It could be forced to make changes to the way it conducts its business in the European Union, from the money it makes from online search in Europe to the prominent placement of its apps on mobile devices. Google could also face fines as high as 10% of its global revenue, which totaled $75 billion last year.