Google throws weight behind antitrust

Google Inc has added its voice to the case against Microsoft Corp as
the European Commission probes antitrust charges related to the
software giant's Internet Explorer browser.

"Google believes that the browser market is still largely
uncompetitive, which holds back innovation for users," Sundar Pichai,
Google vice president product manager, wrote in a blog post on
Tuesday.

Google introduced the Chrome browser last year, which has taken little
market share.

Google came out with its own browser, Chrome, last year and Pichai
noted that Mozilla, maker of the popular Firefox browser, had also
objected to the bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows.

Last year, a complaint by another Internet company, Opera, prompted
the European Commission to open an investigation into whether
Microsoft's bundling of its Web browser with the Windows operating
system had stifled competition and innovation.

In their preliminary findings, the European regulators concluded that
Microsoft had indeed given its Web browser an unfair advantage that
has been in violation of European law since 1996.