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German official mulls breaking up Google(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) BERLIN (AP) — Germany's economy minister says Google may have such a dominant market position that a breakup of the company "must be seriously considered." Sigmar Gabriel says such a move would be the "ultima ratio," or last resort, in an effort to prevent the Internet giant from systematically crowding out competitors. Gabriel's comment Friday in an op-ed for German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung comes a day after 400 companies submitted a competition complaint against U.S-.based Google to the European Commission. Gabriel said corporate breakups had previously been necessary in the electricity and gas supply industries to prevent a single company from abusing its dominant position. He says his ministry would look into whether new rules for regulating Internet platforms are necessary before doing anything else. Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |