French antitrust case: Google is nearing a settlement, says report

The French case also alleged other forms of self-preferencing in the advertising side of Google's business

Google is close to settling an antitrust investigation in France over allegations it abused its power in online advertising, the Wall Street Jou­rnal reported, citing peo­ple familiar with the matter.
 
It said the company was expected to pay a fine and institute operational changes.
 
The French Competition Authority has said that Goog­le's tool to help websites and apps sell ads gave Google's online ad auction system an advantage over rival exchan­ges, the people told the newspaper. Google offered to settle the matter by removing obsta­cles that it puts up against competitors, the newspaper reported.
 
The settlement could