Google submitting formal concessions in EU antitrust suit

Google could be getting out of its antitrust case in the European Union without a fine, based on a new report.

Reuters reported on Thursday that the Internet giant has now submitted a formal document of concessions in order to end the legal proceedings once and for all.

The international news service added, based on unnamed sources said to be "familiar with the matter," that Google is also planning to label its own service in search results so they will clearly stand out from competitors' products.

The Mountain View, Calif.-headquartered corporation has an uneasy, storied history with the European Union, but this two-year antitrust suit in particular has experienced a number of bumps along the way.

Just to recap a few of the bumps that have taken place this year, Europe's antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia suggested to the Financial Times back in January that Google would likely have to alter the way it displays search results — or face antitrust penalties.

A few weeks later, Google submitted a new proposal outlining plans about changes on how it would conduct its search business going forward.

It's possible that the proposal (as well as the package of concessions delivered to the E.U. this week) could mirror the settlement that the search giant made with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC handed down the decision in early January, listing a number of changes that Google would have to make in regards to both its search policies as well as how it uses patents included with the acquisition of Motorola Mobility.

One example of those search changes called for allowing businesses to opt out of Google products such as Shopping and Local without being penalized in how their companies pop up in search results.