<p>Germany's antitrust regulator said Wednesday it had shelved an investigation into Google's News Showcase service, after the tech giant made "important adjustments" to ease competition concerns.</p>.<p>The decision comes after Google earlier this year made a major concession by offering to exclude "Google News Showcase" content from its general search results.</p>.<p>"Google has responded to our concerns and implemented important adjustments to the benefit of publishers," said Andreas Mundt, president of Germany's Federal Cartel Office.</p>.<p>"It will continue to be irrelevant for the ranking of the search results whether or not a publisher participates in Showcase."</p>.<p>Google spokesman Ralf Bremer said the company was "pleased" the probe had been dropped and that "we can continue this important programme for journalistic content with our publishing partners".</p>.<p>Launched in 2020, the "Google News Showcase" allows participating publishers to present their journalistic content more prominently on a designated platform.</p>.<p>But Germany's antitrust watchdog opened an inquiry last year after a complaint was filed by the publishing group Corint Media, which manages the rights of radio and television stations, as well as online news sites.</p>.<p>The publisher feared that news groups that had not signed an agreement with Google would see their content relegated in search results.</p>.<p>In response to the probe, Google announced last January that it would abandon its plan to integrate the Showcase stories in its general search results.</p>.<p>Google also clarified that Showcase partners would still be able to fully exercise their so-called neighbouring rights, which allow media outlets to demand compensation for use of their content, the regulator said.</p>.<p>Big tech companies such as Alphabet-owned Google, Meta and Amazon are facing increasing scrutiny from regulators around the globe over their dominant positions.</p>.<p>Germany's Federal Cartel Office in January classed Google as a company of "paramount significance across markets", paving the way for the authorities to clamp down on any potentially anti-competitive activities.</p>.<p>It still has a probe open into Google Maps, over concerns that the platform's built-in restrictions were giving it an unfair advantage over competitors.</p>
<p>Germany's antitrust regulator said Wednesday it had shelved an investigation into Google's News Showcase service, after the tech giant made "important adjustments" to ease competition concerns.</p>.<p>The decision comes after Google earlier this year made a major concession by offering to exclude "Google News Showcase" content from its general search results.</p>.<p>"Google has responded to our concerns and implemented important adjustments to the benefit of publishers," said Andreas Mundt, president of Germany's Federal Cartel Office.</p>.<p>"It will continue to be irrelevant for the ranking of the search results whether or not a publisher participates in Showcase."</p>.<p>Google spokesman Ralf Bremer said the company was "pleased" the probe had been dropped and that "we can continue this important programme for journalistic content with our publishing partners".</p>.<p>Launched in 2020, the "Google News Showcase" allows participating publishers to present their journalistic content more prominently on a designated platform.</p>.<p>But Germany's antitrust watchdog opened an inquiry last year after a complaint was filed by the publishing group Corint Media, which manages the rights of radio and television stations, as well as online news sites.</p>.<p>The publisher feared that news groups that had not signed an agreement with Google would see their content relegated in search results.</p>.<p>In response to the probe, Google announced last January that it would abandon its plan to integrate the Showcase stories in its general search results.</p>.<p>Google also clarified that Showcase partners would still be able to fully exercise their so-called neighbouring rights, which allow media outlets to demand compensation for use of their content, the regulator said.</p>.<p>Big tech companies such as Alphabet-owned Google, Meta and Amazon are facing increasing scrutiny from regulators around the globe over their dominant positions.</p>.<p>Germany's Federal Cartel Office in January classed Google as a company of "paramount significance across markets", paving the way for the authorities to clamp down on any potentially anti-competitive activities.</p>.<p>It still has a probe open into Google Maps, over concerns that the platform's built-in restrictions were giving it an unfair advantage over competitors.</p>