EU regulators are investigating whether Google dominates in Internet search but have yet to decide if this is the case, the EU's antitrust chief said on Friday.

As part of our current investigation, we are trying to determine whether the company holds a dominant position in internet search, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told a competition conference in Florence. Google is the browser of choice for very many of us; but dominance is not the same as abuse of dominance. Abuse is a conduct that protects or extends dominance by illegitimate means, and we still have to conclude whether this is the case for Google, he said.

The European Commission opened an investigation into Google in November last year after rivals, including Microsoft, accused the company of abusing its dominant position in the market for web search services.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, editing by Rex Merrifield)

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