( February 17, 2014) -- After an antitrust investigation that lasted more than three years, European Commission regulators struck a tentative settlement with Google. In reaching this deal on February 5 – it is still subject to review and formal approval by European Commissioners – Google agreed to stop its practice of displaying its own specialized search services more favorably than that of competing search services. Notably, however, it will not have to pay fines, avoided a formal finding that it had engaged in anti-competitive behavior by discriminating against competing sites, and – most importantly- was not required to disclose or modify its search engine algorithm. Still the deal contains the toughest concessions that Google has yet made to resolve an antitrust investigation....