Microsoft, others complain to EU about Google+, report says

Microsoft and other firms have reportedly filed a complaint with the European Union over Google+, Google’s social networking site, Reuters reported.

Neither Microsoft nor Google could be immediately reached for comment about the report.

The nature of the complaint was not immediately clear, but unnamed people “familiar with the situation” told Reuters that the move could expand the European Union’s current investigation into Google.

The two tech giants have been in a few public conflicts in recent months. Microsoft publicly criticized Google for its privacy policy, and even went so far as to create a short video slamming the reliability of Google Docs. The video, oddly enough, wasposted on YouTube, which is owned by Google.

The companies also went head-to-head last week after reports that Google ads had circumvented Microsoft privacy controls in Apple’s Safari browser. In a company blog post, Dean Hachamovitch, the corporate vice president of Internet Explorer, said that Google was bypassing a Microsoft privacy standard called P3P privacy protection, too. Google fired back by saying that Microsoft’s policy was “widely non-operational” and that it is “impractical to comply” with Microsoft’s standard.

Microsoft also filed a complaint with the European Union last week stating that Motorola Mobility — which is in the process of being acquired by Google — was trying to block sales of Windows devices because of their capability to play Internet video.

“In legal proceedings on both sides of the Atlantic, Motorola is demanding that Microsoft take its products off the market, or else remove their standards-based ability to play video and connect wirelessly,” wrote Dave Heiner, deputy general counsel for Microsoft’s corporate standards and antitrust group in a blog post.