Dive Brief: 

• The European Union announced Wednesday formal antitrust charges against Google after a five-year investigation. 
• The EU's competition chief, Margrethe Vestager, accused the search giant of abusing its dominant position in the industry by driving traffic to its own sites.
• Google published a blog post Wednesday claiming it had a "strong case" and outlining its defense that it has serious competition in Europe. 

Dive Insight: 

The implications of EU charges are huge for Google, but the results will also affect the industry at large. Google has built a dominant position for itself as a pioneer in the online search industry. That search service has become so instrumental to how people navigate the web and promote business that if Google were favoring its own offerings in search results—as accused—it could be bad news for the search giant in Europe.

Marketers should be keeping tabs on the case as it could be used as a warning for future businesses that find themselves in a dominant position. The way marketers use Google from now on could also change if the EU charges eventually prove Google was abusing its position, as new competition could pour in.