French search engine 1PlusV is suing Google for €295m (£264m), claiming Google has used its market dominance to block the development of rival services.

This is the largest damage claim the search engine has faced in Europe.

A previous complaint from 1PlusV and others, including Microsoft, brought about a European Commission investigation.  Google also faces a probe from the US Federal Trade Commission.

1PlusV filed its initial complaint with the European Commission back in February 2010.  A formal investigation was launched in November.