Getty Images has been added to the list of companies that accuse Google of anticompetitive behavior. Getty Images provides specialized image search and shopping services to end users in direct competition with Google.

The company today confirmed that it has been granted "interested party" status in the European Commission’s investigation into anticompetitive behavior by Google. This means that Getty Images has the right to ask for a summary of antitrust charges against the Google.

Google holds over 90% of the image search market in Europe and is accused of leveraging its dominant position in general web searches to favor its own service, Google Image Search. Among other things, Google is accused of using images that are owned and/or distributed by Getty Images to build and promote its own image search vertical, while demoting the appearance of original content providers like Getty Images in general web search results.

Google introduced Google Images search results in Google web search in 2007, then followed with changes to its image search interface in early 2013 that resulted in the display of large-format high-resolution imagery scraped from third parties. As a result of these changes, Google has succeeded in driving additional traffic to itself. These activities have allowed Google to create and maintain dominant market shares both in general and image search.

"Web search results that link directly to the Getty Images website are placed low in the search results, frequently, and remarkably, not on the first page of results," the company said on its website.

"This means Google is benefiting from the use of Getty Images content, used to generate results within Google Image Search, without sending the image searchers to the Getty Images website or other competing image search engines."

The complaint comes as the European Commission waits for Google to respond to charges of abusing its market power in a dozen EU countries since 2007 by distorting search results to favor its shopping service.