Google is likely to face its first European Union antitrust sanction this year, with little prospect of it settling a test case with the bloc's regulator over its shopping service, people familiar with the matter said. There are few incentives left for either party to reach a deal in a six-year dispute that could set a precedent for Google searches for hotels, flights and other services and tests regulators' ability to ensure diversity on the Web. If Google was to challenge the sanction, QMUL’s Professor Ioannis Kokkoris commented: "You are entering a long battle, an expensive battle. And if you go to court, the outcome would not necessarily be better.”