Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) has apologized to Sohu.com after the Chinese Web portal accused the search giant of illegally incorporating its data in a recently released Google tool that aims to make inputting Chinese characters easier.

The tool, called the "Pinyin Input Method Editor," is similar in concept to the autofill function in many applications, which suggests a word or term after a user has typed in only a few letters, based on previous usage. The Google tool suggests Chinese characters after a user has typed in a few strokes. Sohu.com, one of China's largest portals, has accused Google of stealing its Chinese language dictionary.

While not addressing the allegations directly, Google has apologized. "We are willing to face up to our mistake, and offer an apology to users and to the Sohu company," Google says in a statement.

Full story: technewsworld.com