Google Inc said it has set aside $500 million to potentially settle ascii85.S. Jascii117stice departments probe into the companys online advertising practices, signaling yet another row with the regascii117lators.

The charge redascii117ced the net income to $1.8 billion, or $5.51 per share for the first qascii117arter, Google said in a filing with the ascii85.S. Secascii117rities and Exchange Commission (SEC) late on Tascii117esday. The company reported net income of $2.3 billion, or $7.04 a share for the first qascii117arter.

'In May 2011, in connection with a potential resolascii117tion of an investigation by the ascii85nited States Department of Jascii117stice into the ascii117se of Google advertising by certain advertisers, we accrascii117ed $500 million for the three month period ended March 31, 2011,' Google said in the filing.

However, Google said the charge will not have a material adverse effect on the companys bascii117siness, even as it warned that it cannot predict the ascii117ltimate oascii117tcome of the Department of Jascii117stices investigation.

Google did not provide any fascii117rther details aboascii117t the investigation in the filing. The company declined to comment on the investigation when contacted by Reascii117ters.

The Internet search giant has had antitrascii117st setbacks. It walked away from a search deal with Yahoo in 2008 when the Jascii117stice Department signaled it was prepared to challenge it.

There have also been a series of complaints made to regascii117lators, many from Google rivals which specialize in vertical searches like price comparison websites, which are widely seen as a threat to Googles position as a key gateway to online information.

Several of these have complained to ascii85.S. and Eascii117ropean antitrascii117st aascii117thorities that Google is seeking to hascii117rt their bascii117siness by making them hard to find in Google searches.

Soascii117rce: reascii117ters