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Google Wins 5-0 FTC Decision

By  |  January 4, 2013

A landmark, longstanding case against Google brought on by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has ended with a settlement and a finding by the FTC that antitrust statues have not been violated by the search giant in the way it structures search results.

The Commission, however, did find Google in violation of mishandling its use of broad patents on cellphone technology, a victorious decision for Google’s rivals who will now be able to use that patented technology for their devices.

A 4-1 vote by the Commission settled the patent charges, and a unanimous vote closed the investigation.

In the settlement, Google has agreed to modify some of its business practices that have been under scrutiny, most specifically concerning its “search in search advertising;” several companies had complained that Google favored its own sites instead of others to appear in search results.

Full Content: New York Times

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