Microsoft VP sees FTC settlement as ‘weak,’ ‘troubling’

In a statement posted by Microsoft Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Dave Heiner, the Google rival voiced its concern and dismay over the recent 5-0 decision by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to end its antitrust case against Google, which lasted about a year and a half. In the public statement, posted the same day as the settlement announcement, Heiner said the “FTC’s overall resolution of this matter is weak and – frankly – unusual,” arguing that the settlement is insufficient in addressing the concerns over Google’s business practices. Posted on Microsoft’s blog, the 1,400-word post voices concerns over what Heiner considers contradictory business practices when it comes to allowing Google’s advertisers to access their own data from advertising campaigns. Microsoft also made a pledge in the statement to make their standard essential patents available to other corporations under reasonable terms, which Heiner notes as a practice Google did not adhere to. Heiner lastly noted that while the investigation is over in the US., the “good news” is that there are ongoing investigations overseas, most notably by the European Commission.