FTC To Recommend Antitrust Case Against Google

NeutronCowboy writes with news that a majority of top staff members from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission have become convinced that Google "illegally used its dominance of the search market to hurt its rivals." The FTC is now drafting a memo that recommends the U.S. government begin an antitrust case against Google. "The agency’s central focus is whether Google manipulates search results to favor its own products, and makes it harder for competitors and their products to appear prominently on a results page. ... The memo is still being edited and changes could be made, but these are mostly fine-tuning and will not alter the broad conclusions reached after an inquiry that began more than a year ago, said these people, who spoke on the condition that they not be identified. ... The FTC staff memo does not mean that the government will sue Google for antitrust violations. Next, the vote of three of the five FTC commissioners would be required. And each step is a further prod for Google to make concessions to reach a settlement before going to court. Last month, Jon Leibowitz, chairman of the FTC, said a final decision on whether to sue Google would be made before the end of this year.

Re:What?

[the_B0fh]

you can decide what is the best search result (for example, you search for phone upgrade from an android and it sends to to an android comparison site, and if you search from an iphone it sends you to apple), but you cannot manipulate the results so that the best result is what helps your *OTHER* businesses, such as a search for a review on a local restaurant goes to your places site instead of other more popular sources.

This will be interesting. Microsoft was crucified for giving away a browser for free, to kill the Netscape browser, to kill the Netscape web server, so that Microsoft can maintain it's Windows monopoly.

Google gave away Android for free... What is the difference?

PJ from Groklaw comments

[walterbyrd]

Are they kidding? How about looking into Microsoft and Nokia and Apple and MOSAID and fill-in-the-blank-patent-trolls and all Microsoft's little FairSearch helpers in a conspiracy to use patents to destroy Android? Who started the patent smartphone wars, after all? It wasn't Google. By the way, have you written a nice, polite letter or email to the FTC about this? Here's their general contact page; here's the antitrust page, with an email contact. Note they state that if you wish your expressions to be kept confidential, don't email. Send a regular letter marked confidential.

Re:What?

[nschubach]

Hell, I searched for Smartphone and I got a wiki article on smartphones, CNET review of smartphones, and an AT&T site that lists iPhone first. On the side bar "Shop by Brand", in this order, Blackberry, Samsung, Apple, HTC, Nokia. If they were "stuffing the ballot", wouldn't Nexus be at least front page?