TRUST ISSUES

Google to Change Business Practices

As FTC ends investigation.

The Federal Trade Commission today announced the end of a 20-month-long investigation into allegations that Google was using its search results to unfairly hurt its competitors and abusing its patents. In a major victory for Google, the commission found that even though the company changed its algorithm to favors its own products when listing search results, it had not violated any antitrust or anticompetition statutes. F.T.C. chairman Jon Leibowitz said that the company's actions were "not undertaken without legimitimate justification." But the commission did rule that Google had misused broad patents on cellphone and wireless technology that must be licensed in order to make wireless devices like gaming consoles and smartphones. Google agreed to make that tecnology available to its competitors.