FTC to announce results of Google investigation at 10 a.m. PT
The long-running antitrust inquiry appears to be coming to a close.
The results: Google settles with FTC over antitrust issues
After a lengthy investigation into Google's business practices around search and patent licensing, the Federal Trade Commission said today it would make an announcement about the case at 10 a.m. Pacific time.
FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz will make the announcement at FTC headquarters in Washington. He will be joined by Bureau of Competition Director Richard Feinstein and Deputy Director Pete Levitas, as well as Bureau of Economics Director Howard Shelanski.
The event will also be webcast.
The 20-month investigation has focused on two areas of competition: search, where competitors say Google favors its own results over theirs, and patent licensing, where critics say Google has acted in anti-competitive ways.
Bloomberg reported this morning that Google had reached a settlement with the FTC in which it agreed to change the way it uses other websites' data and to allow advertisers to export their data. Google has also reportedly agreed to more liberally license its so-called standard essential patents, which help software comply with technical standards.