Google Target of U.S. FTC Antitrust Probe?
Googles dominance of the Internet-search industry is being considered for a broad antitrust investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, two people familiar with the matter said. Before proceeding with any probe, the FTC is awaiting a decision by the Justice Department on whether it will challenge Googles planned acquisition of ITA Software Inc. as a threat to competition in the travel-information search business, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is still confidential.
An FTC investigation of Google, the worlds most popular search engine, could be on par with the scope of the Justice Departments probe of Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) a decade ago, said Keith Hylton, an antitrust law professor at Boston University School of Law. Google could fight the FTC, but thats going to cost a lot of money and time. An investigation is long overdue, said Gary Reback, an antitrust lawyer with Carr & Ferrell LLP in Menlo Park, California who represents companies that have complained about Google to regulators here and in Europe. Every day there are companies who are being hurt by Googles anticompetitive behavior and we still have arm wrestling going on in Washington, he said in an interview yesterday.
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