engine - 6:41 pm on Jan 3, 2013 (gmt 0)

Google competitors unhappy with the way their results are displayed on Google search pages will be able to opt out under an agreement announced today by the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC announced the results of its lengthy investigation into Google's practices today and will require Google to make minor changes to resolve complaints by competitors and advertisers. At the same time, the FTC found that Google's search results were not biased in favor of its own results in a way that was anti-competitive. Many of the practices condemned by Google's critics are used by Separately, by a 4-1 vote, the commission ruled that Google will have to stop blocking the use of standard essential patents by competitors. Google also agreed to remove restrictions on the use of AdWords, its search advertising platform, that make it harder for advertisers to coordinate their campaigns across multiple platforms. Google and FTC Agree Settlement Over Antitrust [news.cnet.com]

Earlier stories
Google given EU anti-trust deadline [webmasterworld.com]
FTC To Rule in Google's Favor on Antitrust [webmasterworld.com]