FTC to Serve Google With Subpoenas in Broad Antitrust Probe

[djbaxter]

FTC to Serve Google With Subpoenas in Broad Antitrust Probe
By THOMAS CATAN, Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON?The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is poised to serve Google Inc. with civil subpoenas, according to people familiar with the matter, signaling the start of a wide-ranging, formal antitrust investigation into whether the search giant has abused its dominance on the Web.

The five-member panel is preparing within days to send Google the formal demands for information, the people said. Other companies also are likely receive official requests for information about their dealings with Google at a later stage, the people said.

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The Developing FTC Google Search Antitrust Case

The Developing FTC Google Search Antitrust Case
by Rob D. Young, Search Engine Watch
June 24, 2011

An antitrust case against Google's search division is in process. Google is a practical monopoly, with enough buying power to easily eclipse ? or own ? would-be competitors ? but the size of Google isn't the main concern. Rather, the company is facing accusations of unfairly favoring its own services in the SERP.

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According to the Wall Street Journal, accusations are primarily "that Google's anticompetitive practices include using other companies' content without their permission, deceptive display of search results, manipulation of search results to favor Google's products, and buying up competitive threats to its dominance." The biggest adversary to Google in this case are the travel referral (like TripAdvisor, Expedia, and Kayak.com), although several other companies are vocal about Google's choices.

What these groups are referring to when they say "deceptive display of search results" is Google's choice to promote their own listings, showing local businesses in a Google Maps or Google Places element, showing credit card and mortgage data through Google's own related services, or even just displaying ads through its own network.

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