Google’s FTC antitrust deal: Top takeaways and challenges - bidwellbitheirstake

Google executives are breathing a sigh of relief after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently distinct not to pursue an antitrust case against the search giant.  But Google did not get soured non-slave; the company made some concessions about how it deals with its lookup index, advertising programs, and smartphone patents.

For consumers, the arrangement means you can expect to see more Google products at the whirligig of Google search results. But the search giant won't be able to use its search index as a means to pressure other companies for their data.

Google also has to play nice when it comes to licensing just about of its patents, which could be spoilt word for Samsung, according to one patent expert.

Here's a view three major takeaways from Google's settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

Google seat get more integrated

Expect to see more Google products superior your results page when searching so-called upended topics so much as flight information and devising shopping-related queries. The Federal Trade Commission decided that Google's handling of its search algorithms in favou its ain properties was justifiably an innovation and not detrimental to consumers.

So Google doesn't have to worry about getting troubled if you see a review from Google-owned Zagat for your local Italian bistro instead of something from Yelp. If you get Sir Thomas More Google+ results instead of Facebook, MySpace, operating theatre Twitter pages, as you do with Research Plus Your World, that's fine with the Federal Trade Commission, too.

Competitors commode stay organic

One of the about concerning complaints leveled against Google was a claim from Yelp in late 2011. The local anaesthetic business review site said Google in 2010 began to use Yap reviews in results for Google Localized (also noted as Places) without Yelp's permission. At the time, Google would typically list a byplay in its search results with its localisation, phone number, hours of operation, and some reviews from just about the Vane including sites such as Yelp, as advantageously as some Google user reviews.

When Yelping asked Google to end using its reviews in Places, the search giant told Yelp that its reviews could be born only when Yelp agreed to be removed entirely from Google's web search index number, according to a statement by Yip CEO Jeremy Stoppelman. Considering Google owns near 67 percent of the U.S. search securities industry, reported to prosody firm comScore, a request to be dropped from Google's search indicant is pretty close to dropping right off the face of the Web.

Under the Google-FTC arrangement, Google won't be allowed to extend what Stoppelman in 2011 described As a "false choice." Instead, Google has promised to "provide complete websites the option to suppress their content tabu of Google's vertical look offerings [such as Places operating theater Shopping], while still having them appear in Google's general, or "constitutive" web search results on Google.com.

Patents take aim a hit

Google's trove of smartphone patents acquired through its acquisition of Motorola Mobility was also examined by the FTC. Google's patent portfolio includes what are considered standard-essential patents, which are patents that former companies moldiness license if they want to admit standard technology usual to perambulating devices in their handsets. One example of an SEP might be applied science accustomed many accurately precise your position. Since virtually every major companion has SEPs, engineering science companies usually agree to license their patents on "bonnie, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory" terms.

The problem was, instead of doing that, Google used its SEPs in court to seek injunctions against rival devices even if the competing manufacturers were willing to license Google's patents. Google has instantly secure the FTC it will not economic consumption its SEPs atomic number 3 litigation weapons, and that agreement could impact cases beyond Google's, according to Florian Mueller, a evident practiced and blogger.

Specifically, Mueller expects the Google-FTC unobstructed accord could make information technology harder for handset makers to get an injunction against competing devices if two companies can't agree on terms for licensing SEPs. That issue is part of the ongoing legal battles between Apple and Samsung. Apple latterly complained that Samsung is asking for overmuch money for its SEPs, patc Samsung is quest an injunction against Apple products that use the Korea-based electronics God Almighty's SEPs. Samsung recently withdrew an injunction quest against Apple in a similar case being fought in Europe.

If Samsung doesn't withdraw its U.S. injunction call for as well, its case could death astir being distress by the FTC's settlement with Google. Mueller points dead that during a news conference Thursday, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibovitz called the practise of seeking injunctions against willing licensees anticompetitive. "With yesterday's settlement, it's get on much harder to imagine that any smartphones Beaver State pill computers will be blocked in the United States complete standard-essential patents anytime soon," Mueller told PCWorld.

While Google may be elated to put this antitrust hole behind it, others aren't so pleased. FairSearch.org, a consortium of businesses related to about Google's online ability including Expedia, Hotwire, Microsoft, Nokia, and Oracle, said in a argument that "the Federal Trade Commission's inactiveness happening the core question of search bias will only embolden Google to act more aggressively to misuse its monopoly power to harm past innovators."

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/456257/googles-ftc-antitrust-deal-top-takeaways-and-challenges.html

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