FTC Settlement: Google vs. FTC – Google Wins?

FTC Settlement: Earlier today, we brought you a story about Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s showdown with the FTC. As reported, the nearly two-year probe by U.S. regulators has finally come to an end.

This leads to one very important question: who came out on top?

While there is no “winner or loser” in a case that takes this long to resolve, things worked out favorably for the search giant.

The Wall Street Journal puts it best by saying:

Federal regulators who spent nearly two years probing Google Inc.’s search engine for possible antitrust violations came up virtually empty-handed, in a decision that confounded the company’s competitors by upholding Google’s central argument that its innovations benefited users.

After hearing so much over the past couple years from FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, it is only fitting to get his opinion on this subject one last time:

Although some evidence suggested that Google was trying to eliminate competition, Google’s primary reason for changing the look and feel of its search results to highlight its own products was to improve the user experience.

While Leibowitz and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) may feel that algorithm changes were justified, it is safe to say that the competition has a different outlook.

In the same Wall Street Journal article, a spokesman for Yelp was quoted as saying the following about the FTC’s decision:

It represents a deeply disappointing missed opportunity to protect innovation in the Internet economy, and the consumers and businesses that rely upon it.

Does this mean that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) will walk away unscathed? Not exactly. The article explains that the company will be forced to make some changes:

The Federal Trade Commission won some narrower concessions from Google. The company agreed to make voluntary changes to its search practices and give online advertisers more flexibility to manage ad campaigns with rival websites. Also, Google agreed to a settlement resolving FTC charges that the company was stifling competition by misusing key mobile-device patents it acquired when it bought handset maker Motorola Mobility.

What are your thoughts on this decision? Did Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) come out on top, as it appears?

Check back here for more updates on FTC Settlement.

Here are several other Google Inc stories of interest:

Google Inc Ready to End FTC Antitrust Probe

Google Inc and FTC – A Delayed Decision?

Google Inc Hopes to Settle with EU Antitrust Commission in 2013