Google wins antitrust victory in Ohio case

An Ohio judge dismissed antitrust claims in a case against Google, handing the company a victory as it faces a separate federal investigation into its search results.

Google is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission over whether it uses its strength in online searches to thwart competitors, and the Ohio case leveled similar allegations against the Internet search company. MyTriggers DOT com, an Ohio-based shopping comparison search Website, accused Google of giving preferential treatment in its search results to Google's own services. It also accused Google of making unfair agreements with other sites to exert control over search advertising. Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge John Bessey agreed that the federal Communications Decency Act did not prohibit Ohio state law antitrust claims against Google. However, Judge Bessey also ruled that myTriggers had only identified harm to itself. The law requires it show harm to competition generally, Bessey wrote, and myTriggers.com had not identified other competitors harmed by Google's alleged conduct.