Google Escapes the Feds

[Commentary] In the major miracles department, the Federal Trade Commission has ended its long antitrust investigation of Google with a display of regulatory restraint. Google did agree to let websites opt out of being featured in Google's specialized search results, and to make it easier for companies to advertise on Google and Microsoft's Bing search engine simultaneously. It also agreed to do more to license its patents on "fair and reasonable" terms. These concessions may help the FTC justify its 18-month probe, but they amount to the antitrust version of a parking ticket. As wastes of taxpayer money go, this is one of the better outcomes.