Google Fans, Foes Weigh In on FTC Decision

Reaction was swift, and mixed, to the Federal Trade Commission's settlement with Google over allegations of anticompetitive conduct.

Ed Black, president of the Computer and Communications Industry Association, whose members include Google and Google critic and search competitor Microsoft, called the FTC's decision not to proceed with a case against Google for anticompetitive search allegations "the right call." But Black also found cause for concern, specifically Google's voluntary commitment to allow entities to opt out of its specialized results pages, which he sees as a potential threat to fair use rights.

The Progressive Policy Institute also saw the FTC decision as the right one. FairSearch.org, whose members include Google search competitors Expedia, Hotwire, Kayak -- and Microsoft -- called the FTC decision "disappointing and premature, coming just weeks before the company is expected to make a formal and detailed proposal to resolve the four abuses of dominance identified by the European Commission, first among them biased display of its own properties in search results."