FTC: Google to license patents, exclude snippets

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. antitrust regulators say they have found no evidence to claims that Google unfairly favors its own services in search results.

The Federal Trade Commission also says Google is agreeing to license patents deemed to be “essential” for rival mobile devices such as Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad.

Regulators say Google is also promising that upon request, it will exclude snippets copied from other websites in its summaries of key information, even though the company had insisted the practice is legal under the fair-use provisions of U.S. copyright law.

The FTC is making the announcement at a news conference in Washington on Thursday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

U.S. antitrust regulators are ready to announce the results of a 20-month investigation into Google’s business practices.

The Federal Trade Commission has scheduled a 1 p.m. EST press conference to unveil the outcome of the high-profile probe.

The wide-ranging inquiry could result in Google making concessions to avoid a legal battle.

The FTC’s investigation focused on allegations that Google has been abusing its dominance in Internet search. Google’s rivals say the company has been highlighting its own services on its influential results page while burying the links to competing sites.

Google Inc. has fiercely defended its right to recommend the websites that it believes are the most relevant.

The FTC also has been examining whether Google has been using patents to thwart competition in the mobile computing market.

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