Feds Step Up Antitrust Probe of Google Books Deal

But regulators in EU, United States will monitor for antitrust

(NEWSER) - Google's $12.5 billion takeover of Motorola Mobility Holdings, announced last August , finally cleared regulators in Europe and the United States yesterday, reports Reuters . But as Motorola owns so many patents that are vital to the telecommunications industry, regulators said they would monitor Google to ensure it continued to license that tech at fair prices. Google has said that a major reason for buying Motorola was to get its hands on Motorola's 17,000 patents and 7,500 patent applications. The deal is also Google's biggest venture into hardware yet. More»

Yelp, Nextag, Expedia say company has been anti-competitive

(NEWSER) - Google’s Senate antitrust hearing is today, and rivals Yelp, Nextag, and Expedia are ready to do some complaining. The three companies intend to tell lawmakers that Google is exploiting its search dominance by promoting its own services at the expense of theirs in its results, they tell the Wall Street Journal . Nextag goes further, complaining that Google has banned it from buying the prominent photo ads that show up next to search results for products. More»

It lines up 12 companies ahead of possible antitrust suit

(NEWSER) - Busy times for Google, even beyond its social networking push :

• Lobbyist blitz: The company is apparently taking a potential antitrust investigation by the FTC very seriously, reports the Hill : Google is hiring no fewer than 12 top lobbying firms to make its case to lawmakers. “We have a strong story to tell about our business and we’ve sought out the best talent we can find to help tell it,” says a spokesperson.

California, New York, and Ohio join Texas in starting inquiries

(NEWSER) - As if the looming federal probe wasn’t bad enough, Google is now facing antitrust investigations from a number of states. California, New York, and Ohio have begun inquiries into the possible anti-competitive threat posed by Google’s search dominance, jumping on a bandwagon Texas started last year, the Financial Times reports. Since antitrust laws differ by state, Google could soon have a complicated legal distraction on its hands. More»

Tech giant to receive subpoenas this week

(NEWSER) - The Federal Trade Commission will send Google subpoenas this week as it begins an antitrust probe into the search king. Officials are investigating whether the firm has taken unfair advantage of its leading position in the tech landscape. It’s the weightiest US investigation the company has thus faced: While others have focused on Google mergers and acquisitions, the FTC will examine concerns surrounding Google’s central venture—its search advertising, reports the Wall Street Journal . More»