TechCrunch

The negotiations in the antitrust case between Google and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is reportedly drawing to a close, with things looking up for Google, according to reports. The Wall Street Journal said that the FTC could agree to end its investigation as early as this week after Google voluntarily agreed to allay the agency’s concerns by making some changes to it search practice.

Though its still unclear exactly what those changes would entail, this likely means Google does not have to sign a formal settlement that would force it to agree to certain terms. A New York Times report also cited two anonymous sources who said that accusations that Google biases its search results in favor of its own services has been taken off the table, thereby clearing the way for an agreement to be reached. The FTC had charged that Google ranks things it owns higher than its competitors on its search engines, raising the ire of competitors Yahoo! and Bing. Still at issue is another FTC investigation into how Google handled mobile-technology patents after acquiring Motorola Mobility.

Last month, the FTC reportedly began putting pressure on Google to to settle on the antitrust talks or face formal complaints, a move it hopes will keep the case from becoming a long, drawn-out ordeal.

We have reached out to Google and the FTC and will update as soon as we get a response.

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