Pity Google? Patent case loss to Apple could spell relief in antitrust probe, analyst says

Pity Google? One upside for the Android software maker in Apple’s patent victory over partner Samsung is how that decision could spill over to a federal antitrust investigation into Google, according to one analyst.

Google is being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission over broad antitrust claims, including the company’s potential to lock down its search and other applications on smartphones that run its Android operating system. The firm is negotiating with European regulators on ways to change its practices in search to make the market more competitive. Now that a jury determined Apple indeed has exclusive rights to some key technologies on the smartphone, the FTC may rethink its position on Google’s dominance in mobile search — a part of the agency’s investigation.