The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) closed its eagerly followed investigation into allegations of anticompetitive “search bias” by Google because it found the challenged modifications to the search engine’s results were legitimate product design improvements. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed dismissal of claims that rock salt suppliers allocated markets and rigged bids to sell road salt to the state of Ohio.
Other antitrust developments of note included the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s determination that “wheel” slot machine games did not constitute a separate relevant market or submarket distinct from the general market for gaming machines and the FTC’s move to block the proposed merger of computer switch suppliers.
