Experts: Google antitrust probe to shed light on search

16.09.2011

There don't seem to be any major complaints against Google alleging consumer harm, Manne said.

Also, although Google has become a huge company, that's not a good reason to bring an antitrust lawsuit against the company, said Manne and Michael Katz, a business professor at the University of California, Berkeley. U.S. law allows companies to become monopolies, as long as they act fairly, said Katz, who has worked with Google.

"In the United States, there's nothing wrong with making lots of money," Katz said.

Google should have the ability to add services and integrate search functionality with other products as a way to better serve customers, Katz said. Microsoft's Bing search engine integrates an airfare pricing service, and there are few complaints, he said.

People complaining about Google adding services to search have the attitude of, "Innovation? We don't need no stinkin' innovation," Katz said.