Google seeks to extend Microsoft antitrust decree from Reuters reports that Google has asked a federal judge to lengthen the period when Microsoft’s operating system is subject to antitrust reviews in order to ensure desktop search players can remain competitive with Microsoft.

Last week, Microsoft agreed to change various ways they handled the integration of desktop search in Vista, in response to a complaint lodged by Google. However, Google remains worried that the changes won’t be fully in place before the wide-ranging "consent decree" reached between Microsoft and the US government expires this November. That decree restricts what Microsoft can do within its operating system to ensure it allows for competition.

Postscript: U.S. judge tells Google to work through Justice Department from Reuters and Judge rejects Google’s anti-Microsoft antitrust bid from News.com provide an update that the judge is currently satisfied with the agreement reached between Microsoft and the US Justice Department over desktop search and made no comment on Google’s request for the consent decree to be extended. Instead, she’s first considering whether Google has even made that request in the proper legal manner.

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Desktop | Google: Legal | Legal: General | Microsoft: Business Issues | Toolbars & Add-Ons

About The Author: Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry's personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here. For more background information on Barry, see his full bio over here. See more articles by Barry Schwartz

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