Google FTC verdict: as it happened All in all, pressure in Europe will be higher, but it will be an extraordinary situtation if the EC finds evidence that the FTC couldn't. That's not impossible, and the European investigation has more legal clout. 19.17 You can read Google's letter to the FTC here (PDF). David Drummond, their top lawyer, lays out the commitments to let sites opt out of having their content scraped for Google results. 19.15 Twitter is, perhaps predictably, largely aflutter with the news rather than with reaction: it seems that consumers are not engaged with a case that was always about regulation. 19.05 In some of the first reaction to the verdict, Forbes' Eric Goldman calls the FTC move 'smart'. He says: "With any company as large, complicated and fast-moving as Google, antitrust regulators inevitably will find some problems if they look hard enough. If this is the worst they found, it's the virtual equivalent of a clean antitrust bill-of-health. 18.54 Icomp, the Initiative for a Competitive Marketplace, is not happy. Here's their statement: "ICOMP is deeply disappointed by the FTC's decision today in its antitrust investigation of Google. The consent decree on Google's standards-essential patents is weaker than what is already required under U.S. law. Even more discouraging is the FTC's failure to address Google's search bias and its decision to impose no formal remedies on Google's other abusive practices in search. The FTC's willingness to accept voluntary, unenforceable commitments from Google is even less than a slap on the wrist. It will prove utterly ineffective in preventing Google from using its search dominance - 93 percent in Europe and 90 percent globally -to harm competition and consumers. The Initiative adds that Europe should regulate: "Given this development, it is more important than ever that the European Commission, as it concludes its own investigation of Google, stands firm and insists on meaningful remedies that address Google's search bias and fully restore competition in search. The Commission's efforts over the coming weeks are of utmost importance, as they will determine whether Europe will have a truly open and competitive Internet. ICOMP members support all efforts to restore competition in search and stand ready to provide input on any proposed remedies. 18.52 A mild reprimand, is how rReuters describes the verdict. And that's putting it strongly: 18.48 And with that, Mr Leibovitz departs. No major revelations from the questions, but on a related note, the state department has criticised Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt's plan to visit North Korea: The US State Department said on Thursday the time was not right for Google Inc's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, and New Mexico's former governor, Bill Richardson, to make a planned trip to North Korea. She said both men were well aware of US concerns about the timing of their planned trip.