The Federal Trade Commission is considering launching a probe into Google Inc.'s dominance of the online search engine market, according to a report.
But before the FTC initiates any antitrust investigation, the agency is waiting to see whether the Justice Department goes through with an antitrust lawsuit over Google's $700-million purchase of ITA Software, according to a report Tuesday from Bloomberg, which cited two unnamed people "familiar with the matter."
ITA builds online flight and ticket information software for airline companies. The Justice Department would be investigating how Google planned to integrate the flight-information company into its search engine.
A possible FTC investigation into Google's search-related products could look into similar matters, according to the Bloomberg report.
Both the FTC and Justice Department are responsible for enforcing antitrust laws, but sometimes they negotiate to decide which agency would lead a high-profile investigation. The one with the most expertise on the subject of the probe typically ends up taking the lead, the report said.