FTC, Google Appear Close to Patent Settlement

U.S. regulators are near a settlement with Google Inc. in a dispute over the search giant's efforts to stop the sale of products it says infringe essential patents, according to two sources close to the probe. But the Federal Trade Commission is not expected to reach a deal soon on the larger, more contentious issue of whether Google tweaks its search results to disadvantage rivals in travel, shopping and other specialized searches.