US initiates anti-trust inquiry into Apple, Google: Report

The US government has started investigating whether the close ties between the boards of technology majors -- Apple and Google -- violate the anti-trust laws, says a media report.

"The Federal Trade Commission has begun an inquiry into whether the close ties between the boards of two of technology’s most prominent companies, Apple and Google, amount to a violation of antitrust laws," The New York Times has reported quoting several people briefed on the inquiry.

According to the daily, Apple and Google share two directors, Eric E Schmidt, chief executive of Google, and Arthur Levinson, former chief executive of Genentech.

"The Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 prohibits a person's presence on the board of two rival companies when it would reduce competition between them.

"The two companies increasingly compete in the cellphone and operating systems markets," the report published online said.

The New York Times noted that the inquiry appears to be in its early stages. "It suggests that despite the company’s closeness to the Obama administration, Google will not escape scrutiny from regulators," the daily said.