∞ FTC Chairman praises Levinson's resignation from Google board

FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz feels Arthur Levinson made the right decision leaving Google’s Board of Directors. Leibowitz praised the decision in a statement released on Monday. “Google, Apple, and Mr. Levinson should be commended for recognizing that overlapping board members between competing companies raise serious antitrust issues and for their willingness to resolve our concerns without the need for litigation,” Leibowitz said in a statement. “Beyond this matter, we will continue to monitor companies that share board members and take enforcement actions where appropriate.”

Leibowitz didn’t say the antitrust investigation would be called off with today’s resignation, but it seems clear the government is satisfied.

Levinson’s resignation represented the last tie between Apple and Google board members. In early August, Google CEO Eric Schmidt quit Apple’s Board of Directors amid increasing pressure as the companies began to compete in more areas.