p2pnet news view Advertising | Mobiles:- Apple investor Eric Schmidt (right) reckons there’s nothing wrong with him being on Apple’s board.

According to reports, he doesn’t believe the fact he also runs Net advertising agency Google is in any way delicate.

However, “Apple offers the iPhone, which runs Google Maps and gives users the ability to play videos from Google’s YouTube,” says Bloomberg News, going on:

“Google, owner of the world’s most-used search engine, helped develop Android, software that runs mobile phones. The two companies are also starting to compete in operating systems, as computer makers offer Android as an alternative to Microsoft Corp.’s Windows.”

Now, “Google has gone on a charm offensive to convince law makers, academics and the media that the company is not anti-competitive,” says vnunet.

Says senior company apologist Adam Kovacevich on Google’s blog »»»

As Google has grown, the company has naturally faced more scrutiny about our business principles and practices. We believe that Google promotes competition and openness online, but we haven’t always done a good job telling our story.

That’s  why we have recently been meeting with policymakers, think tank representatives, academics, journalists, ad agencies, and trade associations — in the U.S. and Europe — explaining Google’s six principles of competition and openness:

1. Help other businesses be more competitive.
2. Make it easy for users to change.
3. Open is better than closed.
4. Competition is just one click away.
5. Advertisers pay what a click is worth to them.
6. Advertisers have many choices in a dynamic market.

The Federal Trade Commission is not, however, convinced.

It’s opened an enquiry into whether or not allegedly too-close ties between Apple and Google amount to a violation of anti-trust laws.

“Antitrust experts say the provision against ‘interlocking directorates,’ known as Section 8 of the act, is rarely enforced,” said the New York Times.

But the FTC had, “already notified Google and Apple of its interest in the matter, according to the people briefed on the inquiry, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because the inquiry was confidential,” said the story,  noting Apple and Google share two directors, Google boss Eric E. Schmidt, and Arthur Levinson, former Genentech CEO.

“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,” it said, adding, “The two companies increasingly compete in the cellphone and operating systems markets.”

It’d be interesting to know what Aneesh Chopra, America’s first chief technology officer and another hard-core Apple enthusiast, thinks.

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Bloomberg News – Apple, Google board links said to spur U.S. antitrust review, May 6, 2009
vnunet – Google goes on charm offensive, May 10, 2009
allegedly too-close ties – FTC eyes Apple, Google, connection, May 5, 2009
New York Times – Board Ties at Apple and Google Are Scrutinized, May 4, 2009
Apple enthusiast – Apple fanboy new US CTO, April 20, 2009