Google Inc. will resolve a 20-month antitrust probe by U.S.regulators today with a voluntary agreement and a consent decree onthe company's alleged misuse of patents, three people familiar withthe matter said.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is poised to announce thatGoogle has agreed to voluntarily change some business practices andsettle allegations it misused patents to thwart competitors insmartphone technology, said the people, who asked not to be namedbecause the decision isn't public.

The FTC is expected to close its investigation into whetherGoogle, operator of the world's most popular search engine, skewsits search results to favor its own services without enforcementaction, the people said. The FTC's decision not to take action is ablow to competitors including Microsoft Corp., Yelp Inc. andExpedia Inc. and comes at a time when the European Union is seekinga “detailed commitment” on search to end its probe into allegationsthat Google discriminates against rivals.