A federal judge recently ruled in an antitrust lawsuit against Google, stating that the Justice Department and a group of states cannot proceed with certain claims, effectively limiting the scope of this significant federal monopoly trial against a tech giant. Unveiled on Friday, Judge Amit P. Mehta’s decision specifically states that the government and states failed to demonstrate that Google maintained a monopoly by prioritizing its own products in search results over specialized sites. However, the judge denied Google’s request to dismiss parts of the case, allowing the government to continue pursuing claims regarding Google’s agreements to be the default search engine on mobile browsers and the preloading of its search apps on smartphones.
This ruling sets the stage for the first major tech monopoly trial since the government took Microsoft to court in the 1990s for monopolistic practices. In recent years, American regulators have been actively working to curb the power of tech giants like Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Meta (Facebook and Instagram’s parent company). Lawsuits have been filed, accusing these companies of abusing their monopolies and attempting to block their acquisitions of other businesses.
Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, expressed appreciation for Judge Mehta’s careful consideration and dismissal of claims related to the design of Google Search. The Justice Department has not yet responded to this decision. Under President Donald J. Trump, the Justice Department filed the antitrust case against Google in 2020, arguing that the company exploits its dominance in online search and search result ads. This case was later combined with a separate case brought by state attorneys general, both focusing on Google’s search practices. The trial is scheduled to begin on September 12, potentially leading to years of courtroom battles regarding the monopoly claims against tech giants.
In addition to this case, the Justice Department has filed another antitrust lawsuit against Google, targeting the company’s ad software. This separate case is expected to go to trial as early as next year. Notably, some attempts by regulators to challenge the tech giants have been unsuccessful in court. Federal judges have twice denied the Federal Trade Commission’s requests to halt tech deals this year, allowing Meta to complete its acquisition of a virtual reality start-up and enabling Microsoft’s blockbuster purchase of the video game publisher Activision Blizzard.
During the upcoming Google trial, both parties will debate whether the company’s multibillion-dollar agreements to be the default search engine on various devices and browsers are anticompetitive. The outcome of this argument could have significant implications for Google’s core business. Google’s search engine generated $162 billion in advertising revenue last year. Google contends that these agreements with companies like Apple and Samsung are standard distribution deals commonly seen in business. The company argues that the government is attempting to penalize Google due to its widespread popularity.
These agreements have played a vital role in Google’s efforts to maintain accessibility to large audiences. According to Similarweb, a data analysis firm, Google retains around 94 percent of search engine traffic on mobile devices.
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