Trial begins over whether Google violates antitrust laws in the search engine market
A trial brought by a group of the U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys general over ``whether Google illegally monopolizes the search engine market'' will be held in the Washington Federal District Court from September 12, 2023. The case is said to be the biggest legal challenge to Big Tech's power and influence in decades and could be the precursor to a battle over the industry's monopoly.
Google goes to trial in biggest US challenge to tech power in decades | Google | The Guardian
Explainer: Why is the US suing Google for antitrust violations? | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/legal/why-is-us-suing-google-antitrust-violations-2023-09-11/
Google's Antitrust Trial Starts Today. Here's What It All Means. | Barron's
https://www.barrons.com/articles/google-antitrust-trial-key-issues-49b2cde1
In 2020, the Department of Justice and a group of state attorneys general sued Google for 'antitrust violations in the search engine market.' Google has an overwhelming advantage in the search engine market, but it has been pointed out that Google pays huge sums to Apple to be set as the default search engine on iOS, and Samsung and other We also have agreements with smartphone providers to make Google their default search engine. The Department of Justice and a group of state attorneys general argue that these practices illegally maintain a monopoly on Google and create unfair barriers to entry for competitors.
Google is sued by the Department of Justice for ``violation of antitrust laws'' - GIGAZINE
A trial on this case will begin on September 12th in the US District Court in Washington. This trial will not be a trial using a jury, which is common in the United States, but a bench trial in which the trial will be conducted only by a judge without using a jury system. The person in charge of the hearing will be Judge Amit Mehta, who was appointed by then-President Barack Obama in 2014, and it has been pointed out that this point may be advantageous for the Justice Department.
In a document released in August, Mehta dismissed multiple accusations brought against Google, including that the design of Google's search results harmed competitors such as Expedia and Yelp. It focused solely on the accusation that 'Google unfairly maintained its dominance as a search engine.' 'Google's brand name has become so ubiquitous that dictionaries recognize it as a verb,' Mehta wrote in an August opinion. ``is limited to cases where the conduct is anti-competitive.''
Kent Walker, president of international affairs for Google and Alphabet, wrote in a blog post published in September: ``We have argued in court that Google's search distribution agreements are based on quality of service and consumer preference.'' 'In short, people don't use Google because they have to, they use it because they want to.' 'Advertising our services We look forward to demonstrating in court that this distribution is legal and pro-competitive.'
Big Tech has not been subject to much definitive regulation for decades, but depending on the outcome of this lawsuit, the perception of Big Tech could change significantly. Katherine Van Dyke, a senior attorney at the nonprofit American Economic Liberties Project, which called for the proceedings to be made public, said: ``Google's search case will have to do with how hundreds of millions of Americans access the internet.'' 'It will have a huge impact on our digital world.'
According to Reuters, the trial at the federal district court is expected to last about 10 weeks, and a verdict is not expected until the beginning of 2024.
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