Google is expected to argue on Thursday that the antitrust lawsuit filed against it by the US Justice Department should be dismissed. According to court filings, Google is likely to claim that the allegations that it broke antitrust law to build and maintain its dominance of search are flawed. The lawsuit, which was filed in the final days of the Trump administration, accuses Google of acting illegally by paying billions of dollars each year to smartphone makers, carriers, and browsers to be the default search engine for their customers. The US government claims that this has allowed Google to maintain its dominance in search and exclude rivals.
Google has maintained that the payments are legal revenue-sharing deals, not efforts to exclude rivals. The case is being heard by Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia and is set to go to trial in September.
This is not the first antitrust lawsuit that Google has faced. In 2020, the Justice Department sued the tech giant, accusing it of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals in the biggest challenge to the power and influence of Big Tech since it sued Microsoft Corp for anti-competitive practices in 1998. A settlement left Microsoft intact, although the decision to rein in the company left room for Google, founded in 1998, and others to thrive.
Since then, Google has been hit with other antitrust complaints. The Justice Department filed a second lawsuit in January, accusing the company of abusing its dominance of the digital advertising business. A group of states led by Texas also sued Google on ad tech in 2020, while states led by Utah filed a lawsuit in 2021, accusing the company of breaking antitrust law in handling its play store.
Google’s motion to have the lawsuit thrown out is the latest attempt by the company to get out of several costly and time-consuming lawsuits from state and federal governments aimed at reining in its market power. The outcome of the lawsuit will have significant implications for the tech industry and the future of antitrust law.
The case comes amid growing concern about the power and influence of Big Tech, with critics arguing that companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple have become too powerful and are stifling competition. The tech giants have also been accused of violating users’ privacy and engaging in anti-competitive practices.
In recent years, there has been a growing push to regulate Big Tech and hold companies accountable for their actions. The European Union has been at the forefront of this effort, with antitrust investigations and fines against Google, Facebook, and other tech giants. The US has been slower to act, but the recent antitrust lawsuits against Google and other companies suggest this may change.
The outcome of the lawsuit against Google will be closely watched by tech industry observers, regulators, and consumers alike. If the lawsuit is successful, it could significantly change how Google and other tech giants operate, with potentially far-reaching implications for the tech industry and the broader economy.