Google will face DOJ and dozens of state attorney generals during the high stakes therapy phase of the Search Antimonopoly Act lost last year. Kick-off today’s treatment phase could force the tech giant to sell its key assets.
Bloomberg Report Google and the US government are set to launch a three-week trial focusing on relief that what judges have already awarded is an illegal monopoly in the online search market. Last year, US District Judge Amit Mehta determined that Google has maintained an illegal monopoly in searches as it becomes the default search option for smartphones and web browsers through more than $26 billion in annual payments to Apple and other companies.
DOJ is currently seeking major structural changes at Google to recover competition in the search market. The government’s proposed remedies include forcing Google to sell Chrome web browsers, license its search indexes and algorithms to competitors, and stop paying for exclusive search default positions for devices and services.
Google is strongly opposed to the DOJ proposal, claiming it will hurt consumers and curb innovation. The company claims that forced sales of Chrome “breaks” many popular products and features. Alternatively, Google suggests measures to allow users to share search ad revenue with device manufacturers and carriers, even if they choose a different default search engine.
Judge Mehta needs to weigh competing arguments and decide what changes to ultimately impose on Google’s business practices and structure. That’s a key case as the US government has not demolished any major companies since AT&T in 1982. If Mehta orders Google to break up or a major restructuring, it will be the most consequence of the government’s antitrust law in decades.
However, the remedies imposed by Mehta could be put on hold for many years as Google is expected to appeal the decision. Still, this case represents a major test of government’s ability to curb the power of dominant technology platforms after years of perceived handoff approaches by regulators.
The trial is the culmination of a long government investigation into Google that began during the Trump administration. DOJ first sued Google in October 2020 for alleged search monopoly. Separate lawsuits have also been filed by the government targeting Google’s advantage in digital advertising. This is a case that was just decided at the favor of the government. Taken together, the incident represents an unprecedented antitrust attack on one of the most valuable and powerful companies in the world.
At many risks, the relief phase features testimonies from well-known witnesses such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple Executive Eddy Cue. Representatives of Microsoft, Mozilla, Verizon and other Google rivals will also be testified.
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Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News, which covers the issues of freedom of speech and online censorship.
