A decisive stage of the antitrust lawsuit against Google has begun in the US, which could result in the forced sale of the Chrome browser or other radical measures. This is reported by The Washington Post, writes UNN.
Details
The lawsuit is reported to be crucial for Google, which has been found guilty of violating antitrust laws in three separate court cases. The demands of the US Department of Justice include forcing Google to allow competitors to use its data to operate their own search engines, requiring it to notify the government of investments in artificial intelligence startups, and forcing it to sell its Chrome web browser, which accounts for about two-thirds of the global browser market. If the judge approves some or all of these demands, his decision will shake Google's power as the internet's gatekeeper.
"This is a historic event," said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (Democrat), who leads the group of states that sued Google along with the US Department of Justice. He said that the antitrust cases against Google could prove to be as important for restructuring technology as the monopoly lawsuits that broke up AT&T in the 1980s and turned Microsoft upside down a quarter of a century ago.
Google strongly resists, saying that the government's "radical" demands will harm competition and innovation. From Monday until the end of May, in Judge Mehta's courtroom in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, both sides will present new evidence and witnesses to try to prove their points. The judge says his final decision will be made by August or September.
What to expect
Google Search is the leading tool for accessing the Internet worldwide, so widespread that the company's name has become synonymous with the search process itself. Having already ruled that the company abused this dominance for the benefit of its other ventures, Mehta must decide how far to go in trying to change this status quo. If he sides with the US Department of Justice, Google will be forced in various ways to make room for other search engines to create more alternatives.
Google also faces other antitrust issues. In 2023, a jury ruled that the company's app store is an illegal monopoly. And last week, another federal judge ruled that it had an illegal monopoly when it came to the ad tech tools it sells to web publishers.
Forcing Google to sell Chrome could set a precedent for courts that could lead to the breakup of other tech giants.
What is the government's argument?
The US Department of Justice wants a powerful set of remedies to back up the court's finding that Google has an illegal monopoly. Only by forcing the company to make significant concessions, such as selling Google Chrome, will the market undergo substantial changes, the government argues. In addition to wanting Google to divest Chrome, it has also called for a ban on agreements with mobile carriers or publishers that favor Google, and the implementation of provisions requiring it to share some technical data with competitors.
What Google says
Google argues that its dominance in search reflects a simple fact: it has the best technology and products. Other search engines have failed to take market share from Google because consumers consistently return to Google or never leave it at all. Google also argues that it invests billions of dollars in revenue in research and development in other sectors, such as AI and self-driving cars, so curtailing its business could harm innovation.
In addition to appealing the monopoly case, Google responded to the government's proposed remedies with its own proposals for a much smaller set of rules. These include setting a time limit on any contract Google signs with other web browsers, such as Apple's Safari or Mozilla's Firefox, to make Google Search their default search engine.
What's next
Following opening statements on Monday, the US Department of Justice and Google will call witnesses and present evidence to support their proposals. Google CEO Sundar Pichai is expected to testify, as are executives from competitors such as Microsoft, OpenAI, and Perplexity. Economists and search engine experts will also give testimony. After the trial concludes, the judge will deliberate and issue a final ruling later this year.
Recall
Earlier, the Financial Times reported that a US court ruled that Google illegally obtained and maintained a monopoly in the digital advertising market - another antitrust defeat for the tech giant that could lead to a forced sale of parts of its business.