What Does the DOJ's Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google Mean for Big Tech?
Summary from AllSides News Team
On Tuesday, the Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Google is set to begin. It is the first antitrust case against a technology company brought to trial since Microsoft in 1998.
The Allegations: According to a Reuters (Center bias) analysis, the Justice Department is arguing that Google unlawfully stifled competition by paying other technology companies — such as Apple — to make Google the default browser on these companies’ devices. Google denies the antitrust allegations, arguing that the agreements were “legitimate competition” and that consumers retained the option to switch to alternative browsers.
What Does It Mean For Big Tech? An analysis in The Atlantic (Left bias) determined that the case represents a shifting attitude in Washington toward major technology companies, which have enjoyed a “freewheeling heyday” for the past few decades. The article states the changing stance on tech companies is not exclusive to one party, writing, “Republicans and Democrats alike are now interested in bringing Big Tech down a notch.”
The Judge: The Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) profiled the judge overseeing the antitrust case. Judge Amit Mehta was appointed to the court in 2014 by President Obama. His decisions during this trial “may be integral to what happens to the world's largest search engine.” In August, Mehta narrowed the scope of the lawsuit, stating that a “dominant firm like Google does not violate the law, however, merely because it occupies a monopoly market position. It must act in a manner that produces anticompetitive effects in the defined markets.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
U.S. v. Google
The year was 1998. Bill Clinton was in office. Titanic had just won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The Backstreet Boys were ascendant. And Microsoft was in court, teeing off against the Justice Department over claims that it was a monopoly. That landmark case, which ultimately resulted in a settlement, was the last time the government took a major tech company to trial for antitrust issues.
That will change next week, when the U.S. et al v. Google trial begins in Washington, D.C. The Justice Department (joined by a...
From the Right
Meet the Obama-appointed judge who holds Google's fate in his hands
One judge may determine whether or not Google will be ruled a monopoly and face consequences for its alleged domination of the internet search sector.
Judge Amit Mehta oversees the Department of Justice's antitrust case against Google, which will focus on the government's allegations that Google has unfairly restricted competition by cutting deals to have its search engine set as the default on other companies' mobile devices and browsers. The Obama-appointed judge has served over nine years in the District Court for the District of Columbia. Now, his decisions may...
From the Center
Explainer: Why is the US suing Google for antitrust violations?
The U.S. Justice Department and a coalition of state attorneys general on Tuesday will begin a blockbuster antitrust trial in Washington, alleging that Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google unlawfully abused its dominance in the search-engine market to maintain monopoly power.
Here is an explainer on the key issues in the case.
WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT'S LEGAL THEORY?
The U.S. and its state allies contend Google unlawfully stifled competition by paying billions of dollars to Apple (AAPL.O) and other business partners to ensure its search engine would be the default on most phones...
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