DOJ and states appeal Google monopoly ruling to push for harsher penalties against the company
Summary
The US Department of Justice plans to cross-appeal a ruling that exempted Google from selling its Chrome browser, seeking harsher penalties. A group of states is joining the appeal, highlighting ongoing tensions in the tech giant's antitrust battle.
Key Insights
What specific remedies is Google trying to block while appealing the antitrust ruling?
Google is seeking to stay (pause) two main remedies ordered by Judge Amit Mehta: a requirement to share data about users' searches with qualified competitors, and a mandate to provide syndicated search results and ads to those competitors. Google argues these data-sharing requirements could harm user privacy and reduce innovation, while the DOJ and state attorneys general contend the company's request to delay these remedies is premature and should be denied.
What was the core finding in Judge Mehta's August 2024 ruling against Google?
Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by maintaining monopoly power in two markets: general search engine services and search text advertising. The court found that Google unlawfully used its monopoly power to keep competitors out of these markets and charged supracompetitive prices for search text ads. The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice and over 30 state attorneys general in October 2020, alleging that Google unlawfully suppressed competing search engines through default search agreements with browsers like Firefox and Safari, and through preinstallation on Android devices.