US takes on Google: What to know about biggest antitrust trial in decades [Video]
Video uploaded by Al Jazeera English on September 12, 2023
Three questions About the Mega-Trial Threatening Google (US Government vs. Google)
Google is at great risk. Its trial could also mark a step in regulating tech giants. On Tuesday, September 12, a judge from the federal court in Washington has kicked off an unprecedented trial against Google, the tech giant that dominates the online search market, against the U.S. government. The latter accuses it precisely of abuse of dominant position. Before the start of this legal showdown expected to last ten weeks, here are 3 things to know.
Why is Google being prosecuted?
The justice system will have to determine if Google maintained its dominant position in the online search market by making agreements with certain partners. A contract, which allows it to appear by default on iPhones, is particularly mentioned. But the same goes for Samsung smartphones and the Mozilla browser.
This would have allowed the Mountain View firm to maintain a monopoly in the online search sector and to hold about 90% market share, far ahead of the competition.
The justice system will have to determine if Google maintained its dominant position in the online search market by making agreements with certain partners.
This version is strongly contested by Kent Walker, Google’s President of International Affairs, who explained last month that the methods used by his company are “completely legal”. To explain its success, he praised “the quality of its products”.
Why is it so important?
This trial marks a new step in the antitrust battle. While authorities once simply controlled company acquisitions, they now closely scrutinize practices that allow tech giants to outperform competition.
It is the biggest case of its kind since the Microsoft trial in 1998. Precisely, it made Bill Gates’s company much more cautious and allowed the emergence of new startups born from the internet revolution, including Google.
It is the biggest case of its kind since the Microsoft trial in 1998.
For the Mountain View firm, these ten weeks are also of major significance. The company largely relies on the online search sector, and a change in ongoing business practices could hit it hard. Especially since damages and compensation are considered, as well as restructuring.
Why is it a mega-trial?
This case is clearly out of the ordinary. Notably, because the Department of Justice’s investigation lasted three years, allowing it to build a massive case against Google. In total, both parties have had more than 150 people testify and produced over 5 million pages of documents.
Far from being defeated, the tech giant has called on hundreds of employees from prestigious law firms, spending millions of dollars on attorney and lobbyist fees, according to the New York Times.
We hope this explanation captures the essence of the process we all follow. It’s a new and excting saga about this world of Informatics and Internet.
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