The U.S. government's antitrust trial targeting the big tech company Google has begun after three years.
According to the Washington Post (WP) and major foreign media on the 10th (local time), the antitrust trial filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against Google in October 2020 will start on the 12th at the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
This lawsuit is the largest antitrust case the government has filed against big tech since it fought Microsoft (MS) in court over two decades ago, when MS dominated the browser market with its Windows operating system.
Previously, during former President Donald Trump's administration, the U.S. government filed a lawsuit against Google, which controls about 90% of the U.S. search engine market, alleging that Google violated antitrust laws while establishing its overwhelming market dominance.
The Department of Justice claims that Google illegally controlled the search engine distribution network and blocked competitors from entering the market by generating massive advertising revenue. Specifically, Google allegedly paid billions of dollars to smartphone manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung, and telecom companies like AT&T and T-Mobile, to pre-install Google as the default search engine on web browsers and smartphones, preventing the use of competitors' products.
Google's actions reportedly harmed competitors such as Microsoft's Bing and DuckDuckGo, a search engine that does not collect users' personal information.
On the other hand, Google argues that it did not hinder competition but that its high market share is due to the superiority of its search engine. Kent Walker, Google's Chief Legal Officer, stated, "Worldwide, the most searched word on Bing is 'Google.' This shows that most people actually prefer the Google search engine."
If the court rules in favor of the U.S. government in the lawsuit, it could order Google to sell part of its business or stop the problematic business practices. Some even mention the possibility of breaking up the company. In the U.S., there is precedent for breaking up companies due to antitrust violations, such as the oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil and AT&T, which were split into multiple companies. Microsoft, which faced scrutiny in 1998 over bundling Internet Explorer, was also ordered to be split in the first trial, but managed to avoid it through measures including the resignation of Chairman Bill Gates.
However, regardless of the outcome, both sides are expected to appeal, so it is anticipated that the lawsuit will take years to reach a final conclusion.
U.S. media are paying close attention to this lawsuit not only because it will determine Google's fate but also because its outcome could affect the competitive environment of the technology industry for decades to come. WP reported that regulators are concerned that if they do not act now, Silicon Valley giants could use their already established market dominance to control next-generation technologies and suppress innovation in future fields such as artificial intelligence (AI).
Since the Biden administration took office, the Department of Justice has shown interest in curbing big tech's abuse of market dominance, including filing an antitrust lawsuit against Google in January, alleging unfair competition in the digital advertising market.
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