Google and the Department of Justice are battling it out in court in the largest antitrust trial of the past 25 years, expected to have profound implications for the search giant and US authorities. “This case is about the future of the Internet and whether Google will ever face meaningful competition,” said Kenneth Dentzer, a Justice Department lawyer, getting straight to the heart of the accusations against Mountain View. Google, Dentzer explains, pays $10 billion annually to maintain its search monopoly through agreements used as a weapon to discourage competitors and force giants such as Apple and Samsung to use its search engine by default on smartphones and computers.
“The evidence will show that he sought exclusivity of virtual use to block competitors. The company paid billions to guarantee defaults because it had unique power. Over the past 12 years, Google has abused its search monopoly. Google denies the accusations,” explains John Schmidtlin, a lawyer. Mountain View said, “Users today have more options than ever before to search for and access information online.” He adds that the picture drawn by the authorities does not accurately reflect Google’s position in the market, which is committed to adopting many pro-competitive policies. “This case concerns… “At Microsoft,” Schmidtlin highlights, referring to another giant of the same size that has its own search engine, Bing. It is unpopular “for various reasons,” as Google’s lawyer explains, including Microsoft’s failure to invest and innovate. It’s also important to keep in mind that when looking for services and content, Mountain View has competition from many niche services, such as Walmart and Amazon for shopping, Expedia and Booking.com for travel, and Uber and Grubhub for lunch and dinner delivery. The trial that has just begun is Without a jury it is expected to last 10 weeks, at least until November, then a judge will decide Metha. The US authorities have not yet published the list of witnesses they will summon, but it is possible that they include Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Apple President Eddie Cue. Testimony from Sundar Pichai, Google’s first CEO, is also expected. If Justice Mitha rules against Google, a second proceeding will be opened, again under his supervision, to determine remedies for the illegal conduct. The Ministry of Justice has not yet announced what it might ask for, but according to many observers, it could go so far as to demand severe penalties for the community.
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