First Microsoft, and now Google. The antitrust trial against the massive tech company is set to begin today, September 11, 2023. The 10-week-long trial will determine the Department of Justice’s claims over Google’s dominance on internet search engines and its alleged suppression of competition.
Initially filed in October 2020, the DOJ lawsuit claimed that Google uses paid placement to maintain its search engine’s dominance, preventing the growth of rival search engines and thus resulting in less innovation and choice for Internet users.
The DOJ claimed that this alleged monopoly negatively affects advertisers, who are forced to pay the price Google is charging for ads due to that lack of choice. Two months later, representatives of 38 states filed a similar suit against Google.
A long list of search engine competitors will be following the trial closely including one of Google’s loudest rivals DuckDuckGo.
“Even though DuckDuckGo provides something extremely valuable that people want and Google won’t provide — real privacy — Google makes it unduly difficult to use DuckDuckGo by default. We’re glad this issue is finally going to have its day in court,” said DuckDuckGo spokesperson Kamyl Bazbaz in a statement.
Google continues to deny the claims within the lawsuit, claiming that consumers use Google not because they have to, but because “they want to.”
“We plan to demonstrate at trial that our Search distribution agreements reflect choices by browsers and device makers based on the quality of our services and the preferences of consumers,” wrote President of Global Affairs, Google & Alphabet Kent Walker in a recent blog post.
The case is set to be the biggest opposition against modern-day tech companies since the DOJ’s lawsuit against Microsoft in 1998 when Microsoft faced allegations of attempting to establish a monopoly by distributing its browser software at no cost.
If the DOJ is successful with its lawsuit against Google, it will likely kick start a domino effect of suits against other companies dominating the tech field including new emerging technologies like generative AI.
