Google lost a huge antitrust case. A federal judge in Virginia determined Thursday that the search giant maintained an illegal monopoly in the online advertising market, earning more money and taking advantage of its competitive position. The Justice Department, which has launched lawsuits with several states, is asking Google to dissolve.
For Google, and perhaps for the big technology overall, the timing of this news won't get worse.
“The court has confirmed that Google is using monopoly… locking up publishers, seizing competition in AD exchanges, violating antitrust laws, putting digital markets and information environment under Google's control.” “It's an illegal monopoly, simple and simple.”
Google suffers from consecutive losses in court. I feel that this is a turning point.
Google suffers from consecutive losses in court. I feel that this is a turning point.
“We are reaching a moment of sincere crisis,” said Davi Ottenheimer, vice president of Trust and Digital Ethics at Data Privacy Company. “And that's what we have to get to get a move in the US.
Again, if you learn something from decades of antitrust enforcement in the US, it's difficult to dissolve large companies, especially large tech companies. Microsoft avoided disbanding after losing a groundbreaking antitrust case in 1998 over the Internet Explorer bundle on Windows. Nevertheless, its remedy from control helped to intensify competition in the browser space and ultimately pave the way for Google Chrome, the protagonist of Google's anti-trust drama.
And we don't know if Trump will stop these lawsuits if he decides that is what he wants. Zuckerberg, who has courted millions of Trump in recent months, probably loves this option. FTC chair Ferguson recently told Verge that when Trump asked, “I will follow a legal order,” but “I'm very surprised if that happens.”
