Summary: A three-week trial is before us, starting today, and it could shatter Google the way we know it. This is a remedies hearing following Google’s defeat in court last year. It regards Google’s Search dominance. After this trial, Google will be ordered to make specific steps in order to appease the Court.
A three-week trial is before us. A trial that could shatter Google as we know it, basically. Google has lost to DOJ last week, when it was ruled that Google unlawfully maintained a monopoly over key segments of the ad tech industry.
This three-week remedies trial could shatter Google as we know it
Google will appeal that decision, but before that happens, a new three-week trial is here, starting today. Google is facing the DOJ once again, as it’ll try to prevent the breakup of its company.
This is part of the search monopoly case against Google, and it follows the loss in court Google suffered last year. The trial will take place in a Washington courtroom. This is a remedy hearing, just to be clear, as Google already lost the battle in court.
Many witnesses will take the stand, including Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai. The DOJ wants a federal judge to take some radical measures in order to change the course of things for Google. Based on the rulling, it could mean huge changes for Google, including a breakup of the company.
The DOJ has a number of requests, but it remains to be seen what the remedies list will look like
The DOJ wants the federal judge to ban Google from striking multibillion-dollar deals with Apple and other tech companies. That is seen as a way to maintain the Search monopoly. That is only one of the details that will be decided. A full set of remedies should be laid out at the end of the trial.
“Google’s illegal conduct has created an economic goliath, one that wreaks havoc over the marketplace to ensure that — no matter what occurs — Google always wins”, said the DOJ in documents which outlined possible penalties for Google.
Google, on the other hand, says that the DOJ’s proposed changes are unwarranted. Google laid out a number of reasons for that during the trial and after it, but the main one is… consumers actually want to use it, they’re not forced to.
Things will get really heated up in the courtroom over the next three weeks.
