But the allegations that Google’s overall business practices constitute a monopoly that violates the 1890 Sherman Act still deserve a trial, the judge said.
The trial will be a major test for Google and the massive business empire it has assembled over the past two decades. The company is still the dominant portal to the internet, exercising immense power over what people see online. The case is the culmination of one of many antitrust investigations launched against Google and other Big Tech companies over the last several years.
“People have more ways than ever to access information, and they choose to use Google because it’s helpful. We look forward to showing at trial that promoting and distributing our services is both legal and pro-competitive,” said Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs and chief legal officer.
The DOJ didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The trial will begin in the midst of a boom in generative AI — a wave of new technology that has been pushed by Google’s competitors and has thrown the company onto its back foot. Google executives have already begun arguing that the rise of AI companies like OpenAI shows that the tech world is still competitive and that the company doesn’t have an unfair grip on who wins and who loses, as some antitrust experts and the company’s competitors have argued.
