United States v. Google LLC (2020)
Antitrust case alleging Google illegally dominates internet search / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
United States v. Google LLC is an ongoing federal antitrust case brought by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) against Google LLC on October 20, 2020. The suit alleges that Google has violated the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 by illegally monopolizing the search engine and search advertising markets, most notably on Android devices.[1]
United States v. Google LLC | |
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Court | United States District Court for the District of Columbia |
Full case name | United States, State of Arkansas, State of Florida, State of Georgia, State of Indiana, Commonwealth of Kentucky, State of Louisiana, State of Mississippi, State of Missouri, State of Montana, State of South Carolina and State of Texas v. Google LLC |
Started | October 20, 2020 |
Court membership | |
Judge(s) sitting | Amit P. Mehta |
The lawsuit has been described as a "blockbuster antitrust trial",[2] and has been widely described as the most important federal antitrust lawsuit since the 1998 United States v. Microsoft Corp. case.[3] In the suit, the DOJ accused Google of accumulating monopoly power through unlawful deals with Apple and mobile carriers.[4]
On September 12, 2023, the ten-week trial began in the District Court for the District of Columbia with judge Amit Mehta presiding.[5] Google began its defense in court on October 26,[6] with the trial concluding on November 16.[7] Final arguments by both the government and Google were made in court on May 3 and May 4, 2024.[8]
Legal commentators anticipate that there will likely be an appeal, regardless of how the case is decided.[9] The outcome of the case is considered to have a potential bearing on the subsequently-filed federal antitrust suits against fellow "Big Tech" companies Meta Platforms, Amazon, and Apple.[10][11][12] The DOJ filed a second antitrust lawsuit against Google over the company's advertising market practices in 2023.[13]