In October 2020 the DOJ filed against Google along with a number of other Attorney Generals from 10 plus states. Here is the general gist of the suit:

The Complaint alleges that Google’s anticompetitive practices have had harmful effects on competition and consumers. Google has foreclosed any meaningful search competitor from gaining vital distribution and scale, eliminating competition for a majority of search queries in the United States. By restricting competition in search, Google’s conduct has harmed consumers by reducing the quality of search (including on dimensions such as privacy, data protection, and use of consumer data), lessening choice in search, and impeding innovation. By suppressing competition in advertising, Google has the power to charge advertisers more than it could in a competitive market and to reduce the quality of the services it provides them. Through filing the lawsuit, the Department seeks to stop Google’s anticompetitive conduct and restore competition for American consumers, advertisers, and all companies now reliant on the internet economy.

In particular, the Complaint alleges that Google has unlawfully maintained monopolies in search and search advertising by:

Entering into exclusivity agreements that forbid preinstallation of any competing search service.Entering into tying and other arrangements that force preinstallation of its search applications in prime locations on mobile devices and make them undeletable, regardless of consumer preference.Note the market share: Chrome - ~70%, Safari 3.7%, FF 7.7% all with Google Search Note: Even higher if you use Statista which has Safari and Firefox combined for ~17%

Entering into long-term agreements with Apple that require Google to be the default – and de facto exclusive – general search engine on Apple’s popular Safari browser and other Apple search tools.Note: Droid 73%, Apple 26.5% per Stat Counter that is 99.5% of phonesGenerally using monopoly profits to buy preferential treatment for its search engine on devices, web browsers, and other search access points, creating a continuous and self-reinforcing cycle of monopolization.

So at a high level that is what this episode talks about - those 3 main points and what is going to happen next (possibly and most likely).

Disclaimer - since this again is an episode about law we want to remind you that this write up is not quotes but a general summary. This also goes for the transcription since it is done by AI and thus not 100% accurate.

Google and Google Properties

We talk about a number of Google owned properties including how YouTube is one of the largest sites in terms of traffic and searches.

A recent study by Moz of 2.1M searches and 766K videos, YouTube accounted for 94% of all video carousel results on page one of Google, leaving little room for competition. Thanks to Dr. Pete for help as we (Dave) missed this study.

Google Antitrust Documents and Resources

Full DOJ Press ReleaseEpisode 78 - Google and AntitrustEpisode 123 - Interview with Former FTC Commish Maureen OhlhausenDOJ Tweet“Today, millions of Americans rely on the Internet and online platforms…Competition in this industry is vitally important, which is why today’s challenge against Google…for violating antitrust laws is a monumental case both for the DOJ and for the American people.” — AG BarrGoogle's Response“Today’s lawsuit by the Department of Justice is deeply flawed. People use Google because they choose to, not because they’re forced to, or because they can’t find alternatives.”News Coveragehttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/technology/antitrust-google.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/oct/21/google-antitrust-charges-what-is-nexthttps://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/24/google-antitrust-suit-shows-its-lost-its-halo-rivals-say.htmlhttps://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/10/antitrust-suit-against-google-watershed-moment-0

Microsoft Antitrust Compared to Google Antitrust

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