Tech giant Google has become a household name in Long Beach and across the U.S. However, it is not without its legal woes. The company is now facing antitrust lawsuits brought by several groups in the U.S.
The Department of Justice lawsuit
The DOJ has filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming the company is trying to maintain a monopoly by tying up channels of distribution that could be used by competing companies. The lawsuit also claims Google executed exclusionary contracts to make its products the default status on manufacturers’ devices, for example, by making its search engine the default search engine on Apple products.
The Republican state attorney generals’ lawsuit
Texas along with nine other Republican state attorney generals have filed a lawsuit against Google based on its advertising technology and a purported anticompetitive agreement with the social media giant Facebook. According to the lawsuit, Google exerted its market power to encourage advertisers to use its products throughout the ad-buying process, harming consumers. The lawsuit also claims that Google manipulated auctions that benefited Facebook to keep the competition at bay.
The bipartisan attorney generals’ lawsuit
Attorney generals from 38 states also filed a lawsuit against Google. Like the DOJ’s lawsuit, this lawsuit claimed Google entered into exclusionary contracts. However, this lawsuit also claims Google locked up distribution channels and limited the ability of other search providers to reach consumers. The lawsuit also claims Google kept advertisers from being able to interoperate between Google ad tools and competing ad tools.
Time will tell where these lawsuits will lead
It remains to be seen what the outcomes of these lawsuits will be. However, claims of antitrust violations are very serious. Business law attorneys can provide further insight into these and similar claims.
