Factbox-Google grows antitrust woes in US cases over search, apps, ads Via Reuters
Written by Mike Scarcella
(Reuters) – In the space of two days this week, Alphabet’s Google (NASDAQ: encourage the company to limit its hold on internet search.
Here’s a look at US antitrust cases that have Google playing defense and could help shape the company’s future.
ANDROID APPS
US District Judge James Donato in San Francisco on Monday ordered Google to overhaul parts of its Android apps business, spelling out major changes for consumers, developers and manufacturers of mobile devices. For three years from November, Google under the order must allow Android users to download rival app platforms and use competing in-app payment methods, and cannot pay device makers to prioritize its Play app store.
The order came in a lawsuit filed by “Fortnite” video game maker Epic Games in 2020 accusing Google of controlling distribution and payments for the Android app. Google said it will appeal the judge’s decision in the case and challenge the court-ordered changes.
Google in a related Play lawsuit said it would pay $700 million to settle claims by consumers and US states over app pricing. That proposed compensation is pending Donato, who questioned whether the amount was sufficient.
Separately, Epic last month filed a new lawsuit accusing Google of colluding with device maker Samsung ( KS: ) to protect Play from competition. Samsung and Google have denied the claims.
ONLINE SEARCH
Google’s dominance in internet search is at the heart of a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department in federal court in Washington in 2020. In that case, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled in August that Google had illegally created a monopoly by paying billions of dollars to its rivals. making it the default search engine in the world.
The Justice Department told a judge on Tuesday that it may seek an order to break up parts of Google to fix the company’s violations. Specific government proposals – such as forcing Google to abandon its Chrome browser and Android operating system – are due in November.
Google will propose its remedies in late December, and the judge is scheduled to hear arguments in April 2025.
DIJHOVA ADVERTISING
Outside of search and apps, Google is facing three lawsuits challenging its dominance of the online display advertising market. US District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia held a non-jury hearing last month in a lawsuit filed last year by the Justice Department and a group of states. Google is accused of illegally dominating all sides of the ad market, forcing customers to use its products and using its size to crush competitors. Closing arguments are scheduled for late November.
Google is also fighting two related lawsuits in federal courts in Texas and New York.
Texas is leading a group of states suing Google over digital ads in a lawsuit scheduled for trial in March 2025. Publishers and advertisers are pursuing related claims challenging Google’s ad technology practices, saying they’ve been overcharged and lost revenue.
