U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta posed questions to both the Justice Department and Alphabet’s Google during the initial phase of closing arguments in the government’s antitrust lawsuit against the leading online search provider.
Throughout the trial, the Justice Department criticized Google, arguing that the search engine titan has monopolized the market and unlawfully exploited its dominance for its own gain. The judge’s inquiries included references to Microsoft’s admission during the trial that it had not adequately invested in mobile search. Mehta questioned whether Google’s success in mobile search should be seen as anticompetitive, given Microsoft’s oversight.
Google’s attorney, John Schmidtlein, refuted claims of anticompetitive behavior by the company. The trial, initiated under the Trump administration, is the first of several aimed at curbing the market influence of major tech firms.
Judge Mehta will determine whether Google violated antitrust laws and, if necessary, will consider appropriate penalties. Testimonies from various witnesses, including Verizon, Samsung Electronics, and Google itself, shed light on the company’s significant annual payments to secure default search positions on smartphones and browsers, contributing to its dominant market position.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledged the importance of default search placement to maintain user loyalty. However, Google argues that its search engine’s popularity stems from its quality rather than anticompetitive practices, suggesting that users have the freedom to switch if dissatisfied.
Despite Google’s substantial financial investments and Pichai’s acknowledgment of their significance, the company’s lawyers maintain that default status has limited impact on user loyalty and retention.
