Judge finds Google search results do not harm rivals in antitrust case.
A Win for Google in Legal Battle Over Antitrust Accusations
A federal judge has ruled in favor of Google, stating that state attorneys general failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that Google’s dominance in search has caused significant harm to its competitors. This ruling is a significant victory for the search engine in its ongoing legal battle over antitrust violations.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, in an unsealed ruling on Friday, stated that the lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice and 11 states lacked substantial evidence to support the claim that Google’s search practices harmed companies like Yelp and Expedia. As a result, the lawsuit will be scaled back significantly.
“Simply put, there is no record evidence of anticompetitive harm,” Mehta wrote, emphasizing that the states’ case relied heavily on opinion and speculation rather than concrete evidence.
However, Mehta did allow allegations to remain that Google made deals with companies like Samsung and Apple to set its search engine as the default option, effectively excluding competitors such as Microsoft’s Bing from the majority of marketplaces. These specific details will be addressed in a trial scheduled for September 12.
The lawsuit was filed by the Department of Justice and the states of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, and Texas in the District of Columbia District Court in 2020.
In addition to this lawsuit, Google is also facing legal challenges from the Department of Justice regarding allegations of online advertising dominance and a separate suit from newspaper publisher Gannett concerning its control of digital advertising.
Employment Growth Slowing, with 187,000 Jobs Added in July
On a different note, employment growth appears to be slowing down, with only 187,000 jobs added in July. This data suggests a potential slowdown in the job market, raising concerns about the overall economic recovery.
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