It's will be 'tough sledding' for DOJ in Google lawsuit: Former N.Y. state antitrust bureau chief

The DOJ lawsuit marks the first time a serious antitrust charge has been brought against Google on the federal level in its home country. Attorneys general from every state besides Alabama have also been probing Google’s practices. California’s attorney general has not confirmed its investigation, but Politico reported last month that the state had opened its own probe separate from the multistate effort led by Texas.

On a call with reporters Tuesday, DOJ officials said they continue to keep lines of communication open to states that had not initially joined the suit and said that those enforcers expressed broad support for the issues in the suit.

Several state attorneys general that did not join the DOJ lawsuit released a joint statement after the case was filed, saying they would join forces with the agency if they decide later to file a case.

“Over the last year, both the US DOJ and state attorneys general have conducted separate but parallel investigations into Google’s anticompetitive market behavior,” attorneys general from Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Tennessee, New York, North Carolina, and Utah said in the statement. “We appreciate the strong bipartisan cooperation among the states and the good working relationship with the DOJ on these serious issues. This is a historic time for both federal and state antitrust authorities, as we work to protect competition and innovation in our technology markets. We plan to conclude parts of our investigation of Google in the coming weeks. If we decide to file a complaint, we would file a motion to consolidate our case with the DOJ’s. We would then litigate the consolidated case cooperatively, much as we did in the Microsoft case.”

On the press call, DOJ Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said the suit marked “a milestone but not a stopping point” in the agency’s review of digital platforms that began in 2019. He said the department would continue to look into dominant internet platforms for potential misconduct.

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[cd]

Personally I feel very forced to use Google, not like they have a gun to my head but if I do not, I cannot keep up with society and my business activity. As much as I like Google they need to be much better regulated and I am glad the DOJ is doing something about it.

[oneseater]

Hell yeah I said it, & It's True. Don't get angry at me !

[gusmanue]

This case is waste of time and money this is the 2nd attorney to say that the case is against google is weak

[hostiliscivitas]

Google should be forced to divest YouTube