“Google’s gotten in big legal trouble…are they really the superior company, or just a bully?”
You probably browse the web a lot. Chances are, whenever you do, it’s the Google search engine that pops up by default in the browser you’re using. That’s because it is the default- on every modern Apple and Samsung product, among others. But this is the primary factor which has landed Google in court, facing antitrust charges larger than the industry has seen in many years. The trial’s first opening remarks were delivered on September 12.
It boils down to this: this massive tech titan has been ahead of the game when it comes to web services for nearly 20 years. Of those 20, Google has made a series of “exclusivity deals” with various companies- most prominently Apple- in the past 10. These deals have allowed Google to control the market in a number of ways, from being the first thing you see when you click on Safari, to showing you a Google search bar whenever you open your Android phone, to withholding valuable search data from competitors like Microsoft Bing.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) claims that the actions taken by Google are stifling competition, and even that they’ve been “illegally maintaining a monopoly for over a decade,” according to DOJ lawyer Kenneth Dintzer. Although these actions aren’t illegal on their own, they can be considered “anti-competitive” if they push out rivals without any benefit to consumers. The question is whether the DOJ can prove these two points to be true or not.
What does Google have to say on the matter? Well, more or less that they’re just better. In fact, Kent Walker, one of the company’s senior lawyers and executives, has come out with an official statement that “people don’t use Google because they have to — they use it because they want to.” He expands on this, insisting that it’s very easy for somebody to change their default browser or remove unwanted widgets. Most don’t though, and Walker says that’s because Google is simply more “innovative” and “helpful” than the rest.
This case could be huge- Forbes news and others are calling it “the biggest antitrust trial in decades”. If Google loses, they won’t just suffer monetary damages. The DOJ is looking to put an end to all of the company’s questionable contracts. The goal is to improve diversity in the market, not just so Bing or Yahoo can ascend the throne, but so other up-and-coming businesses have a chance to make a name for themselves. So keep an eye out- if you start seeing a little less Google all around you in the following year, this could be why.
Photo Source: Time Magazine