Google and Justice Department to Present Closing Arguments in Antitrust Case

Google and the Department of Justice are set to present their closing arguments Friday (May 30) in an antitrust case that could force the tech giant to sell its Chrome browser, stop paying Apple to be its default search engine and share data with competitors.

The DOJ has argued that these remedies are necessary to improve competition in online search, while Google is expected to counter that the proposals go too far and that narrower remedies would allow greater competition, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Friday.

A ruling in the case is expected to be issued in August, according to the report.

The DOJ filed its antitrust lawsuit against Google in October 2020, alleging that the company monopolizes the search and ad markets and maintains those monopolies by taking part in anticompetitive activities.

The department said at the time that 80% of search queries in the United States were conducted on search channels owned or controlled by the tech giant.

Google countered that it had not committed any wrongdoing and that users were free to choose any browser or site.

A federal judge ruled in August 2024 that Google violated antitrust laws with its monopoly over online search and related ads.

When announcing the ruling, the judge highlighted that Google paid $26.3 billion in 2021 alone to ensure its search engine remains the default on smartphones and browsers, thus maintaining its dominant market share.

The ruling set the stage for a subsequent trial to explore potential remedies.

In November 2024, the DOJ proposed breaking up Google to curb its dominance in the search engine market.

Among the proposed remedies were a forced sale of Google’s Chrome browser, which the DOJ described as a “critical search access point” that gives Google an unfair advantage; a ban on Google’s lucrative deals that make its search engine the default on devices like Apple’s iPhone; and a requirement that Google license its search index data to competitors, making it easier for rival search engines to compete.

On the following day, Google blasted the DOJ’s proposal to remedy the government’s antitrust claims, saying it was “radical,” “overbroad” and would “break” a range of popular Google products.