United States of America: Issued ruling on motion for summary judgment in antitrust lawsuit against Google concerning the digital advertising market

On 3 August 2023, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued its ruling over Google’s motion for summary judgment in the antitrust lawsuit filed on October 2020 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) along with several Attorneys General for allegedly creating and maintaining a monopoly in the internet search market. In particular, the court denied summary judgment regarding the claim that Google unlawfully maintained its monopoly power through a set of exclusive contracts that made Google the default search engine on a range of products in exchange for a share of the advertising revenue generated by searches run on Google. More specifically, the court will assess whether Google’s exclusivity deals for web browsers and preloading its services on Android devices unlawfully helped the internet company maintain a monopoly. The trial is scheduled to begin on 12 September 2023. Notably, the court granted Google's motion concerning the allegation that the company’s conduct weakened Specialized Vertical Providers (SVPs) such as Expedia or Tripadvisor for travel, OpenTable for restaurant reservations, and Amazon or eBay for shopping.