The Google antitrust trial is nearly over. It has drawn comparisons to the Microsoft antitrust case. The long, tedious trial may be coming to an end after two months. Google’s lead trial lawyer, John Schmidtlein, pointed out the differences between the two cases but was cut off by Judge Amit P. Mehta. The trial is expected to conclude by Thanksgiving, with a ruling coming next year. The judge’s decision will be based on both the facts of the trial and the legal framework set by previous cases, such as the 1990s Microsoft case. The government’s argument focuses on the power of data and barriers to competition. Google’s contracts with other tech companies to protect its business are at the center of the trial, similar to Microsoft’s contracts with PC makers in the past. The government claims these contracts are illegal. If the government and states win, the judge will determine the appropriate remedy, likely guided by legal precedent. There are calls for stronger sanctions to encourage competition, but pushing the boundary during the remedy phase would be a real challenge.
