On Friday, Google provided insight into its strategy for taking on the U.S. government's claims of illegality at the upcoming trial in D.C. District Court. The trial is notable as it's the first significant tech antimonopoly case to be heard in the U.S. for many years. Despite the allegations, Google has steadfastly maintained that the accusations are "deeply flawed."
Google has defended its conduct leading up to the trial which will take place in the District of Columbia District Court next week. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a coalition of state attorneys general are alleging that Google used exclusionary contracts to limit rivals access to the general search market. Additionally, Google has been accused of not allowing Microsoft's Bing to collaborate with its search advertising tool.Kent Walker, president of global affairs for Google, posted in a blog post that the government's case is flawed and highlighted the following points in defense:
- Google's distribution agreements have not negatively impacted search competition as demonstrated by the numerous search tools available.
- Browser and device makers choose Google based on the quality of their products, not just through payment.
- Other search engines, such as Bing and Yahoo, pay to be featured on Apple's Safari.
- The payments Google makes to device makers and carriers are considered to be marketing.
- Customers can easily change search engine defaults on their devices.
- Making the search ad tool interoperable with Bing would require Google to prioritize Microsoft over its own customers.
The DOJ and Colorado state AG's office have yet to comment on the situation.
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