U.S v. Google: Search Engine Practices

Case Study

Google's search engine is well-known for its popularity among users. This popularity has led to concerns about its market dominance and competition. Consequently, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an antitrust complaint against Google LLC on October 20, 2020, alleging that the company used exclusive agreements to maintain its monopoly in the markets for search services and related advertising. On August 5, 2024, the court determined that Google possessed monopoly power in the market for general search services and search text ads, ruling that its exclusive agreements were anticompetitive. This discussion aims to explore the economic factors behind the court's decision.