Google has won a partial reprieve in one of the antitrust cases against the company. Federal Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and certain states cannot claim that Google is protecting a monopoly by promoting its own products in search results over alternatives. The judge also dismissed antitrust allegations related to Android’s compatibility, Google Assistant, internet of things devices, and the Android Open Source Project.
However, the DOJ can still make its remaining arguments in the case, particularly regarding Google’s deals with Android manufacturers that require pre-loading Google apps and making Google the default search engine. The DOJ and states are concerned that such deals stifle competition and prevent other search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo from gaining traction.
Google welcomed the judge’s decision to dismiss the search issues and maintained that its practices are competitive and lawful. The lawsuit was filed in 2020, and potential penalties for Google could include fines, business restrictions, or breaking up divisions into separate companies.
It’s worth noting that this is not the only antitrust case against Google, and the narrowed scope of this particular case might make it more challenging for the plaintiffs and limit potential damages.
