The Justice Department told a federal court Thursday that Google’s monopoly on the search market may have delayed numerous technological innovations, such as ChatGPT, from being released years ago. Kenneth Dintzer, the Justice Department’s lead lawyer in the antitrust case against Google, cited the company’s delayed release of ChatGPT as proof of Google’s monopolization of the search market.
Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., disputed the Justice Department’s claim and argued that their agreement with Apple Inc. to be the default search engine on the Safari browser has generated competition between other search engines. John Schmidtlein, Google’s attorney, maintained that the advantages granted to the search engine through the agreement does not violate any antitrust laws. Judge Amit Mehta asked for further explanation from both sides, questioning whether the product was getting better because of the default status given to the search engine.
The Justice Department’s argument concluded with a call to eliminate Google’s exclusivity from their contracts, thus permitting potential competitors to bid for access points on different platforms. Mehta is expected to rule on the case this summer.
Google is one of the most innovative and popular multinational technology companies in the world, specializing in internet-related services, products, and software. Established in 1998, Google has grown to become the world’s most widely used search engine and one of the most valuable companies in the world. Its services include the popular web browser Chrome, the Google Play Store, the Google Maps app, and the YouTube streaming platform.
John Schmidtlein is an attorney representing Google in its antitrust case against the Justice Department and state attorneys general. Schmidtlein has a long history of representing large tech companies including Apple, Adobe, Volkswagen, and Uber. He is an advocate of antitrust law and is experienced in defending companies in such cases. He attended Yale Law School before joining the Orrick Law Firm, where he is a partner.
