Bloomberg: Google Tweaks Ad Auctions to Hit Revenue Targets, Executive Says. “Alphabet Inc.’s Google has tweaked its advertising auctions to ensure it meets revenue targets, sometimes increasing ad prices by as much as 5%, an executive for the company testified Monday at a federal antitrust trial.”
Reuters: Google launches last-ditch effort to overturn $2.6 billion EU antitrust fine. “Alphabet’s Google on Tuesday made a last-ditch effort at Europe’s top court to overturn a 2.42 billion euro ($2.6 billion) EU antitrust fine imposed for market abuse related to its shopping service, saying that regulators failed to show that its practices were anti-competitive.”
New York Times: The Google Trial Is Going to Rewrite Our Future. “The Google antitrust trial, which began last week, is ostensibly focused on the past — on a series of deals that Google made with other companies over the past two decades. The prosecution in the case, U.S. et al. v. Google, contends that Google illegally spent billions of dollars paying off Samsung and Apple to prevent anyone else from gaining a foothold in the market for online search.”
Harvard Gazette: So what exactly is Google accused of?. “Digital economy expert says much of antitrust case comes down to how much influence search giant wields on default setting on devices like phones, PCs.”
Reuters: US judge will not order DOJ official to exit Google advertising case. “U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema on Friday declined to order a Justice Department official to stay out of the government’s advertising antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet’s Google but said the department ‘should think about it.’”
Business Tech (South Africa): South Africa launches major investigation into Google, Facebook, TikTok and ChatGPT. “The Competition Commission has published the final terms of reference for its Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry, which aims to sniff out imbalances and competition issues related to dominant news aggregators and local South African media publications. According to the commission, the inquiry is specifically looking at the growing imbalance between news publishers in South Africa and large platforms like Google, Facebook and Apple, which take extracts of copyrighted work and place them on aggregated news feeds.”
Bloomberg: Google Trial Spotlights Internal Dispute Over Algorithm vs Data. “What is more important to a successful online search business: the computing algorithm that decides what results to display or the data that tracks the results of user clicks? Even within Alphabet Inc.’s Google, the world’s largest search engine, that question has been hotly debated for years. And now it’s a key feature in a landmark antitrust trial, where the US Justice Department claims Google spends billions of dollars to stifle competition and preserve its monopoly over online search.”
TechCrunch: Google’s big antitrust trial kicks off, with even bigger implications. “The Justice Department’s landmark antitrust case against Google kicked off in court today, marking the beginning of a trial that will stretch on for months, potentially upending the tech world in the process. At issue is Google’s search business. The Justice Department says that Google has run afoul of antitrust laws in the course of maintaining its top spot in search, while the tech giant argues that it maintains its dominance naturally by offering consumers a superior product.”
WIRED: Is Google’s Search Engine Smart or Sneaky? A Court Will Decide. “A FAMILY MEMBER’S hurried Google search for a last-second visa to visit New Zealand recently caused a headache—and provided a timely reminder of why Google faces a landmark US antitrust trial next week. Tapping on the first link took us off to a website that after a few swipes charged $118 for the necessary paperwork. Only later did it emerge that we’d paid a so-called ‘internet-based travel technology company’ and not a government agency, and been fleeced for more than double the required cost.”
Reuters: Google reaches tentative settlement in US Play Store lawsuit. “Alphabet’s Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) on Tuesday tentatively settled a class action suit alleging that its U.S. Play Store had violated U.S. federal antitrust rules by overcharging customers, according to a court filing. Details of the settlement were not disclosed.”
New York Times: Google Turns to a Steady Old Hand to Fight Antitrust Charges. “Google and its parent company, Alphabet, are facing their most significant legal challenge. They are preparing to face off next week in federal court against the Justice Department and a collection of states, which claim the tech giant illegally abused its monopoly power to keep its search engine on top. The Justice Department has argued that Google illegally used agreements with phone makers like Apple and Samsung, as well as internet browsers like Mozilla, to be the default search engine for their users, preventing smaller rivals from getting access to that business.”
Bloomberg: Big Tech firms bracing for EU’s biggest antitrust crackdown; Apple, Alphabet, Meta likely to be affected. “Big Tech is bracing for the European Union’s biggest ever clampdown on anti-competitive practices in the digital economy, potentially provoking a new wave of legal battles between regulators and Silicon Valley. By Sept. 6, antitrust regulators will announce a list of services likely to include Alphabet Inc.’s Google Search, Apple Inc.’s App Store, Amazon.com Inc.’s marketplace and Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook, to be targeted by rules aimed at preventing the most powerful firms from wrecking new markets before it’s too late to act.”
Bloomberg: Google Alleges ‘Deep-Seated Bias’ by DOJ Top Antitrust Official. “Alphabet Inc.’s Google told a federal court Thursday that it should be allowed to interview the Justice Department’s top antitrust official under oath, alleging his ‘deep-seated bias’ against the company led the federal government to sue it for antitrust violations.”
The Messenger: A DOJ Crackdown Targets Social Media. “U.S. Justice Department crackdown on the governance of competing companies has led to the resignations of 15 directors from 11 company boards over at least the past eight or nine months. Now it is now focusing on social media.”
TechCrunch: Google pushes Match for more money in antitrust battle, court filing states. “Google has filed a new motion to the court in its antitrust battle with Epic Games and Match Group, where it claims that the dating app maker owes additional fees beyond the $40 million that had been previously set aside in escrow. Those funds are Google’s cut of Match’s in-app payments on Google Play that Match argues are ‘illegal under federal and state law’ — something the court case will decide. By Google’s calculations, the new figure should total around $84 million instead, based on Match’s public earnings.”
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