US judge will not delay Google search trial for DOJ switch to Trump administration
Adds details of proposals, background on case, paragraphs 1-9
By Jody Godoy
Nov 26 (Reuters) -A trial on the U.S. Department of Justice's proposals to diminish Google's dominance in online search will not be delayed to give Trump administration officials more time to revise the request, the judge overseeing the case said on Tuesday.
The DOJ has proposed forcing Alphabet's GOOGL.O Google to sell its Chrome browser, and potentially the Android mobile operating system, to take away distribution points for Google search. President-elect Donald Trump expressed skepticism about a Google breakup in October.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington said he would not move the trial, scheduled for April, in the event that DOJ officials appointed by Trump intend to revise the proposals.
"If there is going to be a re-evaluation of the remedies that are being requested, it needs to be done quickly," the judge said at a hearing.
The DOJ sued Google in 2020, during Trump's first term. Mehta ruled in August that Google holds an illegal monopoly in online search and related advertising.
The DOJ under U.S. President Joe Biden has proposed not only to make Google sell the world's most widely used Web browser, but also to share data and search results with rivals.
The wide-ranging proposal also seeks to prohibit Google to from buying or investing in search rivals, query-based artificial intelligence products or advertising technology.
Google has called the proposals "staggering," and said they would harm American competitiveness.
How artificial intelligence affects the landscape for online search is expected to be a key theme at the trial. Prosecutors have said they plan to call witnesses from ChatGPT creator OpenAI, artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, Microsoft MSFT.O and Meta Platforms META.O.
Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York
Editing by Matthew Lewis
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
