DOJ and Google will present closing arguments in antitrust trial

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Google will present closing arguments on Thursday and Friday in the government’s case, alleging that the technology giant illegally maintained and operated a monopoly in the online search market.

Closing arguments will bring Google and the DOJ back to U.S. District Court after concluding a 10-week trial in November that focused on the ways Google has maintained its market dominance.

A central component of the allegations brought forward by the DOJ, along with a coalition of state attorneys general, centers on agreements Google has reached with partners such as Apple to be the default search engine on devices. This debate will likely emerge as a prominent point in closing arguments.

Google has pushed back hard regarding allegations of anti-competitive behavior through the agreements. Google’s main defense is that its search engine is better, and that’s how it maintains its dominance and secures deals with partners to be the default service.

“We are working very, very hard; for any query, we provide the best experience,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai during his testimony in October. “That has always been our true north.”

But the DOJ’s closing arguments will likely highlight how the government believes Google has failed to explain why the company paid to secure the default settlements.

During the test, it was revealed that Google paid $26 billion in 2021 to secure its position as the default search engine on mobile phones and web browsers.

The allegations of anticompetitive behavior in the case also focus on the business that Google has built through its dominance in the search market and the search advertising market.

The closing arguments before Judge Amit Mehta, who is judging the case, will be separated by theme during Thursday and Friday. Thursday’s arguments will focus on general search claims, and Friday’s will focus on search advertising.

The case before Mehta focuses exclusively on liability. Once a decision has been made, possible solutions will be considered.

The trial is one of two antitrust cases the DOJ has filed against Google. The department also has a case focused on Google’s dominance in the digital advertising market. Google also rejected these claims.