U.S. Case Against Google Mimics Suit That Weakened Microsoft
- Government antitrust litigator warns ‘nothing’s off the table’
- Google attorney leans on grocery store analogy in defense
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The U.S. government’s antitrust case against Google follows a similar path to its attack on Microsoft Corp. more than 20 years ago -- and that should make the internet giant nervous.
The suit focuses on payments Google makes to ensure its search engine is the default on mobile phones and web browsers. Google’s dominant market share and massive revenue allows it to spend billions of dollars a year on these deals, blocking out competitors from the valuable placements and limiting consumer choice, the Justice Department alleged.