Situation
This case study profiles the internet search engine Google, LLC. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Google owns the largest market share of search engines on the internet. According to investigators at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Google reached this status using illegal and anti-competitive methods.
The U.S. Department of Justice and 11 states’ attorney generals sued Google for violations of the Sherman Act. Specifically, prosecutors allege Google intentionally created a monopoly in the internet search engine industry. Prosecutors allege Google used anti-competitive business practices to frustrate other search engines from being used. Google also allegedly forged ties with cell phone manufacturers to use its search engine exclusively. While Google denies the allegations, we see the strength of the government’s evidence in this case study.
All the information in this case study comes from the DOJ press release, one DOJ complaint against Google, and two news articles.
