Google: Antitrust violation and remedies

Google has been found guilty of monopolizing digital advertising. In a remedy phase, the court -- Judge Leonie Brinkeme of the US district court for the eastern district of Virginia. -- is trying to determine whether to break up Google as a remedy.

Story in Tuesday's WSJ, p. B1, went over this thoroughly. Congratulations to Katherine Blunt and Dave Michaels for sharing the byline.

Another court recently found that (a) Google is also liable for monopolizing search engines but (b) no sch drastic remedy as a court-ordered divestiture of any of Google's assets of divisions is necessary there. Why not? Because AI is rendering the issue of search engines moot.

That was Judge Amit P. Mehta of the US district court for the District of Columbia. He said in essence hat people don't "search" anymore. They ask AI, instead. And in the space of AI engines, Google doesn't have any special prominence.

In the space of digital advertising, though, Google retains its monopolistic position and the leverage by which it maintains that position. So drastic remedy is necessary. We'll see what remedy Mehta devises.

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