The U.S. Justice Department pressed ahead with its antitrust case against Google on Wednesday, questioning a former employee of the search engine giant about deals he helped negotiate with phone companies in the 2000s.
Prosecutors opened the biggest U.S. antitrust trial in a quarter century on Tuesday by saying that the case is about the future of the internet and whether Google’s search engine will ever face meaningful competition.
Over the next 10 weeks, the Justice Department and a group of state attorneys general will argue that Google has illegally abused its monopoly power to run roughshod over rivals, inking deals to ensure dominance.
The lawsuit was filed in 2021 over the tech giant’s alleged monopolistic control of app distribution for the software that runs most of the world’s cellphones.
Consumer advocates say the disclosure supports the antitrust lawsuit aimed at blocking JetBlue’s $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit, the nation’s largest discount airline.
The Justice Department said the $3.8 billion acquisition would hurt cost-conscious travelers who depend on Spirit to find cheaper options than they can find on JetBlue and other airlines.
Xbox maker Microsoft has faced months of resistance from Sony, which makes the competing PlayStation console and has raised concerns with antitrust watchdogs around the world about losing access to popular game franchises such as Call of Duty.
The high-stakes battle involve a setup that generates an estimated $15 billion to $20 billion for Apple every year, which has helped lift its market value to nearly $2.4 trillion.
The limited bill would give states an upper hand over companies in choosing the location of courts that decide federal antitrust cases.
Amazon controls roughly 38% of online sales in the U.S., more than Walmart, eBay, Apple, Best Buy and Target combined, according to the research firm Insider Intelligence.
Stephen King didn’t break any legal ground on the stand Tuesday as he testified against his own publisher’s efforts to merge with Penguin Random House. But he did know how to please a crowd and even get the judge to thank him for his time.
The government and Penguin Random House are set to exchange opening salvos in a antitrust trial Monday as the U.S. seeks to block the biggest U.S. book publisher from absorbing rival Simon & Schuster. The government’s star witness will be author Stephen King.
The nation’s largest food distributor has joined the other businesses accusing the four largest meat processors of working together to inflate beef prices.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill aggressively questioned the chief executives of the country’s four major beef producers, accusing them of engaging in anti-competitive practices that have financially harmed cattle ranchers and driven up the price of meat.
The House Judiciary Committee escalated the bipartisan battle against the world’s biggest online retailer with a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, referring the case for a criminal inquiry.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday that the proposed deal for Change Healthcare would hurt competition and give UnitedHealth Group—which is a competitor to Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc.—access to sensitive claims information from competitors.
The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are seeking public comment on how merger guidelines can be updated to better detect and prevent illegal and anticompetitive deals in an increasingly consolidating corporate marketplace.
The Justice Department is suing to block a $2.2 billion book publishing deal that would have reshaped the industry, saying consolidation would hurt authors and, ultimately, readers.
Senior administration officials have been worried about polling showing that voters—including many Democrats—blame President Biden’s economic policies for high inflation.
The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday filed the new complaint in federal court in Washington, alleging that Facebook violated antitrust laws by buying Instagram and WhatsApp in order to eliminate them as competitors.
