The US government's landmark antitrust case against Google's search business is nearing its conclusion. But the parade of major federal lawsuits challenging Big Tech's power has only just begun.
Under the Trump administration, the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission launched investigations into monopolistic practices by Amazon, Apple, Google, Instagram and WhatsApp parent company Meta. The government has since sued all four of his companies, including Google, twice, with the aim of curbing power and promoting competition.
Both companies deny the allegations and are fighting back.
Closing arguments in Google's first antitrust lawsuit over its alleged monopoly over internet searches conclude on Friday. The judge's ruling, expected in the coming weeks or months, will likely set a precedent for the rest of the case.
Here's the latest information on the U.S. government vs. Big Tech situation.
Amazon
In September, the FTC and 17 states sued Amazon, accusing it of squeezing sellers in its vast marketplace and protecting its monopoly by favoring its own services. This practice also harmed consumers, with Amazon discouraging merchants who sell products on its site from offering the same products at lower prices on other online sites, leading in some cases to “artificially high prices”. The FTC alleged that “prices'' occurred.
A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington set the trial to begin in October 2026.
Amazon asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the company often offers lower prices to consumers and does not harm sellers on its marketplace. The company argued that the lawsuit shows a “fundamental misunderstanding of the retail industry.”
FTC Chair Lina Khan, best known in some circles for publishing an antitrust paper in the Yale Law Journal in 2017 on how to rein in Amazon, has vowed to stand up to Big Tech's monopoly. .
Amazon called the FTC's lawsuit “misguided” and warned that if the agency were successful in its case, “Amazon would be forced to engage in actual unfair practices.” harm consumers and many businesses that sell in our store. ”
apple
In March, the Justice Department sued Apple, accusing it of using its monopoly in the smartphone market to stifle competition and raise prices for consumers. The department filed the lawsuit along with 15 states and the District of Columbia after a nearly two-year investigation.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the department said Apple prevented companies from offering applications that compete with Apple products, including cloud-based streaming apps, messaging and digital wallets.
Apple plans to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, saying its business decisions do not violate antitrust laws. It also claims that these decisions will improve the iPhone experience.
“This lawsuit threatens our existence and the principles that make Apple products stand out in a fiercely competitive marketplace,” Apple said in a statement. “We believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and the law, and we will vigorously defend it.”
Separate from the search lawsuit, the Department of Justice filed another lawsuit against Google in January over online advertising. The case is scheduled to go to trial in September.
The department and eight states filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, accusing Google of acquiring rival companies through anticompetitive mergers and bullying publishers and advertisers into using the company's advertising technology. Ta.
Last month, Google asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that there is competition in the advertising technology market and that the lawsuit could harm thousands of small and medium-sized businesses that rely on innovation and the online advertising market.
If a judge rules against Google in the search case, it would have to propose changes to the company's business to correct what was determined to be illegal.
meta
The FTC sued Meta in December 2020, accusing the company of creating a social media monopoly by acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC argued that the merger deprived consumers of alternative social media platforms.
This case has had more twists and turns than other Big Tech antitrust cases. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before the company changed its name from Facebook to Meta. In 2021, Judge James Boasberg dismissed the complaint, saying the FTC had not adequately defined the market that meth accused of dominating. However, he allowed the agency to refile the case, and the case moved forward the following year.
The FTC joins 40 states in finding that Facebook acquired both Instagram and WhatsApp more than a decade ago with the intent of illegally crushing competition that might one day challenge its dominance. denounced. Regulators are seeking an unwinding of the deal.
Meta maintained that it did not acquire Instagram and WhatsApp to kill competition and has invested heavily in developing innovations for its apps.