Google will face allegations of using underhanded tactics to secure its position as the world’s leading search engine in a jury trial set for September 9, brought by the U.S. Justice Department and a coalition of states.
The tech giant, which owns a 90% market share in search, is accused of paying massive sums to companies like Apple to make it the default search engine on products like the iPhone. The lawsuit argues that Google should be forced to sell its ad manager suite to make the search engine market fairer.
In response, Google denied the claims and suggested that should the lawsuit succeed, it would “slow innovation, raise advertising fees, and make it harder for thousands of small businesses and publishers to grow.”
Why we care. The outcome of the landmark case could bring significant changes to Google and the future of Search and the Internet. But it’s equally possible the trial will result in no changes and Google will be free to continue operating however it wants.
What Google is saying. Google declined to comment on the jury trial date.
What the States and the Justice Department is saying. The Justice Department, along with Virginia and other states, had sought a July date for the trial in Alexandria, Virginia. However, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema explained in an order that a summer trial would have presented logistical challenges, reports Reuters. Both Google and the Justice Department declined to comment on the jury trial date.
Additional lawsuits. In a separate legal matter, Google is set to go to trial in March 2025 in a U.S. federal court in Texas. This trial involves a similar lawsuit from Texas and other states challenging Google’s ad tech practices.
In a third case, closing arguments are anticipated to be heard in May by a U.S. judge in Washington, D.C. This case involves lawsuits from the U.S. Justice Department, Colorado, and other states, focusing on Google’s dominance in web search.
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Deep dive. Read our Google antitrust trial guide for a breakdown of everything you need to know.
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About the author
Nicola Agius is Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land after joining in 2023. She covers paid media, retail media and more. Prior to this, she was SEO Director at Jungle Creations (2020-2023), overseeing the company’s editorial strategy for multiple websites. She has over 15 years of experience in journalism and has previously worked at OK! Magazine (2010-2014), Mail Online (2014-2015), Mirror (2015-2017), Digital Spy (2017-2018) and The Sun (2018-2020). She also previously teamed up with SEO agency Blue Array to co-author Amazon bestselling book Mastering In-House SEO.