When someone thinks of searching online, the first phrase that comes to mind is “let’s Google it”, much in the same way the Kleenex brand name is used to describe all tissue paper. However, when this is artificially manipulated to increase market share, questions of both ethics and violations of antitrust laws come into play. This recently has happened with search engine giant Google, who is facing a ruling from a federal judge accusing them of creating a monopoly in the search engine marketplace in violation of antitrust laws. Specifically, the records of Google paying phone software developers at Apple Inc. to utilize them as their default search engine on their devices was brought up, which created an unfair environment for Google’s competitors such as Yahoo! and Bing.
Due to his experience as a former prosecutor and business attorney, David Di Pietro was brought onto Newsmax’s National Report to provide his insight and expertise into this case. Upon analyzing the details of the case, David agreed with the federal judge that Google had created an illegal monopoly, and went further to explain that this monopoly allowed them to be less innovative, hurting consumers in the long run. David believes that it is likely this judge will attempt to implement restrictions on Google for their “pay to play” scheme through cell phone manufacturers, which has resulted in a 90% search engine market share for Google. He expects Google to fight this, with the case ultimately going to the supreme court sometime in the next 3-5 years.
David is a regular contributor to Newsmax due to his position as a subject matter expert on litigation and antitrust cases throughout the United States.
