1、CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebar The Google Antitrust Lawsuit: Initial Observations October 23, 2020 On October 20, 2020, the Department of Justice and eleven Republican state attorneys general (hereinafter “DOJ”) filed a long-anticipated a
2、ntitrust lawsuit against Google, alleging that the tech giant has unlawfully monopolized the markets for general internet search services and search advertising. The complaint follows an investigation of “Big Tech” platforms that the DOJ launched last summer and represents the Departments most signi
3、ficant antitrust case since the Microsoft litigation that began over twenty years ago. The lawsuit also implicates an area of intense congressional interest: earlier this month, the House Antitrust Subcommittee released a report concluding that major tech companiesincluding Googlehave engaged in exc
4、lusionary conduct that violates the antitrust laws. This Legal Sidebar provides an overview of the Justice Departments allegations and offers initial observations on their relationship to existing antitrust doctrine. Monopolization Doctrine: The Basics Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act makes it