{"id":9590,"date":"2025-09-16T01:53:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T01:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/?p=9590"},"modified":"2025-09-16T01:53:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T01:53:13","slug":"do-not-pass-go-do-not-collect-200-thinking-long-term-about-the-six-year-judgment-against-google-in-recent-monopoly-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/blogs\/do-not-pass-go-do-not-collect-200-thinking-long-term-about-the-six-year-judgment-against-google-in-recent-monopoly-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200: Thinking Long Term About the Six-Year Judgment Against Google in Recent Monopoly Case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Sept. 15, 2025 9:53 PM<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/09\/google-mag-glass-img.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9591\" width=\"290\" height=\"174\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Google is a well-known name to anyone with internet access. Some have even tried to claim that Google has become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/no-googling-on-bing-search-leader-avoids-genericide-in-trademark-case-1494976044\">generic term for search engine services<\/a>. However, Google doesn\u2019t only run a popular search engine; there are lots of other business ventures under <a href=\"https:\/\/about.google\/products\/\">the Google umbrella<\/a>. Google\u2019s additional products and services include advertising, password verification, artificial intelligence tools, a web browser, maps and navigation, email, document creation and storage, and social platforms like YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google\u2019s power in the search engine space was under scrutiny when the United States Department of Justice and thirty-eight states <a href=\"https:\/\/www.purduegloballawschool.edu\/blog\/news\/google-landmark-case\">filed an antitrust lawsuit<\/a> against the powerhouse technology company. The central claim in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/atr\/case-document\/file\/1329131\/dl\"><em>U.S. v. Google<\/em> complaint<\/a> was that Google violated <a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section2&amp;num=0&amp;edition=prelim\">section 2 of the Sherman Act<\/a>\u2014essentially arguing that Google had a monopoly in the general search engine and text ad markets and used that monopoly power to harm competition. The court agreed with the plaintiffs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25900111-google-ad-antitrust-ruling\/\">holding<\/a> that Google maintained a monopoly and violated section 2 of the Sherman Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On September 2, 2025, the court finally produced a <a href=\"https:\/\/ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov\/cgi-bin\/show_public_doc?2020cv3010-1436\">remedies judgment<\/a> on the issue. The decision has drummed up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.campaignasia.com\/article\/us-v-google-experts-react-to-the-landmark-antitrust-showdown\/504580\">mixed reactions<\/a>. Some experts claim this decision <a href=\"https:\/\/www.campaignasia.com\/article\/us-v-google-experts-react-to-the-landmark-antitrust-showdown\/504580\">benefits advertisers and consumers<\/a>, while others worry about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.campaignasia.com\/article\/us-v-google-experts-react-to-the-landmark-antitrust-showdown\/504580\">enforcement and monitoring issues<\/a> and see these remedies as a show of weakness. The judgment includes several remedies and establishes a Technical Committee to oversee implementation and monitor for enforcement. The remedies include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Limitations on Google\u2019s contracting abilities, including prohibitions on certain types of contracts and particular provisions within contracts<\/li><li>Requiring Google to share certain types of data with competitors and make certain disclosures<\/li><li>Requiring Google to provide search and search text ad syndication services to competitors for five years on fair terms<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The court opted for a six-year judgment instead of the ten years DOJ <a href=\"https:\/\/ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov\/cgi-bin\/show_public_doc?2020cv3010-1436\">asked for<\/a>. Though a lot is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/stories\/2023\/02\/this-timeline-charts-the-fast-pace-of-tech-transformation-across-centuries\/\">certain to change<\/a> in the tech industry over six years, the judgment doesn\u2019t mean Google will stop its own growth and development. Google holds such a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/article\/2024\/aug\/05\/google-loses-antitrust-lawsuit\">dominant share of the market<\/a> that it\u2019s hard to imagine a competitor catching up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Though critics say this judgment doesn\u2019t go far enough, going further may hurt competitors more than they expect.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Users choose a search engine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0969698917304289?casa_token=EN_7la4DVmQAAAAA:mv5QD_sfuooO0NgBkLH4j5Tqv15uGAsLHCDDlIDkxrY-1VwVzsVtk3v2c-NhY4Ge26p1Dy5-sw\">primarily because of its functional performance<\/a>. A search engine, like Google, that already receives a large portion of traffic can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0969698917304289?casa_token=EN_7la4DVmQAAAAA:mv5QD_sfuooO0NgBkLH4j5Tqv15uGAsLHCDDlIDkxrY-1VwVzsVtk3v2c-NhY4Ge26p1Dy5-sw\">invest in aesthetic elements to foster user loyalty and commitment<\/a>. When a search engine has users who are loyal and committed, they are less likely to defect to other search engines to find better performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If over these next six years, users who defect from Google develop loyalty for and commitment to a competitor, the remedies may create a balance that competitors can live with. Even with Google\u2019s data and syndication services, this remains an uphill battle. Google\u2019s competitors need to <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2023\/02\/the-surprising-consequences-of-antitrust-actions-against-big-tech\">invest their time and resources wisely<\/a> and use this judgment strategically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.purduegloballawschool.edu\/blog\/news\/google-landmark-case\">Google argued<\/a> that it retains such a large portion of the market share not because of anticompetitive behavior, but simply because it is a better product and service. The court disagreed, but it may turn out to be true in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Google can pull this off\u2014uplifting competitors while still retaining the lion\u2019s share of the market\u2014it may be able to set itself up with evidence that it is simply a superior search engine. This would give Google what it needs to rebuff future Sherman Act claims against it (at least with respect to search engines&#8230;).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further, while the courts and Congress can reach Google\u2019s behaviors and structure to even the playing field, they cannot touch the minds of consumers. If users\u2019 loyalty and commitment are unaffected, Google\u2019s losses will be mitigated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The court <a href=\"https:\/\/ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov\/cgi-bin\/show_public_doc?2020cv3010-1436\">declined<\/a> to include several of the DOJ\u2019s proposed remedies\u2014including the proposed requirement that Google divest from the Chrome browser and the Android operating system\u2014and competitors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7368762223806095360\/\">aren\u2019t satisfied<\/a> with this set of remedies, but neither is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/09\/02\/nx-s1-5478625\/google-chrome-doj-antitrust-ruling\">Google<\/a>. Google has already <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/google-just-dodged-a-major-penalty-in-the-courts-heres-what-happens-next-264473\">signaled an intent to appeal<\/a> the decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, if hindsight is 20\/20, trying to predict the future is flying blind, but <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2023\/02\/the-surprising-consequences-of-antitrust-actions-against-big-tech\">a study published in the Strategic Management Journal<\/a> indicates that antitrust \u201cwins\u201d against big tech <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2023\/02\/the-surprising-consequences-of-antitrust-actions-against-big-tech\">might not always cut the way they\u2019re meant to<\/a>. Though critics say this judgment doesn\u2019t go far enough, going further may hurt competitors <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2023\/02\/the-surprising-consequences-of-antitrust-actions-against-big-tech\">more than they expect<\/a>. The goal of the ruling isn\u2019t to break up Google\u2019s monopoly power; it\u2019s to stop the anticompetitive behavior. Ultimately, there\u2019s no way to know if it will work until and unless it has played out. One thing that\u2019s certain is that Google will be looking for ways to stay on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cole Pedro<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cole attended DePauw University and majored in Computer Science with a minor in Hispanic Studies. In addition to being a JOLT staff member, Cole is the Director of Events for Women in Law, a Dean\u2019s Fellow, and a member of the Student Bar Association\u2019s merchandise and faculty selection committees. In her free time, Cole enjoys photography, reading, watching motorsports, and cooking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Though critics say this judgment doesn\u2019t go far enough, going further may hurt competitors more than they expect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[51],"tags":[159,282,642,643,527,210,641],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9590"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9590"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9596,"href":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9590\/revisions\/9596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.law.unc.edu\/ncjolt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}