The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that federal and state regulators in the U.S. are preparing to file antitrust lawsuits against Google, saying the company abused its dominance of online search and advertising to crush competition and maximize profit.
Both the federal and state investigations are said to be focused on Google’s ad business.
The WSJ report cites unidentified people familiar with the probes in a story about the upcoming offensive by the U.S. Justice Department and the attorneys general in several states.
From the Associated Press (not paywalled):
The Justice Department may file its case as early as this summer while Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton may take action in the fall, along with his peers in other states, according to the Journal.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr has previously said he hoped to decide whether to pursue an antitrust case against Google by the summer. Texas and other states announced they were looking into Google’s business practices last September.
Google acknowledged it has ongoing discussions with the Justice Department and Paxton without elaborating on the nature of the talks. “Our focus is firmly on providing services that help consumers, support thousands of businesses, and enable increased choice and competition,” the company said in a statement.
READ MORE:
Justice Department, State Attorneys General Likely to Bring Antitrust Lawsuits Against Google
[WSJ]