Following the Department of Justice's (DOJ) submission of proposed remedies in the Google search case, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a prominent think tank focused on science and technology policy, has expressed strong opposition. The statement was released by ITIF's president Robert D. Atkinson, vice president Daniel Castro, and director of antitrust and innovation Joseph V. Coniglio.
The ITIF criticized the DOJ's proposal as excessive and potentially damaging to Google's operations. "In a radical but unfortunately not entirely unexpected move, the DOJ has put forward a remedies proposal in the Google search case that not only goes well beyond what is necessary to address the behavior Judge Mehta found to be anticompetitive, but seems geared toward effectively destroying one of America’s most innovative companies," they stated.
According to ITIF, the proposed remedies are disconnected from addressing alleged anticompetitive behavior. "These proposed remedies are inappropriate, shortsighted, and entirely unrelated to addressing the alleged behavior, and courts should ultimately reject them," said Atkinson and his colleagues.
The DOJ's requirement for Google to divest Chrome and refrain from having any browser for five years was particularly criticized. ITIF argued this measure lacks justification as there was no finding that Google leveraged its browser business to benefit its search business.
Further scrutiny was directed at potential divestiture of Android or imposing a "choice screen." ITIF noted that previous attempts with similar measures in Europe did not yield desired results.
Additional proposals aim to restrict Google from engaging in self-preferencing of its search engine—another area where no anticompetitive claims were made by DOJ. According to ITIF, these actions would lead to micromanagement of Google's business practices.
The impact on U.S. competitiveness in artificial intelligence (AI) is another concern highlighted by ITIF. They argue that prohibiting Google from acquiring query-based AI products could hinder investment opportunities for AI startups and limit integration of AI innovations into consumer products.
Moreover, requiring Google to allow content creators to opt out from having their content used for training AI models presents an exclusive restriction against Google not imposed on other companies. This could disadvantage Google's position amidst international competition.
Contact: Sydney Mack: [email protected]
