U.S. DOJ mulls antitrust lawsuit against Google
Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 10:35 AM EST"The Justice Department has quietly hired one of the nation's best-known litigators, former Walt Disney Co. vice chairman Sanford Litvack, for a possible antitrust challenge to Google Inc.'s growing power in advertising," John R. Wilke reports for The Wall Street Journal.
"Mr. Litvack's hiring is the strongest signal yet that the U.S. is preparing to take court action against Google and its search-advertising deal with Yahoo Inc. The two companies combined would account for more than 80% of U.S. online-search ads," Wilke reports.
"For weeks, U.S. lawyers have been deposing witnesses and issuing subpoenas for documents to support a challenge to the deal, lawyers close to the review said. Such efforts don't always mean a case will be brought, however," Wilke reports.
"The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that a group of major advertisers complained to the department about the deal. The Association of National Advertisers, which represents major advertisers such as Procter & Gamble Co. and General Motors Corp., warned that the deal could lead to higher prices and limited opportunities for Web advertisers," Wilke reports.
"Microsoft also has objected to the deal, saying it would unfairly foreclose competition on the Web. In Senate hearings in July, Microsoft's general counsel, Brad Smith, testified that 'if search is the gateway to the Internet, and most people believe that it is, this deal will put Google in position to own that gateway and the information that flows through it,'" Wilke reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft. Masters of Hypocrisy.
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"For weeks, U.S. lawyers have been deposing witnesses . . ."
Strange name on the list: Beve Stallmer.