After Google unveiled its new feature known as “Search Plus Your World”, some antitrust experts are worried that the search giant has stepped over the line.
Google’s new search tailors its results to individual users by using Google’s social network, Google+. When used, the new search contains results from Google+ posts and profiles. Absent from the results are anything from the much larger Twitter and Facebook.
“Google runs a very high risk of being found in violation of antitrust and competition laws,” said Ted Henneberry, a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe’s antitrust group. “The issue raised by Google’s new announcement is how it potentially increases its dominance and furthers its discriminatory treatment of rivals.”
Google defends itself by saying that users benefit from Search Plus Your World, and points out that the company has no legal obligation to boost its rivals’ services.
“The laws are designed to help consumers benefit from innovation, not to help competitors,” said Adam Kovacevich, a spokesman for Google.
The difficulty with Google’s position, though, is that it can most likely be defined as a monopoly. With control of over two-thirds of the U.S. search market, experts say it is legally within the realm of monopoly.
We wonder whether anyone will pursue Google on antitrust violations, and if so, what the result will be.
Sarelson Law Firm – Miami litigation attorneys