BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — La. Attorney General Jeff Landry confirmed this morning that Louisiana is one of 10 states joining the U.S. Department of Justice in an antitrust lawsuit against search giant Google.
“Google has grown into a big tech monopoly that has stifled competition,” said Landry. “Without competition, we do not have capitalism; and without capitalism, we do not have America. So I am proud to join Attorney General Bill Barr in this fight for America.”
The other participating states are Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, and Texas.
Landry said Google has entered into a series of exclusionary agreements to lock up the primary avenues through which users access search engines, and thus the internet, by requiring that Google be set as the default or exclusive search engine on billions of mobile devices and computers worldwide. In particular, the suit alleges that Google has unlawfully maintained monopolies in search and search advertising by:
- Entering into exclusivity agreements that forbid preinstallation of any competing search service.
- Entering into tying and other arrangements that force preinstallation of its search applications in prime locations on mobile devices and make them undeletable, regardless of consumer preference.
- Entering into long-term agreements with Apple that require Google to be the default – and de facto exclusive – general search engine on Apple’s popular Safari browser and other Apple search tools.
- Generally using monopoly profits to buy preferential treatment for its search engine on devices, web browsers, and other search access points, creating a continuous and self-reinforcing cycle of monopolization.
Landry said these and other anticompetitive practices harm competition and consumers, reducing the ability of innovative new companies to develop, compete, and discipline Google’s behavior.
Google is owned by Alphabet Inc., a publicly traded company incorporated and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware and headquartered in Mountain View, California.
