Bipartisan Multistate Antitrust Investigation to Probe Potential
Anticompetitive Behavior by Tech Giant
WASHINGTON, DC – Appearing on the steps of the United
States Supreme Court, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry today announced
that he and 49 of his colleagues have launched an investigation of Google’s
business practices in accordance with state and federal antitrust laws.
The bipartisan coalition of attorneys general plans to
investigate Google’s overarching control of online advertising markets and
search traffic that may have stifled competition, restricted access, and harmed
consumers. Legal experts from Louisiana and the other states and territories
will work in cooperation with federal authorities to assess competitive
conditions for online services and ensure that Americans have access to free
digital markets.
“The Internet was once a revolutionizing home for ideas,
debate, and content – a place that could benefit countless Louisiana consumers
and businesses,” said General Landry. “However, Google’s dominance of online
advertising and searching may have undermined the free market, harmed
consumers, and stifled the free flow of thought and information.”
“So I am proud to work with my fellow attorneys general,
from across the political spectrum, to determine whether Google’s aggressive
business practices are actually illegal,” continued General Landry. “We will
closely follow the facts discovered by this investigation and proceed as
necessary.”
Past investigations of Google uncovered violations
ranging from advertising illegal drugs in the United States to now three
antitrust actions brought by the European Commission. None of these previous
investigations, however, fully address the source of Google’s sustained market
power and the ability to engage in serial and repeated business practices with
the intention to protect and maintain that power.