American antitrust has long focused on a business’s consumers, not its competitors. However, in recent years—some bureaucrats and lawmakers have made a conscious effort to disregard antitrust doctrine and adopt a witch-hunt mentality. Today’s latest state AG lawsuit against Google is another spike on which to try to hang the company.
So NetChoice rebukes this corporate-welfare-over-consumer-welfare approach—this time against a new suitagainst Google by 36 State Attorneys General and D.C.
“There is no case here. This is yet another lawsuit where state prosecutors are driving forward without the facts to put corporate interests ahead of serious security concerns,” said Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel for NetChoice. “By no means is Google forcing consumers into an Android ecosystem. Rather, Google has actively made conscious efforts to download and use Google’s competitors on their infrastructure, even if it’s at their own expense.”
“Google’s Android software gives cellphone makers the benefit of a free operating system rather than having to build their own. The free Android operating system powers devices such as Taxicab payments systems, Tesla cars, and even Peloton bikes” continued Szabo. “If successful, these AGs will make it harder and more costly for builders to use Android to power their devices.”