On October 22, TPI convened a panel of antitrust experts to discuss potential remedies following Judge Mehta’s ruling that Google’s default search agreements violated antitrust laws.
- DOJ’s November filing could propose a range of remedies, from targeted interventions to broader structural changes. Panelists discussed several potential proposals:
- Prohibiting Google from paying for default search placement
- Implementing choice screens for search engines
- Sharing search data with competitors
- Structural separation of Android or Chrome
- Key challenges in crafting effective remedies:
- DOJ’s framework lacks a clear vision of the desired competitive landscape (“but-for world”)
- Non-party status of key players like Apple ($20B+ annually from Google) limits options
- Need to address potential impacts on smaller players (e.g., Mozilla depends on Google for 81% of revenue)
- Balance between promoting competition and minimizing consumer disruption
- AI considerations: Panelists emphasized the importance of both maintaining Google as an effective competitor in AI while ensuring a level playing field for new entrants
Click here for a more detailed summary of the event.
