09/02/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/02/2025 16:10
Sept. 2, 2025 (DENVER) - Attorney General Phil Weiser released the following statement regarding a D.C. District Court remedies order in the Google search antitrust case:
"We are confident that Google will lose its appeal of Judge Mehta's strong liability decision in the first phase of this trial. Google violated the law to maintain its search monopolies; Google must open those markets to rivals for the benefit of consumers and advertising customers. We are appreciative of the remedies that have been imposed, including remedies that encompass generative AI products, and we are studying the details of the Court's remedies carefully. And, as time goes on, the court will learn - and can revisit - what more may be needed to restore competition."
"This case involved a remarkable level of collaboration between the states and the Justice Department, which will continue as we demonstrate to the D.C. Circuit why Google's appeal should be denied. We are committed to protecting competition that will benefit consumers and drive continued innovation in the internet."
Attorney General Weiser led a bipartisan coalition of 38 attorneys general in December 2020 in filing the states' lawsuit against Google for illegally maintaining its monopoly over search engines and related search advertising through a series of anticompetitive contracts and conduct. The multistate lawsuit was a companion to an earlier federal antitrust lawsuit the Justice Department filed in October 2020.
In August 2024, a D.C. federal district court judge ruled in a landmark decision that Google has abused its monopoly power and harmed consumers in online search and search text ads. Earlier this year, the 38-state coalition of attorneys general and Justice Department proposed a package of remedies to restore competition and spur renewed innovation in the search marketplace and to benefit consumers.
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Media Contact: Lawrence Pacheco Chief Communications Officer (720) 508-6553 office [email protected]