Texas joins antitrust lawsuit against Google

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – Texas is suing Google for engaging in anticompetitive and exclusionary practices that eliminate competition for internet searches and search advertising.  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that Texas is joining the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) and the States of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, and South Carolina in filing an antitrust suit challenging Google’s exclusionary business practices.

“Google’s anticompetitive business strategies have disrupted the competitive process, reduced consumer choice, and stifled innovation,” said  Paxton. “The violations set forth in the complaint show that Google no longer resembles the innovative startup it was 20 years ago. Our action today is intended to restore competition and allow rivals and next generation search engines to challenge Google so that the marketplace, not a monopolist, will decide how search services and search ads are offered.”

Paxton says Google’s practices have harmed competition for search services and search advertising not only on mobile devices and personal computers but also on emerging search access points, such as voice assistants, smart speakers, automobiles, and Internet of Things devices.

Former Congressman Tom Loeffler, Chairman of the University of Texas Board of Regents opposes the lawsuit.

“Antitrust litigation against our technology companies could be shortsighted and misguided, just as it was when the government pursued Microsoft in previous years.  The companies are critical to our national security, our economy and our future prosperity,” Loeffler told the Dallas Morning News.

Tom Giovanetti, President of the Texas-based Institute for Policy tweeted, “When the Dems decided to ‘take on fossil fuels,’ conservatives rightly objected that was illegitimate. It isn’t legitimate for the government to take on any legal industry.”

You can read a copy of the filing here.