The trial is kicking off nearly three years after the Department of Justice (DOJ) and a coalition of state attorneys general filed the complaint.
The suit alleges Google has an anticompetitive monopoly over the search market.
It is the first major antitrust lawsuit against a major tech company since the U.S. sued Microsoft in the late-’90s.
The Google case is shaping up to be a critical test for a new generation of dominant tech platforms amid years of mounting bipartisan scrutiny.
“It’s the biggest monopolization case the United States has seen in a generation,” said Bill Baer, who served as assistant attorney general in charge of the DOJ antitrust division during the Obama administration.
The federal government alleges that Google is harming consumers by stifling innovation in online search tools and limiting choice.
The DOJ argues that Google has maintained an illegal monopoly over online search through exclusive agreements that preinstall its search application on devices. This, the government alleges, allowed Google to become the dominant search engine over its rivals.
Federal prosecutors are likely to argue that Google is not allowing a free market of rivals who could offer search choices with better technical perks and consumer protections.
Google has pushed back strongly on the allegations of anticompetitive behavior.
The company argues that its products and services are more popular because they are simply better, not because Google has tilted the playing field away from potential rivals.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com, and stay tuned for coverage as the trial begins.
