Emrys Davis comments in the Financial Post on a U.S. federal court ruling that Google engaged in anti-competitive practices to maintain its dominance of the internet search market through deals that made it the default search engine on millions of devices.
Emrys says the ruling signals the U.S. government’s ability to win a case against a large tech company and in a very important space in the digital economy. “It’s a very significant decision. It might be the most significant decision that the United States government has won in this space since its decision against Microsoft Corp. almost 20 years ago.”
The matter is far from over, however, and it might be a while before the impact is felt by users. “Notwithstanding that Google is almost certain to appeal this liability decision, exactly what Google will be forced to do as a result of this decision has not been decided,” Emrys says.
As far as the implications for Canada go—Emrys anticipates that, "the Competition Bureau would expect that with any changes Google makes to its practices in the U.S. in response to this order that it would also make in Canada."