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Showing results for:  “google”

Some Much-Needed Antitrust Skepticism on Senate Letter Urging FTC Google Investigation

Back in September, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Subcommittee held a hearing on “The Power of Google: Serving Consumers or Threatening Competition?” Given the harsh questioning from the Subcommittee’s Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Ranking Member Mike Lee (R-UT), no one should have been surprised by the letter they sent yesterday to the Federal Trade ... Some Much-Needed Antitrust Skepticism on Senate Letter Urging FTC Google Investigation

My New Empirical Study on Defining and Measuring Search Bias

Tomorrow is the deadline for Eric Schmidt to send his replies to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s follow up questions from his appearance at a hearing on Google antitrust issues last month.  At the hearing, not surprisingly, search neutrality was a hot topic, with representatives from the likes of Yelp and Nextag, as well as Expedia’s ... My New Empirical Study on Defining and Measuring Search Bias

Google, Vertical Integration, and Beer

First, Google had the audacity to include a map in search queries suggesting a user wanted a map.  Consumers liked it.  Then came video.  Then, they came for the beer: Google’s first attempt at brewing has resulted in a beer that taps ingredients from all across the globe. They teamed up with Delaware craft brewery ... Google, Vertical Integration, and Beer

72% of Antitrust Lawyers Not Impressed By Case Against Google

It is not exactly the application of the consumer welfare standard, nor a scientific survey, but nonetheless an interesting poll at the American Bar Association Antitrust & Intellectual Property Conference before and after presentations from lawyers representing each side.  The results? While this is an admittedly small sample size and may not be representative of ... 72% of Antitrust Lawyers Not Impressed By Case Against Google

ACS Blog Debate on Google: Putting Consumer Welfare First in Antitrust Analysis of Google

[I am participating in an online “debate” at the American Constitution Society with Professor Ben Edelman.  The debate consists of an opening statement and concluding responses to be posted later in the week.  Professor Edelman’s opening statement is here.  I am cross-posting my opening statement here at TOTM.  This is my closing statement] Professor Edelman’s ... ACS Blog Debate on Google: Putting Consumer Welfare First in Antitrust Analysis of Google

ACS Blog Debate on Google: Retrograde Antitrust Analysis is No Fit for Google

I am participating in an online “debate” at the American Constitution Society with Professor Ben Edelman.  The debate consists of an opening statement and concluding responses to be posted later in the week.  Professor Edelman’s opening statement is here.  I am cross-posting my opening statement here at TOTM, and will cross-post my closing statement later ... ACS Blog Debate on Google: Retrograde Antitrust Analysis is No Fit for Google

FairSearch’s Non-Sequitur Response

Our search neutrality paper has received some recent attention.  While the initial response from Gordon Crovitz in the Wall Street Journal was favorable, critics are now voicing their responses.  Although we appreciate FairSearch’s attempt to engage with our paper’s central claims, its response is really little more than an extended non-sequitur and fails to contribute ... FairSearch’s Non-Sequitur Response

Searching for Antitrust Remedies, Part II

In the last post, I discussed possible characterizations of Google’s conduct for purposes of antitrust analysis.  A firm grasp of the economic implications of the different conceptualizations of Google’s conduct is a necessary – but not sufficient – precondition for appreciating the inconsistencies underlying the proposed remedies for Google’s alleged competitive harms.  In this post, ... Searching for Antitrust Remedies, Part II

Searching for Antitrust Remedies, Part I

This is part one of a two part series of posts in which I’ll address the problems associated with discerning an appropriate antitrust remedy to alleged search engine bias.  The first problem – and part – is, of course, how we should conceptualize Google’s allegedly anticompetitive conduct; in the next part, I will address how ... Searching for Antitrust Remedies, Part I

First Microsoft, Now Google: Berin Szoka, Josh Wright and Geoff Manne in CNET

Josh, Berin Szoka and I have a new op-ed up at CNET on why the lessons of Microsoft suggest the FTC’s action against Google might be misguided.  A taste: Ten years ago this week, an appeals court upheld Microsoft’s conviction for monopolizing the PC operating system market. The decision became a key legal precedent for U.S. antitrust ... First Microsoft, Now Google: Berin Szoka, Josh Wright and Geoff Manne in CNET

Sacrificing Consumer Welfare in the Search Bias Debate, Part II

I did not intend for this to become a series (Part I), but I underestimated the supply of analysis simultaneously invoking “search bias” as an antitrust concept while waving it about untethered from antitrust’s institutional commitment to protecting consumer welfare.  Harvard Business School Professor Ben Edelman offers the latest iteration in this genre.  We’ve criticized ... Sacrificing Consumer Welfare in the Search Bias Debate, Part II

The FTC Makes its Google Investigation Official, Now What?

No surprise here.  The WSJ announced it was coming yesterday, and today Google publicly acknowledged that it has received subpoenas related to the Commission’s investigation.  Amit Singhal of Google acknowledged the FTC subpoenas at the Google Public Policy Blog: At Google, we’ve always focused on putting the user first. We aim to provide relevant answers ... The FTC Makes its Google Investigation Official, Now What?