In the federal antitrust case against Google, a major battle over data held by Microsoft is about to start. Google filed an application with a federal judge, asking Microsoft to disclose millions of documents, and these documents may reveal Microsoft’s attempt to compete with Google’s search engine. After initially cooperating with prosecutors to establish an antitrust case against Google, Microsoft may be obliged to provide millions of documents at the request of Google’s defense team.
At the state hearing on Friday morning, Judge Amit Mehta listened to the dispute between Google and Microsoft on this issue but finally found that the court gave guidance on how much internal data Microsoft needs to provide. Before, more information is needed.
Judge Mehta told the lawyers: For any judge, these issues are very difficult to solve in an objective and meaningful way. Especially considering that with regard to additional custodians, I don’t know how many…Or what does this quantity mean to production time.
The Ministry of Justice’s antitrust case against Google filed in October 2020 focused on anti-competitive behavior in search and search advertising. Among other demands, it also alleged that the company’s exclusive agreement on Android and iOS would make competitive search engines Turned away. An independent antitrust case against Google has also been filed, focusing on the company’s browser privacy settings and alleged manipulation of search results.
Before the Justice Department filed the allegations, Microsoft provided more than 400,000 documents in response to prosecutors’ civil investigation requests. In a document before today’s hearing, Google argued that its participation gave the company the right to obtain similar documents that might help its defense.
Google’s document reads: No third party is more central in this lawsuit than Microsoft. The Department of Justice and Colorado’s complaints mention it or its products dozens of times. Microsoft clearly imposes a complaint in this case against Google. Because of the pressure and cooperation, the important evidence in these cases cannot be avoided convincingly.
