Google and anti-trust: a debate over Internet search

Google continues to come under attack and meritless investigations by the FTC, European Union and others. Anybody who has knowledge of the technology behind search, and antitrust law, would not waste the taxpayers money. But of course bureaucrats and others have to justify their salaries etc.--


Google and anti-trust: The new debate over Internet search - Society and Culture - AEI: "Since publishing “The Anti-Trust Paradox: A Policy at War With Itself” in 1978, Judge Robert Bork has been among the most influential analysts and critics of U.S. anti-trust law. Judge Bork and other “Chicago School” thinkers have profoundly shaped constitutional jurisprudence with respect to anti-trust for more than three decades. In a new paper entitled “What Does the Chicago School Teach about Internet Search and the Anti-Trust Treatment of Google?,” Bork and Gregory Sidak analyze and weigh the merits of the anti-trust concerns that have been raised concerning Google and the market for Internet search. Join AEI for a luncheon in which experts in the fields of anti-trust, law and economics and technology policy will discuss the market for Internet search, the evolving competitive landscape and the proper role of government regulation in this sphere." (video above)

Excerpt from “What Does the Chicago School Teach about Internet Search and the Anti-Trust Treatment of Google?”--"None of the purported antitrust problems that Google’s critics have raised indicates that Google is behaving anticompetitively. Google’s ranking of specialized search results in general search pages is not an attempt to monopolize vertical search. Rather, it is a product improvement that enhances value for consumers. The characterization of top placement on a Google search page as an essential facility lacks any foundation in antitrust law. The claims that Google has hindered the ability of rivals search engines to compete for users, advertisers, and OEMs by reaching minimum efficient scale are false. Moreover, one cannot reasonably conclude that the necessary scale to compete in search approaches Google’s scale. Given the serious factual, logical, and economic flaws in the antitrust complaints about Google’s practices, one can reasonably conclude only that Google’s competitors are seeking to use antitrust law to protect their own market positions. However, punishing Google for being a successful competitor would stifle innovation and dynamic competition. . . Such use of antitrust law undermines its unequivocal purpose—to protect consumers."

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