There are multiple federal antitrust cases pending against Big Tech firms, most of which have been proceeding since 2020. These cases have the potential to address many of the ways Big Tech harms consumers, entrepreneurs, workers, and business owners, but the litigation process can be slow, difficult to track, and full of convoluted legal procedures and filings.
Big Tech Lawsuit Timelines
The below timelines help bring clarity to this process, visualize what has happened so far, and detail what’s expected to unfold, assuming these cases ultimately make it to trial.
Department of Justice v. Google - Internet Search
The Department of Justice is alleging Google maintains its internet search monopoly through payoffs and anticompetitive agreements with other tech companies.
Department of Justice v. Google - AdTech
The DOJ is alleging Google built a monopoly in the online advertising market through a series of major acquisitions and is abusing its monopoly power by forcing advertisers and publishers to use its ad products and extracting high fees.
FTC v. Facebook
The FTC is alleging Facebook bought Instagram and WhatsApp to eliminate competition threatening its social networking monopoly.
Texas et al. v. Google
Texas is alleging that Google uses its monopoly in digital advertising to tie its ad-tech products together, locking in users and stifling competition.
Colorado et al. v. Google
Colorado is alleging Google discriminates against third party search providers and maintains its internet search monopoly using anticompetitive agreements and payoffs.
Utah et al. v. Google
Utah is alleging that Google uses anticompetitive agreements and payoffs to maintain a mobile app store monopoly so it can extract high fees from app developers and users.
California v. Amazon
California is alleging Amazon prevents sellers from lowering their prices at other retailers, creating “price floors” that keep prices artificially high.