Analysis: US may struggle to improve Google search competition

The US Department of Justice must prove that Google maintained monopoly power through abusive conduct.

The US government’s competition or antitrust case against Alphabet's Google appears strong, but could face an uphill battle from a business-friendly judiciary that may question whether a free search engine beloved by consumers has actually left them worse off, several legal experts said.

Google was accused in the long-anticipated lawsuit filed earlier this week of harming competition in internet search and search advertising through distribution agreements and other restrictions that put its search tool front and center whenever consumers browsed the web. To win, the US Department of Justice must prove that Google gained or maintained monopoly power through abusive conduct, or something beyond competition on the merits.