Justice Department Case Against Google Is Said to Focus on Search Dominance

The Department of Justice’s impending lawsuit against Google has narrowed to focus on the company’s power over internet search, a decision that could set off a cascade of separate lawsuits from states in ensuing weeks over the Silicon Valley giant’s dominance in other business segments. In presentations to state attorneys general, the department is expected to outline its legal case centered on how Google uses its dominant search engine to harm rivals and consumers. Meeting with the state attorneys general is one of the final steps before the department files its suit against the company. The Justice Department’s action against Google is set to be narrower than what some states and several career lawyers in the department had envisioned. The department also investigated Google’s reach in ad technology and how the company prices and places ads across the internet. But in an effort to file a case by the end of September, the agency decided to pick the piece that was furthest along in legal theory and that it felt could best withstand a potential challenge in court.