Google Hit With Antitrust Lawsuit Over Android

Considering that Android is a product of Google, does it really come as a huge surprise that Android (for the most part) comes bundled with Google’s own products and services, like Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, and so on? Well apparently not everyone thinks so because consumer rights law firm, Hagens Berman, has recently filed a nationwide class-action lawsuit against Google.

They are alleging that Google illegally monopolized the internet and mobile search market in the US by preloading its own applications onto Android mobile devices. This preloading is reportedly part of Google’s Mobile Application Distribution Agreements, which the law firm seems to believe is a way for Google to monopolize the internet.

They also allege that by doing so, Google has hampered the market and also kept the cost of devices made by Android OEMs such as Samsung and HTC artificially high. According to Mat Kallman, a Google spokesman, who made a statement to Reuters, “Anyone can use Android without Google and anyone can use Google without Android. Since Android’s introduction, greater competition in smartphones has given consumers more choices at lower prices.”

If anything this sounds similar to an antitrust lawsuit that Microsoft faced in the past over how their Internet Explorer browser came bundled with every Windows computer, which to some felt like Microsoft was trying to unfairly edge out the competition. It is unclear how this case will proceed but we’ll be keeping our eyes on it anyway. In the meantime what do you guys think of the lawsuit? Does it have any merit?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Android, Google, Legal, Social Hit