Google at odds with U.S. over protective order for firms tied to lawsuit
Reuters
Published Nov 13, 2020 06:12PM ET
Updated Nov 13, 2020 09:40PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Inc's Google and the U.S. Justice Department have failed to reach agreement over a protective order for third parties like Microsoft that provided data to the government for its lawsuit against the search and advertising giant.
Google is pressing for two in-house attorneys to have access to the confidential data while the Justice Department and state attorneys general involved in the lawsuit have disagreed, Google said in a court filing on Friday.
Google stated it needed the information to prepare an effective defense. It offered to ensure that any confidential information would be made available solely to two in-house attorneys at the offices of Google's outside counsel or in another secure manner, adding that it would promptly report any disclosure.
The government said in a separate filing that allowing Google's staff attorneys to review "strategic plans related to rival voice assistants, and other commercially sensitive information" was dangerous because they could misuse the information to squash potential competition.
The government also said that highly confidential files in the last big technology antitrust case, which involved Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) about 20 years ago, were only available to the company's outside counsel.
The companies whose documents are in dispute in the Google case also include Oracle Corp (NYSE:ORCL), AT&T Inc, Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), Comcast Corp (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and others. They have until next Friday to make their proposals for the terms of a protective order.
Judge Amit Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is hearing the Justice Department's case against Google. The government sued Google in October, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals in the biggest challenge to the power and influence of Big Tech in decades.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.