Companies are choosing Alphabet’s Google as the default search engine for their browsers and smartphones because it is the best, not for lack of competition, a lawyer for Google said Tuesday at the start of a high-stakes antitrust trial in Washington. From a report: Users use Google “because it brings value to them, not because they have to,” said John Schmidtlein, a partner at Williams & Connolly LLP who represents the company, during opening statements on the first day of the trial. “Consumers today have more search options and ways to access information online than ever before.”
Schmidtlein rejected claims by US Justice Department antitrust authorities that Google used its market power — and billions of dollars in exclusive web browser deals — for illegally blocking opponents. Consumers have a choice and it’s easy to switch, he said. For example, Microsoft preselects its own search engine, Bing, on Windows PCs, but most PC users switch to Google because it’s a better product, he said. Web browsers offered by Apple and Mozilla, which makes Firefox, have long opted for a default search engine in exchange for a revenue share that helps pay for innovation, Schmidtlein said.
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