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| Microsoft and Google disagree over documents |
The widespread federal antitrust operation against Google has sparked a major battle over data held by Microsoft.
The software giant is now facing a court order to file millions of documents that could reveal it is trying to compete with the Google search engine.
After Microsoft initially worked with prosecutors to file an antitrust lawsuit against Google, Microsoft may have to file millions of other documents at the request of Google's defense team.
At the hearing, Judge Amit Mehta heard the arguments of Google and Microsoft on the case, but ultimately decided that more information was needed before the court could provide guidance on how much internal data Microsoft should provide.
The US Department of Justice's antitrust action against Google in October 2020 focused on anticompetitive behavior in search ads and search, including allegations that the company's exclusive offerings on Android and iOS were hindering retailers.
Separate antitrust actions have also been filed against Google focusing on the company's privacy settings and search results manipulation.
Prior to the indictment, Microsoft submitted more than 400,000 documents to meet the attorney general's civil investigation requirements.
In a document filed prior to the hearing, Google argued that it had the right to obtain a number of similar documents that might be useful in its defense.
"No third party is more at the center of this lawsuit than Microsoft," Google said. The Ministry of Justice complained that dozens of them or their products were mentioned.
Microsoft and Google collide
Google first issued a subpoena to Microsoft in April requesting outdated documents to highlight whether Microsoft had been disqualified from competing with Google or whether it was unsuccessful.
However, Microsoft agreed only to recall a portion of the content and significantly limit access to the information. Google is now calling for a stricter ban to force Microsoft to provide these files.
In an appendix to its document, Google lists 19 current and former Microsoft executives who may be related to the case.
These executives went to the heart of the matter, including the development and distribution of Microsoft's various search engines, search advertising activities, and Microsoft's efforts to promote devices that give Microsoft more access points beyond the Windows desktop.
The software giant did not agree with this line of controversy, saying that Google is conducting unnecessary thorough investigations to further delay the case.
The court appears to be somewhat biased against Google. However, he requested more data on the burden on filing documents.
The court ruled that there was insufficient information about the responsibility for filing the documents. The dispute can last at least until August 20, the deadline for subsequent applications.