Delaware County judge allows part of case against Google to proceed
Attorney General Dave Yost hailed a Delaware County judge’s decision last week in his case against Google. But the preliminary decision on the search giant’s motion to dismiss was only a partial victory for the state — an invitation to make its case that Google should be regulated as a common carrier.
Common carriers have traditionally been thought of as entities that transport people or goods and are generally open to the public — think shipping companies, taxis or airlines. But the same concept has been applied to information as well, making phone companies and internet service providers common carriers, too. These companies face a greater legal expectation of neutrality because of their outsized role in the marketplace.
In its initial complaint filed last June, the state contended that a corporation reaches “common carrier” or “public utility” status when it serves “a substantial part of the public in a way that makes its methods of operations a matter of public concern, welfare, and interest.”
Yost’s office argued that describes Google perfectly, with its near complete dominance of the search market. But instead of providing information on a neutral basis, the complaint alleged, the search company “manipulates its presentation” of results “to preference its own services, yielding search results that best benefit the interests of Google.”
Read more: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/05/31/delaware-county-judge-allows-part-of-case-against-google-to-proceed/