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Opinion
Tae Kim

Google App-Store Antitrust Suit Is Right Target, Wrong Idea

The public would be better served if states focused on the internet giant’s true anticompetitive monopoly — its search engine.

Antitrust enforcers should focus their efforts on the big issues. The Google Play app store isn’t one of them.

Antitrust enforcers should focus their efforts on the big issues. The Google Play app store isn’t one of them.

Photographer: Justin Chin/Bloomberg
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Opening an antitrust action against a company whose service offers better choice and flexibility than its main rival would be a bizarre move. But that is exactly what a group of 36 state attorneys general did when they sued Alphabet Inc.’s Google on Wednesday.

The announcement follows a series of major governmental antitrust actions against the internet giant. Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice and dozens of states filed complaints against Google over its dominant search engine business, while another group of states targeted the company for its ad-technology services. While the prior suits had legitimacy, this latest one seems like overreach.