Latest news with #Mehta
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Business
- Time of India
Google says it will appeal court's decision in Search case: Read company's 6-point response to remedies proposed by justice department
Google has announced that t plans to appeal a US antitrust ruling after a federal judge proposed milder remedies than those sought by antitrust regulators to address the company's dominance in online search. The update follows a Friday (May 30) hearing in Washington, where US District Judge Amit Mehta heard closing arguments on how to remedy Google's illegal monopoly in search and related advertising. What remedies DOJ has demanded and what the judge said The Department of Justice (DOJ) and a group of state attorneys general are seeking strong corrective measures, including forcing Google to share search data and stop paying billions to Apple and other smartphone makers to remain the default search engine on their devices. Judge Mehta, however, has suggested less aggressive options than the DOJ's proposal for a 10-year regulatory regime. The DOJ has expressed concern that Google's dominance in search also boosts its competitive edge in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), particularly through products such as Gemini. The DOJ's proposed remedies go miles beyond...: Google by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Homeowners can claim a free boiler upgrade if they live in these postcodes Eco Green Tips Apply Now Undo Google, in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), said that it will wait for the decision and believes "the Court's original decision was wrong". Yesterday, we made closing arguments in the DOJ search remedies trial. The DOJ's proposed remedies go miles beyond the Court's decision & would harm consumers, businesses and America's tech leadership. Here are a few key points from our arguments. ⬇️ 1/ DOJ waved off very real privacy issues, saying they'd be resolved later on. In fact, one DOJ lawyer said 'the only thing we can do is give [rivals] more data.' 🤔 2/ When confronted with significant questions left open by their proposals (i.e. how much data should Google be forced to share?), DOJ just said it could all be worked out by a 'Technical Committee' of mostly govt-appointed experts. 3/ The DOJ's proposal reserves the right for the government to decide who gets Google users' data. Not the Court. 4/ The DOJ spent many hours trying to convince the Court to remake the tech sector. Meanwhile it's very clear the AI space is highly competitive today: Countless rivals in the AI space are growing fast & gaining users & distribution without government intervention. 5/ While we heard a lot about how the remedies would help various well-funded competitors (w/ repeated references to Bing), we heard very little about how all this helps consumers. 6/ We will wait for the Court's opinion. And we still strongly believe the Court's original decision was wrong, and look forward to our eventual appeal. Previously in a separate case, the DOJ sought Google's divestment of parts of its ad tech business, specifically Google Ad Manager , which includes its publisher ad server and ad exchange platform. A federal judge ruled that Google unlawfully controlled key parts of the digital advertising market. Powerbeats Pro 2 – Apple's Most Powerful Workout Buds Yet! AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Pink Villa
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
‘Call out predators': Hansal Mehta urges investigation against Homeboud cinematographer Pratik Shah after s*xual misconduct allegation
Homebound cinematographer Pratik Shah was accused of serious misconduct and abusive behavior. In response, filmmaker Hansal Mehta has urged for a comprehensive inquiry into the pattern of predatory actions by powerful men in the industry. Known for films like Shahid and Citylights, Mehta posted an extended statement on X (formerly Twitter), stressing the importance of accountability, and also called for an investigation. He emphasized that survivors should not be left to endure their trauma in silence. In his X post, Hansal Mehta began, 'Abuse thrives in silence. It festers in fear. Predatory behaviour by men in positions of power must be investigated thoroughly, and if found true, must be called out, unequivocally, and without delay. For too long, predators have weaponised influence, privilege, and fear to silence survivors. That silence must be broken.' See post here: Mehta emphasized that abuse of power is not limited to any one gender, noting that women in influential positions have also been responsible for causing harm. He pointed out that abuse can manifest in various forms, not just s*xual, but also mental, emotional, and psychological, which can be equally damaging. Mehta further remarked that toxic behavior in creative environments is often masked as 'passion' or 'genius,' a mindset he believes must end. He stressed that no artistic pursuit, whether a film, script, or any other project, is worth compromising an individual's safety or mental well-being. The note further read, 'Victims need voice. They need redress. They need a system that listens and acts. Accountability is not cancel culture. It is culture correction. We owe it to ourselves, and to those who come after us, to make our spaces safer. Cleaner. Kinder. Call out the predators. Call out the habitual abuser. Hold them accountable. Let no power be above decency.' Meanwhile, Dharma Productions recently broke its silence on the accusations and stated that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment against anyone associated with their projects, treating such cases with utmost seriousness. They clarified that Pratik Shah was engaged as a freelancer on the film Homebound for a limited duration, and his association with the production has since ended. During his time working on the project, their internal POSH committee did not receive any complaints against him from the cast or crew involved with Homebound. Following the emergence of allegations on social media, Pratik Shah took down his Instagram account. He has not issued any official statement addressing the accusations so far. Shah was the cinematographer for Homebound, the sole Indian feature film showcased at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The film, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, was produced under the banner of Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.
Express Tribune
11 hours ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Judge weighs softer antitrust remedies for Google monopoly case
The new Google logo is seen in this illustration taken May 13, 2025. Photo:REUTERS Listen to article A federal judge in Washington suggested on Friday he is considering making Alphabet's Google take less aggressive measures to restore competition in online search than the 10-year regime proposed by antitrust enforcers. US District Judge Amit Mehta heard closing arguments on Friday at a trial on proposals to address Google's illegal monopoly in online search and related advertising. "Ten years may seem like a short period, but in this space, a lot can change in weeks," he said, citing recent developments such as ChatGPT maker OpenAI buying a device startup. The DOJ and a coalition of states want Google to share search data and cease multibillion-dollar payments to Apple and other smartphone makers to be the default search engine on new devices. At the hearing, the judge floated the possibility of limited data sharing and ending the payments only if other measures do not increase competition. He also grappled with the rise of artificial intelligence products that could replace traditional search engines. An alternate default search engine in Apple's Safari browser is unlikely to come from existing rival search engines like DuckDuckGo or Bing, the judge said. "If anything it's going to be one of these AI companies that can do more than just search. And why? Because maybe people don't want 10 blue links anymore," he said, referring to earlier iterations of Google's search engine. The case has already rattled Google's share price by exposing Apple's plans to offer AI-based search options. The trial began in April and Mehta has said he aims to rule by August. AI "Rivals"? Antitrust enforcers are concerned about how Google's search monopoly gives it an advantage in AI products like Gemini and vice versa. Nick Turley, OpenAI's product head for ChatGPT, testified that the ChatGPT creator is years away from its goal of being able to use its own search technology to answer 80% of queries and that having access to Google search data would help it focus on improving ChatGPT. Turley also said OpenAI would be interested in buying Chrome if Google is forced to sell it. But Mehta questioned whether companies like OpenAI or Perplexity should be considered Google competitors who would be given access to any data Google is required to share, given that the case focused on search engine competitors. "It seems to me you now want to kind of bring this other technology into the definition of general search engine markets that I am not sure quite fits," the judge said to DOJ attorney Adam Severt. Severt replied that while the first part of the case focused on the past, the remedies must be forward-looking. The academics conclude that many of the proposed remedies warrant significant reconsideration to better balance the goals of competition, innovation, & consumer welfare—and to safeguard US leadership in the technology sector. Read the full paper: — Trevor Wagener (@econwags) May 29, 2025 John Schmidtlein, an attorney for Google, said at the hearing that while generative AI is influencing how search looks, Google has addressed any concerns about competition in AI by no longer entering exclusive agreements with wireless carriers and smartphone makers including Samsung Electronics, leaving them free to load rival search and AI apps on new devices. Schmidtlein argued it would be inappropriate to give successful AI companies like OpenAI technology that Google has spent 20 years perfecting. "Coming to Google and asking Google for a handout when they are the market leader seems completely disproportionate to what this case is about," he said.
Ammon
12 hours ago
- Business
- Ammon
Google makes case for keeping Chrome browser
Ammon News - Google on Friday urged a US judge to reject the notion of making it spin off its Chrome browser to weaken its dominance in online search. Rival attorneys made their final arguments before US District Court Judge Amit Mehta, who is considering imposing "remedies" after a landmark decision last year that Google maintained an illegal monopoly in search. US government attorneys have called on Mehta to order Google to divest itself of Chrome browser, contending that artificial intelligence is poised to ramp up the tech giant's dominance as the go-to window into the internet. They also want Google barred from agreements with partners such as Apple and Samsung to distribute its search tools, which was the focus of the suit against the Silicon Valley internet giant. Three weeks of testimony ended early in May, with Friday devoted to rival sides parsing points of law and making their arguments before Mehta in a courtroom in Washington. John Schmidtlein, an attorney for Google, told Mehta that there was no evidence presented showing people would have opted for a different search engine without the exclusivity deals in place. Schmidtlein noted that Verizon installed Chrome on smartphones even though the US telecom titan owned Yahoo! search engine and was not bound by a contract with Google. Of the 100 or so witnesses heard at trial, not one said "if I had more flexibility, I would have installed Bing" search engine from Microsoft, the Google attorney told the judge. Economic Times
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Google judge mulls softer remedies in US search antitrust case
By Jody Godoy WASHINGTON: A federal judge in Washington suggested on Friday he is considering making Alphabet's Google take less aggressive measures to restore competition in online search than the 10-year regime proposed by antitrust enforcers. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta heard closing arguments on Friday at a trial on proposals to address Google's illegal monopoly in online search and related advertising. "Ten years may seem like a short period, but in this space, a lot can change in weeks," he said, citing recent developments such as ChatGPT maker OpenAI buying a device startup. The DOJ and a coalition of states want Google to share search data and cease multibillion-dollar payments to Apple and other smartphone makers to be the default search engine on new devices. At the hearing, the judge floated the possibility of limited data sharing and ending the payments only if other measures do not increase competition. He also grappled with the rise of artificial intelligence products that could replace traditional search engines. An alternate default search engine in Apple's Safari browser is unlikely to come from existing rival search engines like DuckDuckGo or Bing, the judge said. "If anything it's going to be one of these AI companies that can do more than just search. And why? Because maybe people don't want 10 blue links anymore," he said, referring to earlier iterations of Google's search engine. The case has already rattled Google's share price by exposing Apple's plans to offer AI-based search options. The trial began in April and Mehta has said he aims to rule by August. AI "RIVALS"? Antitrust enforcers are concerned about how Google's search monopoly gives it an advantage in AI products like Gemini and vice versa. Nick Turley, OpenAI's product head for ChatGPT, testified that the ChatGPT creator is years away from its goal of being able to use its own search technology to answer 80% of queries and that having access to Google search data would help it focus on improving ChatGPT. Turley also said OpenAI would be interested in buying Chrome if Google is forced to sell it. But Mehta questioned whether companies like OpenAI or Perplexity should be considered Google competitors who would be given access to any data Google is required to share, given that the case focused on search engine competitors. "It seems to me you now want to kind of bring this other technology into the definition of general search engine markets that I am not sure quite fits," the judge said to DOJ attorney Adam Severt. Severt replied that while the first part of the case focused on the past, the remedies must be forward-looking. John Schmidtlein, an attorney for Google, said at the hearing that while generative AI is influencing how search looks, Google has addressed any concerns about competition in AI by no longer entering exclusive agreements with wireless carriers and smartphone makers including Samsung Electronics , leaving them free to load rival search and AI apps on new devices. Schmidtlein argued it would be inappropriate to give successful AI companies like OpenAI technology that Google has spent 20 years perfecting. "Coming to Google and asking Google for a handout when they are the market leader seems completely disproportionate to what this case is about," he said.
