this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2023
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[–] [email protected] 36 points 11 months ago (6 children)

Well you typically need standing in order to file a lawsuit, who would do it? Mozilla are probably the only ones. Why would this cause them to do it when past similar practices haven’t?

[–] Dulusa 42 points 11 months ago

Europe will step in as usual

[–] [email protected] 42 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Perhaps YouTube premium subscribers would have standing as a class action, since Google is materially worsening the experience of a paid product if you don’t use their browser

[–] [email protected] -2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I personally don’t think an argument like that would hold up. A company making its service worse in itself isn’t going to win court cases, and this is hardly the worst example of a tech company making its products worse unless you use more of their software.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

Perhaps not, but it’s not just the act of making the service worse, it’s doing so measurably to paying customers ONLY when using a competitors product. With those caveats, I think you could at least argue standing. Winning is a whole other battle.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Microsoft, Mozilla org, maybe apple

EFF or government

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

On what standing though? Mozilla potentially has standing, and if the government finds that google is a monopoly, then the government could have standing, but nobody else.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

How would Mozilla finance a court case against google though?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Users affected by it, Mozilla, any other company that comes to support Mozilla, watchdog groups like the EFF...

It can also be brought by attorneys general and governmental regulators, the FCC and FTC might have a bit to say about it...

Antitrust suits aren't civil cases, I don't think, so "having standing" is a bit different

I'm not a lawyer though so I could be way off base, but the antitrust cases I've been aware of I don't think they were brought by companies but by government agencies

[–] Crack0n7uesday -2 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Isn't Mozilla a non profit? I don't they can sue for anything along the lines of hurting profits to the company.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Can't you sue for loss of income regardless?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

They do have a for-profit subsidiary that potentially could though

[–] skippedtoc 1 points 11 months ago

Of course they can. If the word profit is confusing you replace it with returns or finances.

[–] TurdMongler 1 points 11 months ago

Google funds then I'm pretty sure..