WASHINGTON: Microsoft Corp, Oracle Corp and other companies that have provided information to the government for its antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet's Google requested more time on Wednesday to propose a protective order for their confidential data.
The group, which also includes AT&T Inc, Amazon.com, Comcast Corp, Duck Duck Go, Inc, Sonos, Inc, and T-Mobile US, Inc, said it would not be able to make proposals for a protective order on Friday, as federal Judge Amit Mehta had ordered. It requested an extension until Nov. 20.The U.S. Justice Department sued Google on Oct. 20, accusing the US$1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals, in the biggest challenge to the power and influence of Big Tech in decades.
"One of the key issues here is the extent to which Google personnel will gain access to the non-parties' most sensitiveconfidential business documents," the companies said in a joint request filed with the court. The companies said they wanted to have access to draft protective orders proposed by Google and the Justice Department, which are due Friday, before writing their own.