Bryan Sullivan recently spoke to the Los Angeles Times about a new federal lawsuit filed against Google by the popular review site Yelp. The lawsuit accuses Google of violating U.S. antitrust laws, using its algorithm to direct internet traffic away from Yelp, and even taking information from Yelp’s site and making it appear to come from Google.
The lawsuit claims that “Google’s conduct has injured Yelp through lower traffic, reduced advertising revenues, raising Yelp’s own costs, and impaired network effects that come with fewer new and returning users.”
According to Bryan, the suit – which could potentially end up at the Supreme Court – has the potential to change the landscape and public perception of antitrust.
“I don’t think they filed this in order to get a payday,” he explains. “I think they filed this to make a point and to try to change the landscape.”