US judge to hear dispute over Google DOJ antitrust lawsuit protective order

The Justice Department (DOJ) sued Google on October 20, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals.

Google has said it would not file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit but would fight it in federal court. (REUTERS)

A US judge said on Monday he will consider arguments in a disputed order related to the protection of confidential information in the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit filed against Alphabet Inc's Google LLC unit.

US District Judge Amit Mehta directed the government and Google to file by Friday "position statements outlining their respective positions on the disputed terms of a protective order."

The two sides said on Friday they had failed to reach an agreement on how to protect confidential information that was given to the government by third parties.

Google and the Justice Department said "a small number of significant issues remain in dispute."

The Justice Department sued Google on October 20, accusing the $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.

Google also said on Friday it would not file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit but would fight it in federal court.

Mehta has set a November 18 status conference on the lawsuit.