The Department of Justice’s landmark legal action against Google is progressing – though at a deliberate pace. During a status conference on Friday, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta established a preliminary trial date. For all parties concerned, the timeline indicates a start more than two years from now.

According to CNBC, Mehta selected September 12, 2023, as the anticipated commencement of the trial, which is projected to extend for several weeks. While this date remains subject to modification, it represents a reasonable estimate given the agreement of both the Department of Justice and Google to this schedule.

Even though the trial is still some time away, the DOJ’s lawsuit against Google, initiated in October, is already creating uncertainty within Silicon Valley. The lawsuit centers on Google’s operations in search and advertising, alleging the company’s maintenance of unlawful monopolies within these sectors. Establishing a date in 2023 provides Google ample opportunity to refine its legal strategy and operate as it chooses in the interim, but also means a significant potential regulatory challenge will persist for the foreseeable future.

Individual states are also actively pursuing their own initiatives to oversee the search engine, with two substantial, separate lawsuits filed this week that similarly target Google’s dominance in search and advertising. The state of California also requested to participate in the Justice Department’s lawsuit last week, with Michigan and Wisconsin submitting similar requests on Thursday.

“Their intention to join this case, along with the independent complaint submitted today by a group of state Attorneys General, highlights the widespread and bipartisan agreement that Google’s practices concerning search and search advertising require antitrust intervention,” stated Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen regarding the states’ decision to join the legal proceedings.

This significant case marks the first major federal antitrust action against a technology company in over two decades, since the U.S. government’s case against Microsoft. That matter concluded with a settlement in 2001, just three years after Google was established.

With limited regulations in effect to govern its growth, the technology sector experienced substantial expansion over the past 20 years. The innovations of Silicon Valley are now integrated into virtually every aspect of modern life, making the Microsoft antitrust period appear relatively simple by comparison.