A federal decide requested Microsoft on Friday to let him understand how massive of a burden it might be for the corporate to supply paperwork requested by long-time rival Alphabet’s Google, in a US antitrust lawsuit in opposition to Google.

The search and promoting big had requested the decide to compel Microsoft to show over paperwork, citing its failure to adjust to a subpoena, in line with a court docket submitting unsealed late Thursday.

“In terms of does this request meet the general definition of relevancy? The answer is yes,” mentioned Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia at a listening to on Friday.

Google served a subpoena to Microsoft greater than three months in the past, in search of paperwork concerning Microsoft’s Bing search engine in addition to its Internet Explorer and Edge however has not obtained them, the submitting mentioned.

Google says among the paperwork would possibly make clear whether or not Microsoft was really restrained from competing with Google, or whether or not it merely did not compete efficiently.

“In particular, there are nineteen Microsoft employees who held important positions relating to activities at the core of this case but whose files Microsoft refuses to commit to search at this time,” Google mentioned within the submitting.

Google’s search engine is the market chief by far whereas Bing’s share is in single digits. Google additionally has a browser, Chrome.

Microsoft, additionally in a submitting late on Thursday, mentioned Google’s further requests carry the full variety of custodians, whose information Microsoft must search, to 55.

According to Google, these executives coated points on the core of the case, together with the event and distribution of Microsoft’s varied engines like google, Microsoft’s search promoting enterprise, and Microsoft’s effort to market units that might give it extra search entry factors past the Windows desktop.

The Justice Department sued Google in October, kicking off a spate of federal and state antitrust lawsuits in opposition to each Google and Facebook. The federal case in opposition to Google and a broader state case have been consolidated for functions of trial preparation.