New York, 6 August 2024 (TDI): A US judge has ruled Google acted illegally to crush its competition and maintain a monopoly on online search and related advertising.
The landmark decision on Monday is a big blow to Alphabet, Google’s parent company, and could reshape how technology giants do business.
Google was sued by the US Department of Justice in 2020 over its control of about 90 percent of the online search market.
It is one of several lawsuits that have been filed against the big tech companies as United States antitrust authorities attempt to strengthen competition in the industry.
This case has at times been described as posing a serious threat to Google and its owner given its control of the search and online advertising business.
It is unclear yet what penalties Google and Alphabet will face as a result of the ruling. The court will decide fines or other remedies in a future hearing.
The government has asked for “structural relief” – which could, in theory at least, lead to the the break-up of the company.
In his judgment, US District Judge Amit Mehta said the company had paid billions to ensure it is the default search engine on browsers and smartphones.
Judge Mehta wrote in his 277-page opinion that Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.
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Alphabet said it intends to appeal against the decision.
The company said in a statement that this decision recognises that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes that we should not be allowed to make it easily available.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland, the country’s top prosecutor, lauded the ruling terming it a historic win for the US people.
Garland said in a statement on Monday that no company – no matter how large or influential – is above the law. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce our antitrust laws, he added.
