US court declares Google an illegal monopoly
For years, Google has been the default search engine in web browsers like Apple's Safari and Firefox. Its parent company pays billions for this privilege. In the largest antitrust case in 25 years, a federal court has declared the search engine giant a monopolist.
Google suffered a significant defeat in the U.S. over its internet search practices. A federal court in Washington ruled that the tech giant had illegally monopolized the search engine market. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland called the ruling a "historic win for the American people." Judge Amit Mehta stated, "Google is a monopolist and has acted like one to maintain its monopoly."
The ruling centers around the billions Google has paid to other companies over the years to ensure its search engine is pre-installed on their devices and browsers, suppressing competition and hindering innovation, according to the court.
The amount of the fine Google will have to pay and other consequences of the guilty verdict will be decided at a later date. Google has announced it will appeal. Ultimately, the case could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump Administration Filed Lawsuit
The U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit against Google dates back to 2020, during the Trump administration. It was joined by dozens of U.S. states. The lawsuit was continued under President Joe Biden.
Attorney General Garland stated that the ruling shows "no company is above the law." The department argued that Google systematically eliminated search engine competitors through its billion-dollar exclusive deals with Apple or Samsung. This affected search engines like Bing from Microsoft or DuckDuckGo. Last year alone, Google reportedly spent around $26 billion (approximately €24 billion) on exclusive deals for its search engine, with the majority likely going to Apple.
Google argued in the case that the success of its search engine was due to its superiority over competitors. The name Google has become almost synonymous with search engine for users.
This case was the largest of its kind against a technology company in the U.S. since a case against Microsoft over 25 years ago. In 1998, the case involved Microsoft's dominant position with its Windows operating system. The legal battles ended in 2001 with a settlement between the Justice Department and Microsoft, which prohibited certain business practices.
The U.S. Justice Department's antitrust case against Google, initiated during the Trump administration, was a joint effort with numerous U.S. states. This lawsuit, continued under President Joe Biden, accused Google of using its dominance in the United States of America to suppress competition, specifically by paying billions to companies to pre-install its search engine on their devices and browsers.
The court in Washington ruled that Google's actions were illegal, maintaining its monopoly as a search engine giant, which was a significant defeat for the tech giant in the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland highlighted this as a "historic win for the American people."
