Google illegally maintained online search monopoly, US court rules | Business News

Google illegally maintained an online search monopoly, a US court said, in one of the biggest rulings against the company’s market dominance.

The tech giant was successfully sued in federal court by the US Department of Justice and states who argued that it remains the most used internet search engine, paying billions to smartphone makers to make Google the default in browsers. and devices.

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This created anti-competitive barriers to entry for potential new or smaller search engines and further cemented Google’s position, argued the government and 38 states and territories, led by Colorado and Nebraska.

Regulators in the US have been trying to limit the power of tech giants like Google, Litter, Amazon It is goal through cases brought by the Department of Justice as well as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

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In particular, it focused on Google’s exclusive search deal on Android, iPhones and iPads.

The department argued that Google conducted nearly 90% of web searches, a figure Google denied.

Google Ads. that generate billions for the company, were also part of the case, as the department and states claimed that a monopoly had been created in search results. The price of the ads was above what should exist in a free market, demonstrating Google’s power, the plaintiffs said.

Google said it created a better service for consumers and that it was “winning because it is better.”

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It was because Google created a better service for consumers that it became so popular. It was “winning because it’s better”, argued the company.

No solution was presented by Judge Amit Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday. He could decide to order Google to sell part of the business or change the way it operates.

“Google is a monopolist and has acted as such to maintain its monopoly,” he said.

Google now has a chance to appeal.