A U.S. judge has ruled that Google’s advertising practices are illegal due to their monopolistic dominance in online searches. After a 10-week hearing, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta declared on Monday in a Washington D.C. court that Google has spent billions to ensure its default search engine status on smartphones and browsers. In his 277-page opinion, he wrote, “Google operates as a monopolist online. They have worked to maintain dominance as a search engine.”
However, Reuters reports that Alphabet, Google’s parent company, may appeal the decision.
This groundbreaking ruling is seen as a significant blow to Alphabet and could reshape how technology giants conduct their business.
Previously, in 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Google for controlling nearly 90% of the online search market. This case is one of several lawsuits filed against major tech companies as antitrust authorities seek to enhance competition in the industry. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland welcomed the ruling as a “historic victory for the American people,” stating, “No company, no matter how large or influential, is above the law. The antitrust laws will be vigorously enforced by our Department of Justice.”
Federal antitrust regulators have other pending cases against big tech companies. Allegations have been made against Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook), Amazon.com, and Apple Inc., accusing Google of illegal and monopolistic practices in its advertising business. They claim Google has spent billions annually to pre-install its default search engine on various devices.
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