Google Search Accused Of Illegal Dominance, Rebuked By US Court

Pune, 6th August 2024: Google has been found guilty of violating US antitrust laws to maintain its monopoly in the search engine market. US District Judge Amit P. Mehta delivered the verdict on Monday, stating that Google spends billions to promote illegal dominance and secure its position as the default search engine worldwide. The ruling follows a legal battle between Google and the US Department of Justice.

Google spends billions to secure its dominance in the search engine market. According to Judge Amit P. Mehta, the company has spent vast sums to promote its illegal dominance and become the default search engine across devices worldwide. This decision is a significant blow to Google and opens the way for a second trial to determine potential remedies, which could include the breakup of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. This could significantly impact the online advertising market, where Google currently holds a 90% share on smartphones and 95% on other devices.

“The court has reached this conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted like one to maintain its monopoly,” stated Judge Mehta. In response, Google announced it would appeal the decision, arguing that the company did not act illegally to maintain its search monopoly. A Google spokesperson said, “This decision acknowledges that Google provides the best search engine, but the conclusion is that we should not be allowed to make it easily accessible.”

The court highlighted that in 2021, Google paid $26.3 billion to ensure its search service remained the default choice through exclusive agreements on smartphones and internet browsers. Judge Mehta emphasized that the default position is “valuable real estate,” and competitors would have to pay billions to become the default option. “Google estimated that losing the Safari default would result in a decline in queries and a loss of billions of dollars in revenue,” Mehta added.

This ruling marks a critical moment in the ongoing battle between tech giants and regulators, potentially setting a precedent for future antitrust cases in the tech industry.