A federal judge ruled on Monday that Google has breached US antitrust laws with its search business, delivering a significant legal blow that could transform how millions of Americans access information online and challenge decades of dominance.
The US District Court for the District of Columbia’s decision represents a major setback for Google’s core business, as reported by CNN. The company has invested tens of billions of dollars in exclusive contracts to maintain its position as the default search engine on smartphones and web browsers.
These contracts, according to the US government, have allowed Google to effectively block competitors like Microsoft’s Bing and DuckDuckGo. This historic antitrust lawsuit was filed during the Trump administration.
US District Judge Amit Mehta stated that Google’s dominant position has led to anticompetitive practices that must be addressed.
“After carefully evaluating the witness testimony and evidence, the court concludes that Google is a monopolist and has acted to sustain its monopoly,” Judge Mehta wrote in his opinion. “Google has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act.”
