By James Myers, OAN Staff
Monday, August 5, 2024 2:10 p.m.
A federal judge ruled Monday that Google violated U.S. antitrust laws in its online search business, dealing the tech giant a stunning courtroom defeat that could upend how millions of Americans get information online and end decades of dominance.
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Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Google abused its monopoly power by paying companies to have its search engine appear as the default option on devices and web browsers.
“After careful consideration of the witness testimony and evidence, the Court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopoly and has acted as a monopoly to maintain its monopoly,” Judge Amit Mehta wrote in his ruling on Monday. “The company has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act.”
Currently, Google pays billions of dollars to companies like Apple and Mozilla for prime placement on web browsers and smartphones.
according to The New York TimesGoogle paid Apple roughly $18 billion to be the default search engine on iPhones in 2021, but it also shares 36% of search ad revenue from Safari with Apple.
Monday’s landmark ruling marks Google’s second high-profile antitrust defeat. A federal jury in California found in December that the company ran an illegal monopoly with its own app store. The court in that case is still debating possible remedies.
The judge’s decision is expected to set off a separate process to determine what penalties Google will face, and the company is likely to appeal. The ruling may also ultimately determine what changes Google makes to its search engine.
Evelyn Mitchell Wolf, a senior analyst at eMarketer, said in an emailed statement that if Google’s deal is struck down by a court, it could have a negative impact on the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) search tools.
“Its ubiquity is its biggest strength, especially as competition heats up among AI-powered search alternatives,” Mitchell Wolf said.
Judge Mehta has not yet ruled on remedies for Google’s actions, but he could force the company to change how it runs its search business or order it to sell parts of it.
Additionally, the ruling could set the tone for other tech antitrust cases currently before the court, including the recently reported cases involving Apple and Amazon.
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