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Louise Thomas
Editor
Google violated antitrust laws by paying rivals to default to its search engine, a federal court ruled on Monday, in a major decision that will likely have implications for how a variety of tech giants operate.
“Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” Judge Amit P Mehta, of the US District Dourt for the District of Columbia, wrote in his ruling.
The Department of Justice and a collection of US states brought the case against Google in 2020 over its practice of paying companies like Apple and Samsung billions of dollars a year to have the search engine automatically handle search inquiries on their phones and browsers.
Google’s ubiquity, handling some 90 percent of world internet searches, then allowed the company to to dominate the market for sponsored advertising in search results, further entrenching its advantage, according to the ruling.
The suit also took issue with Google’s practice of making phone manufacturers supporting the Android operating system default to certain Google apps to get access to the company’s Play Store.
It’s the largest DOJ-led antitrust case against the tech industry since the famous Microsoft case two decades ago, according to The Verge.
The Independent has contacted Google for comment.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
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