Google has learned that its business is currently deemed an illegal monopoly in search and advertising after a ruling by a Federal Court judge. The ruling follows a lengthy anti-trust trial triggered by the Department of Justice suing Google’s parent company Meta.
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Excerpt from trendingpoliticsnews.com
In a landmark decision, a federal judge ruled on Monday that Google has violated antitrust laws by maintaining an illegal monopoly in the general search services and general search text advertising markets. The ruling comes as a huge blow to the tech giant, often criticized for its vast influence over the internet and user data.
The memorandum opinion issued by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia extensively detailed Google’s monopolistic practices. “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” the court wrote. “It has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act.” The lawsuit was initially filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and 11 states on October 20, 2020, with 38 additional states joining in a subsequent complaint.
The plaintiffs accused Google of using exclusionary agreements to dominate the market for general search services and various online advertising markets. “Google has unlawfully used the distribution agreements to thwart competition and maintain its monopoly,” the complaint asserted. After a lengthy trial process, which included the review of millions of pages of documents and testimony from numerous witnesses, the court’s findings were clear.
The judge noted, “Google’s dominance has gone unchallenged for well over a decade,” and highlighted that by 2020, nearly 90% of all search queries in the United States were handled by Google.
BREAKING: After a lengthy anti-trust trial, a federal judge has ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly in both search and advertising. https://t.co/pDuHRVx8nA pic.twitter.com/XRZUPjDsKU
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 5, 2024
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