Judge finds Google guilty of antitrust violations in effort to maintain control of online search market

The Justice Department achieved a victory on Monday as a federal judge ruled that Google breached U.S. antitrust laws by upholding a monopoly in the online search sector.

Amit Mehta, a D.C. District judge, found Google guilty of violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act, concluding that the company unlawfully solidified its dominance in the search market by paying substantial amounts to smartphone carriers like Apple to establish Google as the default search engine on their devices, effectively preventing any competing businesses from entering the market.

In his ruling, Mehta stated, “Google is a monopolist and has behaved as such to preserve its monopoly.”

Following a 10-week trial in Washington, D.C. last year, where Justice Department officials and dozens of state attorneys general aimed to expose Google’s anti-competitive strategies that led to its dominance as the top search engine globally.

Although Mehta’s ruling does not specify any particular remedies, he will need to determine appropriate actions to address Google’s monopoly, which experts suggest could involve specific directives to the company to rectify its business practices or potentially divest parts of the corporation.

In a statement, Google opted to highlight the positive remarks made by the judge in the ruling.

Kent Walker, Google’s president for global affairs, remarked, “This ruling acknowledges that Google provides the top search engine but argues that we should not be permitted to make it readily accessible. We are grateful for the Court’s recognition that Google is ‘the industry’s highest quality search engine, which has earned Google the trust of hundreds of millions of daily users’, that Google ‘has long been the best search engine, particularly on mobile devices’, ‘has continued to innovate in search’ and that ‘Apple and Mozilla occasionally evaluate Google’s search quality compared to its competitors and find Google’s to be superior.’

He further stated that the company will appeal the ruling, stating, “Given this, and that people are increasingly seeking information in various ways, we intend to appeal. As this process unfolds, we will concentrate on creating products that people find useful and easy to use.”

The Justice Department celebrated the groundbreaking ruling, with Attorney General Merrick Garland declaring in a statement, “This triumph against Google is a historic victory for the American people. No corporation, regardless of its size or influence, is exempt from the law. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously uphold our antitrust laws.”

Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter added in a statement, “This significant ruling holds Google responsible. It opens the door to innovation for future generations and safeguards access to information for all Americans. This victory is a testament to the relentless efforts of the dedicated public servants at the Antitrust Division and our state law enforcement partners who made today’s ruling possible.”