From PC Mag: Google created an illegal “monopoly” by paying partners to make its search engine the default on today’s smartphones and mobile browsers, a federal judge ruled today.
“Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly. It has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act,” wrote Judge Amit Mehta in a 277-page ruling.
At issue is a 2020 antitrust lawsuit the Justice Department filed against Google for allegedly locking up the search market through billion-dollar partnership deals with device makers, including Apple and Samsung.
Following years of litigation, the judge sided with federal prosecutors, and ruled that Google has “monopoly powers” in the general search market and over search ads. In addition, the judge found that ”Google’s distribution agreements are exclusive and have anticompetitive effects,” including artificially inflating the prices for ads that appear in Google Search.
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