Federal judge rules that Google's payment to maintain smartphone search position violates antitrust laws
In a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice against Google for antitrust violations, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Google violated the antitrust laws, stating that 'Google's actions constitute a monopoly in general search services and general search text advertising.' Although not all of the Department of Justice's claims were accepted, the view that 'Google abused its position to maintain its monopoly position' is considered groundbreaking.
Case 1:20-cv-03010-APM Document 1033 Filed 08/05/24
(PDF file)
Google (GOOGL) Loses DOJ Antitrust Suit Over Search Engine on Phone Browsers - Bloomberg
Judge rules that Google 'is a monopolist' in US antitrust case - The Verge
Google violated antitrust law to maintain search monopoly, judge rules
https://www.axios.com/2024/08/05/google-antitrust-lawsuit-monopoly
The lawsuit was filed in October 2020 by the Department of Justice, along with 11 states, including Arkansas and Florida, who filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Google in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to 'stop Google from unlawfully maintaining a monopoly in the search and search advertising markets through anticompetitive and exclusionary practices and to remedy competitive harm.'
Google sued by the Department of Justice for 'antitrust violations' - GIGAZINE
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Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected the Justice Department's argument that Google has a monopoly on certain parts of the advertising market. However, he did accept that Google's monopoly on general search services and general search text ads has stifled competition from rivals, and that its $26 billion payment to Google to have it set as the default search engine on smartphones has stifled the growth of its competitors in that market.
Over the past few decades, Google has made billions of yen payments to Apple and Samsung to secure the 'best spot' on smartphones and web browsers, building its position as the 'most used search engine.' It has earned more than $300 billion in annual revenue, mainly from search advertising.
Apple receives 3 trillion yen a year from Google as 'fees for adopting Google search' - GIGAZINE
Judge Mehta noted that Google's monopoly on most ad serving services on smartphones and web browsers allowed it to raise advertising prices without any pressure from others.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said of the ruling, 'This victory against Google is historic for the American people. No company, no matter its size or influence, is above the law. The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce our antitrust laws.'
Search engine DuckDuckGo praised the ruling, but said the fight is not over and there is still a long way to go as Google will do whatever it can to combat it.
US Judge Rules Google's Monopoly is Illegal
— DuckDuckGo (@DuckDuckGo) August 5, 2024
Statement on the US v. Google ruling:
Judge Amit Mehta issued an historic ruling today saying in no uncertain terms: 'Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.'
Google has used its monopoly…
Google plans to appeal, and Kent Walker, president of global affairs, said in a statement that 'while we continue to fight the litigation, we're focused on building products that people find useful and easy to use.'
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