The White House described the ruling as a victory for the American people, which could have wide repercussions on how the internet is used.

Abstract: A US judge found that Google violated antitrust laws in online searches in order to maintain its market dominance. This ruling brings change to how the internet is used. The White House labeled it a win for the American people and emphasized that no company is above the law. Google plans to appeal the decision.

A federal judge has finally ruled that Google violated antitrust laws in building and holding its massive dominance in internet search. The court decision could have enormous consequences on how people use the internet.

US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google infringed on section 2 of the Sherman Act, a US law designed to prevent monopolies, by maintaining a monopoly in search services and advertising. The judge has ordered that Google acted as a monopolist in efforts to maintain its dominance.

A Big Antitrust Decision

This ruling is one of the biggest antitrust decisions in many years and comes after a long case where the Justice Department fought against Google, one of the most valued companies in the world. Investigations into big technology companies for probable unfair practices have been going on by the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and European regulators.

The Trial

The trial began last September but then took a lengthy break as Judge Mehta reached his decision. Closing arguments wrapped up back in May. Mehta admitted that he was keenly aware of the case’s importance to Google and the public alike.

Google’s Response

Google has announced plans to appeal against the ruling. Google’s president of global affairs, Kent Walker, commented that the ruling “recognized that Google is the best search engine but incorrectly concluded that making it easily available was wrong”.

Kudos to the Lawyers

Judge Mehta termed the trial as “remarkable” and said that the quality of the lawyers on both sides was commendable. He said that the case had examined millions of pages and a huge amount of data.

Government’s Reaction

Attorney General Merrick Garland called the decision a historic victory for the American people. He said none of the companies, no matter how big it is, is above the law. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in an addition that the ruling was a win for all Americans who deserve an accessible, free, and open internet.

Government’s Argument

The government’s lawyers attested that Google had an unfair grasp of the internet search market, for example engaging in a spend of billions of dollars cutting deals with companies such as Apple and Samsung, which made Google the default search engine on their devices. They said Google’s dominance allowed it to push out rivals and make more money from ads.

Judge’s Findings:

Judge Mehta ruled that the deals put Google ahead of those it competes with. What it cost Google were many costly agreements, forcing the company to fork out more than $26 billion in 2021 alone to companies like Apple. These actions, the judge says, cannot be explained convincingly.

The ruling doesn’t indicate what penalties Google will pay for violating the law. Leaving questions to the future about what’s in store for Google with their control of the search market and its operation.

The Defense of Google

It said that Google only offered a superior service to what other search engines could. The company cited competitors such as Microsoft’s Bing as inferior search products. Google further argued that its contracts for being the default search engine do not break antitrust laws. The search market includes other services like TikTok and Amazon, they said.

Message Deletion Controversy

One of the flash points was Google’s track record of purging internal communications. The government charged that Google was intentionally expunging documents that were injurious to its case. Google disputed the accusation, but Judge Mehta took the company to task for weak record-keeping.

Original Lawsuit

The Justice Department filed its lawsuit against Google back in 2020. After that, over 30 attorneys general of states and territories joined the case. During the trial, the government’s lawyer stated that it is a case about the future of the internet.

Closed-Door Trial

Much of the trial has been done behind closed doors, and some of the accusations have been that it is a ploy by Google to keep the case away from public view. Google has successfully blocked the public from viewing some of the evidence and testimony, citing that it would expose trade secrets.

Reactions from New York’s Attorney General

The decision was hailed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who had been involved with the case against Google. It is a major victory against unchecked corporate power, she said.

Future Challenges in Court

Another case is heading to trial later this year—one filed by the Justice Department for alleged anticompetitive behavior, which says Google illegally dominated the market for advertising technology.