A federal judge ruled thatGoogleviolatedantitrustlaws by maintaining its monopoly on two product markets, search and general text advertising.
It has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act.
Read the Google antitrust ruling.
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Thus, most devices in the United States come preloaded exclusively with Google.
These distribution deals have forced rivals to find other ways to reach users.
Among those who testified during the trial was Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft.
He said that Googles dominance made it next to impossible to compete with Microsofts own search engine, Bing.
The judges decision is a major victory for the Justice Department.
The Justice Department argued that Googles dominance in the search market allowed it to reap outsized advertising dollars.
He said that they plan to appeal.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said, This victory against Google is an historic win for the American people.
No company no matter how large or influential is above the law.
The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce our antitrust laws.
Jonathan Kanter, chief of the Antitrust Division, said, This landmark decision holds Google accountable.
It paves the path for innovation for generations to come and protects access to information for all Americans.
But because the sanctions Plaintiffs request do not move the needle on the courts assessment of Googles liability.
