A US court has ruled that Google illegally dominated the search engine market.
In a sweeping 286-page ruling, the court found that the tech giant paid a staggering $26 billion to smartphone makers and web browsers to make its search engine the default choice. This, the judge said, unfairly blocked other search engines from competing for users.
The judge also determined that Google does not monopolize all search advertising. Competitors like Amazon and Walmart have started selling ads linked to searches on their platforms. However, the court found that Google has a stranglehold on text ads at the top of search results.
This verdict marks a significant legal victory against a tech giant in over two decades. While the specific remedies are still pending, one potential change could be allowing US Android users to choose their preferred search engine when setting up a new device.
Further potential remedies could involve splitting Google’s search operations from other businesses, such as Android and Chrome. This would represent the most significant forced breakup of a US corporation since the dismantling of AT&T in 1984, which resulted in the creation of smaller regional phone companies.
The court’s findings detailed how Google paid billions of dollars to Samsung and Apple to make its search engine the default option. This strategy significantly boosted Google’s value, generating over $300 billion in revenue, primarily from search ads. The company’s market share soared from 80% in 2009 to 90% by 2020.
Google has vowed to appeal the ruling, claiming its success is due to consumers’ preference for its products.