Google illegally maintains monopoly over Internet search, US judge rules

Mehta ruled on Aug 5, 2024, that Google's ubiquitous search engine has been illegally exploiting its dominance to squash competition and stifle innovation in a seismic decision that could shake up the internet and hobble one of the world's best-known companies. — AP

WASHINGTON: A judge on Aug 5 ruled that Google’s ubiquitous search engine has been illegally exploiting its dominance to squash competition and stifle innovation, a seismic decision that could shake up the internet and hobble one of the world's best-known companies.

The highly anticipated decision issued by US District Judge Amit Mehta comes nearly a year after the start of a trial pitting the US Justice Department against Google in the country's biggest antitrust showdown in a quarter century.