SUMMARY
A federal U.S. judge ruled against Google in a landmark antitrust case, determining that the company has unlawfully maintained a monopoly in the search and text advertising markets. The case, filed by the Department of Justice and a coalition of 38 states and territories in 2020, accused Google of using its dominance to create barriers to entry and sustain its market share. Judge Amit Mehta found that Google violated the Sherman Act by acting as a monopolist. The ruling specifically criticized Google's exclusive search agreements on Android and Apple devices as contributing to its anticompetitive practices. Google, while planning to appeal, maintained that the decision unfairly penalizes them for providing high-quality services. The ruling marks the first major anti-monopoly decision against a tech company in decades, leading to a significant drop in Alphabet's shares. Attorney General Merrick Garland praised the decision as a victory for American consumers.
