Google violated antitrust law with its online search, a federal judge ruled Monday, striking a major blow against one of the titans of the tech industry.
District Judge Amit Mehta said Google's billions in payments to keep its search engine as the default on web browsers violated US law.
"After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly," Mehta wrote.
The judge's ruling follows a landmark antitrust trial that concluded in DC in May. The case had been closely watched as a sign of whether other tech giants might face more enforcement.
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