Tech giant Google faced a setback on Monday after a federal judge ruled that the company violated US antitrust law.
On Monday, District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly in the internet search industry. Mehta wrote, “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.” Attorney General Merrick Garland praised the ruling, calling it “a historic win for the American people.”
In a statement, Google announced it plans to appeal the ruling, writing that “this decision recognizes that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes that we shouldn’t be allowed to make it easily available.”
Google currently comprises roughly 90% of the online search market and 95% of smartphone internet searches. The ruling was welcomed by Google’s competitors, including DuckDuckGo, whose CEO testified against Google.
Although officials have discussed the potential breakup of Google, appeals to higher courts could mean that the remedy phase of the case could be delayed by as much as two years if the ruling is upheld.