According to Politico, a federal judge’s ruling that Google holds an illegal monopoly over internet search could lead to a major shakeup in the Big Tech industry.
The unprecedented decision, made in an anti-trust case, may signal a significant shift in the current landscape of the internet.
“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,” US District Judge Amit Mehta said in the opinion. “It has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act.”
While it’s as yet unclear what the legal impact of the ruling will be, the judge did offer some clarification and reasoning behind his decision.
“Specifically, the court holds that (1) there are relevant product markets for general search services and general search text ads; (2) Google has monopoly power in those markets …” Judge Mehta’s ruling stated.
Additionally, the court ruled that “(3) Google’s distribution agreements are exclusive and have anticompetitive effects; and (4) Google has not offered valid procompetitive justifications for those agreements.”
The court’s ruling highlighted Google’s ability to set “supracompetitive prices for general search text ads” due to its monopoly power, resulting in the company earning “monopoly profits.”
Mehta further pointed out that Google has created an anticompetitive environment in the mobile sector by securing exclusive deals with significant competitors like Apple.
The company’s vertical integration across the industry has made it challenging for other players to gain traction in the search market.
Google is also known for demanding high fees for search advertisements on its platform.
Despite this, the judge did not definitively declare Google as having a monopoly on search advertisements within the search market itself.
All fifty states united as plaintiffs in a case against Google under the Clayton Act, stated in 15 U.S.C. § 26, representing their citizens’ interests. In response, Google announced its intention to appeal the decision.
According to Kent Walker, who serves as the president of worldwide affairs at Google, “as this process continues, we will continue to focus on making products that people find helpful and easy to use.”
The tech behemoth from Silicon Valley has become so essential to people’s daily online activities that Google has long been used as a verb, showcasing its capacity to generate substantial profits from anyone seeking online visibility.
A significant shift in the company’s business practices could not only revolutionize the internet but also disrupt small businesses, as it aims to establish a system rooted in free market principles.
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Mark Suckerberg is a Communist Democrat donating millions to the Communist DNC. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s involved in so many illegal activities while the Communist Democrats rescue him in every way possible and the cowardly Republicans sit with their Thumbs up their asses as always.