Google, Justice Department make final arguments about whether search engine is a monopoly
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Google's preeminence as an internet search engine is an illegal monopoly propped up by more than $20 billion spent each year by the tech giant to lock out competition, Justice Department lawyers argued at the closings of a high-stakes antitrust lawsuit. The government and Google made their closing arguments in the 10-week lawsuit to U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who must now decide whether Google broke the law in maintaining a monopoly status as a search engine. Much of the case has revolved around how much Google derives its strength from contracts it has in place with companies like Apple to make Google the default search engine preloaded on cellphones and computers. Evidence showed that Google spends more than $20 billion a year on such contracts. Google responds that customers could easily click away to other search engines if they wanted, but that consumers invariably prefer Google. Mehta has not yet said when he will rule, though there is an expectation that it may take several months.

#Google #JusticeDepartment #Antitrust #SearchEngine #Monopoly

https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-closings-trial-monopoly-aa1c5b9f859e9428aec15bb0a61bcaa8