A federal judge on Monday ruled that Google violated U.S. antitrust law by acting illegally to maintain a monopoly on the internet search engine market.

“Google is a monopoly and operates like a monopoly to maintain its monopoly,” Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said in his 277-page ruling.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and dozens of state attorneys general are suing Google, accusing the company of paying billions of dollars to Apple, Samsung, and other companies to make Google the default search provider on smartphones and web browsers.

This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.

Google headquarters in New York
The exterior of Google headquarters is seen Jan. 9, 2024, in New York. A federal judge ruled Monday that Google violated antitrust laws.

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