Google’s Search Engine Dominance Has Ended After It Lost Antitrust Case

Much has been made of Google’s influence on search—so much so that “Google” has become a verb. We all know what it means to “Google” something. A federal judge found that its dominance in search meant Google violated U.S. law, awarding the company a huge loss in an antitrust lawsuit.

Federal lawsuit decision

A federal lawsuit was filed against Google Search, or rather Google’s parent company, Alphabet, by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2020. The case is set to go to trial in the fall of 2023.

“The court has reached the following conclusion: Google is a monopoly and is acting like a monopoly to maintain its monopoly,” District Judge Amit Mehta said in his ruling.

Sure, there are other search engines, but it’s Google’s efforts to maintain its position as the number one search engine that make it a monopoly. Google search accounts for about 90 percent of the online search market, while on smartphones it accounts for about 95 percent.

This is because of Google’s deal with other major tech companies. Google paid $26.3 billion in 2021 to become the default search engine. One of the companies it’s paying is Apple, because it wants to continue being the default search engine in Safari on Macs, as well as iPhones and iPads. Losing its position as the default search engine in Safari alone could result in “a significant drop in search volume and billions of dollars in lost revenue,” according to Mehta.

“A default is extremely valuable real estate. … Even if a new entity were qualitatively prepared to bid for a default, such a company could compete only if it were willing to pay its partners more than billions of dollars in revenue shares and compensate them for any revenue shortfall resulting from the change,” Mehta continued in his judgment.

All this comes at an interesting time: as Google rebuilds its search engine to add artificial intelligence.

Consequences of Mehta’s decision

Alphabet already plans to appeal Mehta’s decision, saying in a statement: “This decision recognizes that Google offers the best search engine but finds that we shouldn’t be able to easily share it.”

An appeal can be filed with the D.C. District Court and/or the U.S. Supreme Court. This can stall the case in the courts for a while, meaning the ruling may not affect your searches for a year or two — or more.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland celebrated Mehta’s ruling, calling it “a historic victory for the American people.” He also took time to remind everyone that “no company — no matter how large or influential — is above the law.”

Also with massive lawsuits against them are Meta, Amazon and Apple. Federal antitrust regulators say those other big tech companies also illegally maintained monopolies. Google is also returning to court over its advertising business next month.

What penalty Google and its search tactics will face in the current lawsuit is unknown at this time. It is also unknown whether the penalty will wait for the appeal process or be issued now. If you decide to leave Google Search now, check out these search engines that will protect your privacy. Also, check out these alternatives to Google Analytics to protect your privacy.

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