US judge rules Google is monopoly in key anti-trust case

A U.S. judge on Monday handed Google a major legal blow, ruling in a landmark anti-trust case that it has maintained a monopoly with its dominant search engine.

The court decision against a "big tech" giant could alter how the sector operates in future.

District Court Judge Amit Mehta found that Google had a monopoly for search and for text ads through exclusive distribution agreements that made it the "default" option that people were likely to use on devices.

"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," Mehta wrote in his ruling.

The internet behemoth "has a major, largely unseen advantage over its rivals: default distribution," he wrote.

The anti-trust trial pitting U.S. prosecutors and nearly a dozen states against Google ended in May.

"This victory against Google is an historic win for the American people," said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. "No company — no matter how large or influential — is above the law."

Google will appeal the verdict, according to global affairs president Kent Walker.

Walker pointed out that Mehta concludes Google is the industry's highest quality search engine, particularly on mobile devices.

"Given this, and that people are increasingly looking for information in more and more ways, we plan to appeal," Walker said.

"As this process continues, we will remain focused on making products that people find helpful and easy to use."

  Damages? 

It remained to be seen what remedies or damages the judge might order in the case.

In one possible good sign for Google, Mehta...