Since 2020 a lawsuit in the US has been in the works, in which the US Department of Justice, as well as multiple states, have accused Google of establishing Google as the default search engine by paying browser and platform providers, creating “significant barriers that protect Google’s market dominance”.
Lawyer Amit Mehta has now largely agreed with the prosecutions and has determined that “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly”. In the 286-page document containing the reasons of judgement it is disclosed that Google allegedly paid 26,3 billion dollars in 2021 to browser providers (Apple and Mozilla), manufacturers of Android devices (Samsung, Motorola and Sony), as well as network providers (AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile) to become the standard search engine for their devices. Supposedly, this amount is quadruple the sum of all other search-related costs.
For now, in this largest antitrust case in the US since Microsoft stood trial more than 25 years ago, it has only been decided that Google has violated the antitrust law. What consequences or punishments may follow will be determined on a later date. Google has already declared to appeal the decision.
Google now does not only have to face the serious antitrust headwind from Europe but also from the US. The accusation of Google designing their search results to the disadvantage of their users and advertisers will be heard more and more in the coming years. SEO can only profit from this.
