Payments by Google that ensure its search engine would be the default on browsers violate antitrust laws, a federal judge ruled Monday in a major win for the Justice Department.
The Alphabet unit’s $26 billion payments served to block any rivals from succeeding in the market, ensuring Google’s dominant position, Judge Amit Mehta found in Washington.
Antitrust enforcers had argued that Google illegally monopolized online search and related advertising by paying billions over decades to Apple, Samsung and others for the top spot on smartphones and browsers.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
– This is a development story.