Google says it does not have a monopoly on online search engines. The tech giant recently stated as such in a major antitrust lawsuit filed in the US.
According to Google’s plea, it is innocent when it comes to the dominance it has within the online search market. The tech giant’s search engine is so popular because its quality is said to be so good. Moreover, Google indicates users who are not happy with Google Search could switch to an alternative in a few clicks. That’s according to the first plea bargain held yesterday in in the U.S.
Payments to maintain market share
US authorities, in this case the US Department of Justice and some US states, accuse the tech giant of making deals with device manufacturers starting in 2010. The search giant allegedly paid annual amounts of $10 billion, in exchange for which these manufacturers make Google search the default search engine. These include Apple, but also telecom operator AT&T and browser developer Mozilla. That would make competitors have no chance in the online search market.
The tech giant explains the overrides another way. They would be fees for the work these companies put into constantly updating the search engine.
Multiple antitrust cases
Google has long been under fire for various monopoly positions. In addition to its dominance in the online search market, it is also accused of being overly dominant in the online advertising market, often at the expense of users’ privacy.
Also read: US lawsuit against Google limited in scope by insufficient evidence