Islamabad, Apr 18, 2025: Google has once again been labeled an abusive monopolist by a federal judge, marking the second such ruling in under a year.
This time, the company was accused of unlawfully exploiting its online marketing technology to increase profits that fuel its massive internet empire, valued at $1.8 trillion.
The latest decision, issued by US District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia, follows a previous ruling in August, which found that Google had been illegally using its dominant search engine to suppress competition and hinder innovation.
After the US Department of Justice took action against Google’s search engine during President Donald Trump’s first term, the same agency turned its attention to the company’s highly profitable digital ad network in 2023, under President Joe Biden.
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The aim was to challenge the immense power Google has accumulated since its founding in a Silicon Valley garage in 1998.
Although antitrust authorities have won both cases, the legal battle is far from over. Google is expected to appeal these monopoly rulings, and the dispute could stretch on for several more years.
Meanwhile, Google continues to push forward in the rapidly expanding and lucrative field of artificial intelligence.
The next stage in the current case will focus on determining potential penalties, with hearings likely starting later this year or early next year.
Meanwhile, in the related search monopoly case, hearings set to begin Monday in Washington, DC, will see Justice Department lawyers urging US District Judge Amit Mehta to impose stringent penalties, including a proposal to force Google to sell its Chrome web browser.
