For subscribers
How the Google antitrust ruling may influence tech competition
Nearly a quarter-century after Microsoft lost a similar case, a judge’s decision that Google abused a monopoly in internet search is likely to have major ripple effects.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A US judge found on Aug 5 that Google had violated antitrust laws by stifling rivals in internet search to protect its monopoly.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Steve Lohr
Follow topic:
In 2000, a ruling in a US antitrust case against Microsoft helped set the rules of competition for the digital giant of its day.
At the time, a federal judge said Microsoft had abused the monopoly power of its Windows operating system and ordered that the company be split up. A break-up was reversed on appeal, but key legal findings were upheld. And Microsoft was prohibited from forcing restrictive contracts on its industry partners and ordered to open some of its technology to outsiders – preventing the company from single-handedly controlling the internet.
