13일 미국 캘리포니아주 마운틴뷰에서 열린 ‘메이드 바이 구글’ 이벤트에서 픽셀 9 프로 XL과 2013년 출시된 넥서스 5 스마트폰이 비교되었습니다. 구글은 이 행사에서 새로운 픽셀 스마트폰 라인과 스마트 시계, 무선 이어버드를 공개했습니다. 마운틴뷰 로이터 연합뉴스
With the blade of U.S. antitrust law hanging over Google, the possibility of the giant dinosaur internet company being split up like the 1980s telecommunications company AT&T is drawing attention.
On the 5th, the U.S. federal court in Washington, DC ruled that Google is a monopoly.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued Google four years ago under antitrust laws to prevent unfair market monopolies by companies for the protection of consumer interests.
The court found that although there was no harm to consumers, it was illegal for Google to pay $26 billion annually to mobile phone manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung to prevent them from removing the Google search bar from mobile phones. Of this, $20 billion went to Apple.
The antitrust lawsuit against Google, which dominates over 90% of the search market, is similar to the lawsuit Microsoft faced 20 years ago in 1984 when it controlled over 90% of the personal computer (PC) operating system market.
In the Microsoft trial at the time, controversy arose when a video showing that removing Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, an internet search tool developed by Microsoft, would slow down the computer.
Antitrust laws are laws that prevent monopolistic companies from taking predatory actions that threaten competition.
Ultimately, Microsoft was ordered to be broken up as a company, but the decision was overturned in the appeal process, leading to Bill Gates stepping down as CEO and reaching an agreement to increase compatibility between Windows and third-party programs.
According to Bloomberg, with the court’s ruling that Google is a monopoly, the Department of Justice is forecasted to attempt to break up Google.
If the Department of Justice dismantles Google, the most likely assets to be sold off are the Android operating system and Google’s internet search tool Chrome.
Google plans to appeal the ruling that it is a monopoly, but the court has ordered Google to present a two-step plan for the lawsuit, including a request for the company to be split up.
The method of splitting Google that has been most actively discussed by the U.S. Department of Justice is disposing of the Android operating system used in 2.5 billion mobile phones worldwide.
The court pointed out that Google is required not to demand that mobile phone companies cannot remove the Google search bar and Chrome.
If Google is forcibly dismantled, it will be the largest corporate breakup following AT&T being ordered by the Department of Justice to split into seven regional companies.