In the most significant legal ruling against a major technology giant in more than two decades, a federal judge says Google illegally monopolized online search and advertising by paying companies like Apple and Samsung billions of dollars a year to install Google as the default search engine on smartphones and web browsers.

On Monday, a federal judge ruled that Google violated antitrust law and acted illegally in order to maintain its monopoly in online searches. There's just one glaring problem: Google isn't a monopoly—not even close.

In a decision by the District Court of the U.S. District of Columbia, Google has been found guilty of monopolizing its leadership in online search by its exclusive deals with browser providers. These deals, the court says, entrenched a position it had won by being the best search engine, keeping competitors from being able to challenge its position. The decision relies on the fact that very few people take advantage of the ability to change their default browser search engines.

WASHINGTON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge ruled on Monday that Google violated antitrust law, spending billions of dollars to create an illegal monopoly and become the world's default search engine, the first big win for federal authorities taking on Big Tech's market dominance.

The ruling paves the way for a second trial to determine potential fixes, possibly including a breakup of Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O), opens new tab, which would change the landscape of the online advertising world that Google has dominated for years.

The Justice Department and several dozen state attorneys general won a sweeping victory against Google Monday as a federal judge ruled that the search giant illegally monopolized the online search and advertising markets over the past decade.

A judge on Monday ruled that Google’s ubiquitous search engine has been illegally exploiting its dominance to squash competition and stifle innovation in a seismic decision that could shake up the internet and hobble one of the world’s best-known companies.

The highly anticipated decision issued by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta comes nearly a year after the start of a trial pitting the U.S. Justice Department against Google in the country’s biggest antitrust showdown in a quarter century.

OpenAI is launching a test version of its long-awaited search engine, which it says will cite sources of information including news from business partners such as The Wall Street Journal parent News Corp NWSA 0.37%increase; green up pointing triangle and the Atlantic magazine. 

Google was going to dump its cookie jar into the garbage. For now, it’s back on the shelf.

The company reversed course on Monday and said it isn’t getting rid of the software cookies that track you across the web. Instead, it says it will make it easier for you to turn them off.