Google has denied wrongdoing, and the company has said that its search engine and other products are dominant because consumers prefer them. "People use Google because they choose to, not because they're forced to, or because they can't find alternatives," a Google spokeswoman said. The company must respond to California's request to join the lawsuit by Dec 18, said the judge in the case, US District Judge Amit Mehta. The Justice Department welcomed California's entry to the case, which says Google broke antitrust law to build and maintain dominance in search and search advertising. In November, Reuters reported a separate bipartisan group of states plan to file a related lawsuit.

Source: bd News24 December 11, 2020 22:30 UTC