After court ruling

Monopoly: USA considers partial break-up of Google

Observers assume that the threat of being broken up is intended to make Google more "compliant".

(Bild: AFP)

In the fight against Google's monopoly position, the US Department of Justice is considering breaking up parts of the internet giant. The aim is to sell off parts of the business that have helped Google to maintain an illegal monopoly in online search, according to a court document filed on Tuesday.

"Such actions are among the possible steps we could propose in this landmark case," it said. A federal judge had previously ruled that the tech company had an "illegal monopoly" in online search. The Department of Justice has until November 20 to submit a more detailed proposal to the court. Google can then submit its own remedial measures by December 20.

The internet company had already announced that it would appeal against the monopoly ruling. The company argues that it has convinced users with its quality and is also in strong competition with Amazon and other websites.

Incentive for Google
Adam Epstein, President and Co-CEO of the search engine advertising company adMarketplace, sees the threat of dismantling as a means of enforcing less drastic measures. "Google will have no incentive to comply unless the sword of Damocles of breakup hangs over it," he said.

Microsoft, which operates rival search engine Bing, initially declined a Reuters request for comment. Apple, which collects billions of dollars a year from Google to make its search engine the default on Apple devices, also declined to comment.