(Updates with reply from Google in fifth paragraph)
Investing.com -- Alphabet's Google lost its legal battle against Department of Justice after a U.S. Federal Judge ruled Monday that the internet search engine illegally maintained a monopoly in the online search and text advertising markets.
“Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” Judge Amit Mehta in Washington ruled on Monday.
The judge concluded that Google has "violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by maintaining its monopoly in two product markets in the United States general search services and general text advertising-through its exclusive distribution agreements."
The ruling, which can be appealed, marked a major win for the DoJ, who had argued that Google's agreements with companies including Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and others to make Google search default search engine on smartphones violated antitrust laws.
Google said in an emailed response to Investing.com that it plans to appeal the decision.
The DoJ didn't immediately respond to Investing.com's request for comment.
Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ:GOOGL) closed 4.5% lower on Monday.