Judge Rules Google Has Illegal Monopoly over Search

An American judge has ruled that Google violates U.S. trade laws by operating its search engine as an illegal monopoly.  
美国一名法官裁定，谷歌通过其搜索引擎进行非法垄断，违反了美国的贸易法。

The ruling accuses Google of paying smartphone makers to ensure that Google’s search engine is set as the default system on new devices. The U.S. Justice Department brought the antitrust case against Google’s parent company, Alphabet.  
该裁决指控谷歌向智能手机制造商支付费用，确保谷歌搜索引擎被设为新设备的默认系统。美国司法部对谷歌的母公司Alphabet提起了反垄断诉讼。

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said his decision took into account all evidence and statements presented during the trial, which ended in May. When the first part of the trial ended, it was up to Mehta to decide whether any of Google’s operations were illegal.  
美国地方法官阿米特·梅塔表示，他的裁决是基于在今年五月结束的审判期间提供的所有证据和陈述。审判的第一部分结束后，由梅塔决定谷歌的任何操作是否违法。

Mehta wrote in his ruling, “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly." Technology experts have estimated Google enjoys control of about 90 percent of the online search market and about 95 percent of smartphones.  
梅塔在裁决中写道：“谷歌是一家垄断企业，并且一直以垄断者的身份维持其垄断地位。”技术专家估计，谷歌控制了大约90%的在线搜索市场和约95%的智能手机市场。

A recent study by the California-based investment company BOND found that Google's search engine processes an estimated 8.5 billion requests per day worldwide. That result was nearly double the number of daily search requests recorded in 2012. Google’s online advertising business helps fuel the majority of Alphabet’s $307 billion in yearly revenue.  
加州投资公司BOND最近的一项研究发现，谷歌的搜索引擎每天处理约85亿次全球搜索请求。这个结果几乎是2012年每日搜索请求数量的两倍。谷歌的在线广告业务推动了Alphabet每年3070亿美元收入的大部分。

The ruling could open the door for a second trial for the court to establish ways for Google to fix its operations to obey current laws. Some experts say one possible fix could be for Google’s current business structure to be broken up. Such changes could greatly reshape the current systems for online advertising.  
该裁决可能为法院进行第二次审判开辟了道路，以确定谷歌如何修正其运营以遵守现行法律。一些专家表示，可能的修正措施之一是分拆谷歌的现有业务结构。此类变化可能会极大地重塑当前的在线广告系统。

Alphabet criticized the court’s ruling and said it plans to appeal. "This decision recognizes that Google offers the best search engine,” the company said in a statement. It added, however, that the ruling does not permit the company “to make it easily available.”  
Alphabet批评了法院的裁决，并表示计划上诉。该公司在一份声明中表示：“这一裁决认可了谷歌提供了最好的搜索引擎。”然而，声明还指出，裁决并不允许公司“轻易提供该服务。”

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland called the decision "a historic win for the American people.” He noted, "no company, no matter how large or influential” should remain above the law.  
美国司法部长梅里克·加兰称这一裁决是“美国人民的历史性胜利”。他指出，“任何公司，无论其规模或影响力多大”，都不应凌驾于法律之上。

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the decision a "pro-competition ruling” and “a victory for the American people." She said she believes all people "deserve an internet that is free, fair, and open for competition."  
白宫新闻秘书卡琳·让-皮埃尔称这一裁决是“促进竞争的裁决”和“美国人民的胜利”。她表示，她认为所有人都“应该拥有一个自由、公平、开放的竞争互联网。”

In explaining his ruling, Mehta noted Google had paid $26.3 billion in 2021 alone to make sure its search engine was included as the default system on smartphones and browsers.  
在解释其裁决时，梅塔指出，谷歌仅在2021年就支付了263亿美元，以确保其搜索引擎作为智能手机和浏览器的默认系统。

Such payments, the judge wrote, have permitted Google to keep its strong market share over worldwide internet search. Keeping the default position represents a huge business advantage for Google over its competitors, Mehta added.  
法官写道，这些支付使谷歌得以保持其在全球互联网搜索中的强大市场份额。梅塔补充说，保持默认位置为谷歌在竞争对手面前提供了巨大的商业优势。

The judge noted that under the current system, it would be nearly impossible for any other company to secure the same kind of default agreement with smartphone makers. Such a deal would require a company willing “to pay partners upwards of billions of dollars in revenue sharing,” Mehta said.  
法官指出，在现行系统下，任何其他公司几乎不可能与智能手机制造商达成同类的默认协议。这种交易将要求公司愿意“向合作伙伴支付高达数十亿美元的收入分成，”梅塔说。

Discussions in court about how Google’s operations should change are set to begin on September 6 in Washington D.C.  
关于谷歌应如何改变其运营的法庭讨论定于9月6日在华盛顿特区开始。

The ruling is the first major decision in a series of cases brought against big technology companies in recent years, including Google, Apple, Meta and Amazon. Those cases involve antitrust, privacy and other issues.  
该裁决是近年来针对大科技公司提起的一系列案件中的第一个重大决定，其中包括谷歌、苹果、Meta和亚马逊。这些案件涉及反垄断、隐私和其他问题。