Over the next 10 weeks, US officials will aim to prove that Google relied on anti-competitive agreements to become the dominant search engine in a trial that could have significant repercussions for Big Tech firms. 

The court case has been described as the most high-profile monopoly trial since the DoJ accused Microsoft in the 1990s of seeking to quash web browser Netscape through illegal, anti-competitive tactics, such as pre-installing Internet Explorer. 

Google – which has denied any wrongdoing – is being accused of paying billions of dollars annually to device-makers, wireless companies and browser-makers to keep its search engine as the default option. In addition, the company is said to have illegally rigged the market in its favour by requiring its search engine to be bundled with its Android software for smartphones. 

The prosecutors argue these deals violated competition laws and led Google to take over 90 per cent of global search queries.