WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge has ruled that Google’s ubiquitous search engine has been illegally exploiting its dominance to squash competition and stifle innovation. It’s a seismic decision that could shake up the internet and hobble one of the world’s best-known companies. The highly anticipated decision issued by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta comes nearly a year after the start of a trial pitting the U.S. Justice Department against Google. It’s the country’s biggest antitrust showdown in a quarter century. Mehta reviewed reams of evidence that included testimony from top executives at Google, Microsoft and Apple during last year’s 10-week trial. He issued his potentially market-shifting decision three months after the two sides presented their closing arguments in early May.
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