SEARCH engine Google has illegally exploited its dominance to squash competition and stifle innovation, a US judge has ruled.

The tech giant intends to appeal the ruling in a case brought by the US Justice Department, and any penalties or changes to its business would be demanded in a new legal phase of the anti-trust process beginning now. But “Google’s loss in its search anti-trust trial could be a huge deal, depending on the remedy,” Emarketer senior analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf believes.

US District Judge Amit Mehta reviewed evidence including from executives from tech giants Google, Microsoft and Apple, declaring: “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.”