Consumer rights law firm Hagens Berman said it has filed a nationwide antitrust class-action lawsuit against Google, claiming the company "illegally monopolized" the mobile and Internet search market in the United States.
The lawsuit claims that Google has expanded its monopoly of the internet search market by pre-loading its apps on Android devices through its Mobile Application Distribution Agreements, according to Reuters.
"Because consumers want access to Google's products, and due to Google's power in the U.S. market for general handheld search, Google has unrivaled market power over smartphone and tablet manufacturers," says the lawsuit, brought forward by Gary Feitelson and Daniel McKee, according to PCWorld.com.
Google's role in putting their apps, like Google Play and YouTube, on Android devices, has supposedly "hampered" the market and kept the price of devices made by competing companies, like Samsung and HTC Corp, "artificially high," according to the lawsuit.
Google disagrees however, saying that Android and Google can be used "independent" of each other, according to Reuters.
"Anyone can use Android without Google and anyone can use Google without Android. Since Android's introduction, greater competition in smartphones has given consumers more choices at lower prices," Matt Kallman, a Google spokesman, told Reuters.
The attorney representing consumers, Steve Berman, claims that Google didn't obtain its monopoly by providing a better search engine, but through market manipulation and "anti-competitive placement," according to Reuters.
Google has dealt with a number of issues lately involving regulators in the European Union and the United States over how it promotes services.
In February, Google reached an agreement with the European Commission that it would give greater visibility to search results of services that rival its own. It also promised to display images associated with rival links more prominently.
Back in January 2013, Google resolved an antitrust complaint filed with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
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