Courthouse News Service: “The trial, which has been on hold since November, centers on whether the tech giant holds a monopoly over internet search, and could result in Google selling off core parts of its business. After a six-month break, a federal judge will hear closing arguments starting Thursday in a landmark antitrust trial against Google, in which the government argues the tech giant has created a monopoly over internet searches. Brought by the federal government, 35 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico, the case centers on the assertion that the $1.7 trillion company established a monopoly with its search engine through lucrative deals to make Google the default search engine on Apple, Android and Mozilla devices.  Beyond dominating the search market, the states argue that since the company’s founding in 1998, it has monopolized search advertising, forcing marketers to use its products while increasing prices.  U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta presided over the bench trial, which ran over 40 days, and indicated that if he rules against Google he will hold a second bench trial to determine the appropriate remedy. Potential remedies Mehta could enact include enjoining practices deemed anticompetitive, imposing fines or even ordering the company to sell off problematic parts of its business. However, Google is sure to appeal any negative result to the D.C. Circuit and potentially the case to the Supreme Court to maintain its position as the so-called “gatekeeper of the internet” that has made the company’s name synonymous with searching…”