Google didn't play by the rules, says US as anti-trust trial begins

The US argued on Tuesday that Google did not play by the rules in its efforts to keep its dominance in online search, as a trial seen as a battle for the soul of the internet got underway before a federal judge in Washington.

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The US justice department accuses Google of paying billions of dollars annually to device makers like Apple Inc., wireless companies like AT&T and browser makers like Mozilla to keep Google's search engine on top.

Google's defence is simple: It argues that its overwhelmingly high market share is not because it broke the law, but because it is a fast, effective search engine. It is also free.