What you need to know
- Google has reportedly delivered its proposal to the DOJ’s suggestion for it to sell off Chrome due to anti-competitive practices.
- Seeing the DOJ’s proposal as “extreme,” Google suggests a better remedy would be to let other companies make “multiple” deals and choices available for users.
- This all started after a landmark ruling claimed Google was an illegal search monopoly in July, thus provoking the DOJ’s hand in forcing the selling of Chrome, Android, and more.
The U.S. has continued to probe into Google’s dominance with Chrome and a recent development sees the company rebuttal.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is looking into Google’s alleged anticompetitive practices with Chrome, but a recent filing expresses the company’s disagreement with the government’s proposal, per Bloomberg.
Google’s vice president for regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland stated that any sort of “remedy” to the situation should involve letting other browsers have the freedom to “do deals with whatever search engine they think is best for their users.” Additionally, Mulholland expressed Google’s second browser agreement solution, which involves allowing the competition to leverage Search for both the user and their revenue.
Google states it seeks “flexibility” rather than the DOJ’s proposal. As such, the company says its solution would allow for “multiple default agreements across different platforms.” As an example, Google states Apple could provide a different search engine and browser on its iPhones and iPads. What’s more, companies could swap their “default” every 12 months.
The solutions put forth by Google in its recent filing regard the DOJ’s “extreme remedies.” Of course, the company is referring to the U.S. government’s suggestion for Google to sell Chrome. An excerpt from Google’s document states, “…courts must take care to avoid decrees that “could wind up impairing rather than enhancing competition.”
It was reported in mid-November that the Department of Justice and the presiding judge, Amit Mehta, have sought to force Google to sell Chrome for anti-competitive practices. This follows the government’s landmark ruling that the company broke Section 2 of the Sherman Act, turning it into an illegal search monopoly.
It’s because of this that the DOJ is pushing Google to sell significant parts of its business — and Chrome, alongside Android, is wrapped in it. Regarding Chrome, government lawyers claim Google has “boxed out” the competition and has stifled rival incentives.
As Bloomberg notes, a final decision isn’t on the table until August 2025 at the latest. However, if Google does have to sell Chrome, the internet will remain, but the players will change.