DOJ asks judge to order Google to sell Chrome

Update: 

• On Nov. 20, the Department of Justice asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge to force Google to sell its Chrome browser.
• The request was part of recommendations the DOJ submitted to end Google’s monopolization of the general search market, according to Law360.
• The DOJ also urged U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta to force Google to give up control of the Android mobile operating system for smartphones and tablets, among other things. 
• The agency first introduced the possibility of Google having to sell Chrome in October, Law360 reports. 
• In August, Judge Mehta determined Google monopolized the general search market via its use of exclusive distribution agreements and by charging supracompetitive prices for general search text ads.
• Google reportedly argued the DOJ’s proposals would break Chrome and endanger the privacy and security of its users. 
• The judge indicated he will make his ruling by early August 2025, Law360 reports. 

Google antitrust trial overview: 

• Who: The Department of Justice (DOJ) has accused Google of committing antitrust violations by allegedly making anticompetitive agreements with smartphone, browser and wireless companies such as Verizon, Samsung, Mozilla and Apple. 
• Why: The DOJ claims Google has taken unlawful steps to ensure that its Google Search search engine is the default choice on smartphones and browsers.
• Where: The case is in a federal court in the District of Columbia. 

(Sept. 19, 2023)

The trial has begun in a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit that alleges Google committed antitrust violations by allegedly taking steps to ensure that its search engine is the default choice on smartphones and browsers. 

Opening statements in the Google trial began Sept. 12. The DOJ argued that Google has, among other actions, threatened to withhold billions of dollars in revenue from Apple if the company were to decide to switch from using Google Search as its default search engine, Law360 reports. 

Google has reportedly argued that other search engines — such as Microsoft’s Bing — simply are not as good as Google Search, and that they are trailing the company on account of them being an “inferior” product. 

The DOJ, however, claims Google previously threatened to withhold money from Apple in 2007 after learning it was considering switching from using it for its default search engine, sending an email at that time that stated “No default placement — no revenue share,” according to Law360. 

DOJ: Google warned Apple how much it would cost if they were to switch from Google Search to Bing 

Google reportedly was suggestive with Apple once again in 2016 when the two companies were renegotiating using Google Search as its default search engine, with Google calculating what would happen if Apple were to switch to Bing. 

The judge overseeing the case will decide whether contracts Google has made with companies such as Samsung, Mozilla and Verizon have hindered its rival search engines — such as Bing and DuckDuckGo — from being able to attract users, Law360 reports. 

Also under scrutiny will be whether Google Search rivals are also being kept from being able to collect data that could only be gained from being used on a mass scale and which would allow them to be viable competitors in the search engine space. 

The DOJ, along with 11 states, filed a separate lawsuit against Google in October 2020 over claims the company committed antitrust violations by allegedly blocking search engine results from rival companies. 

Do you believe Google has committed antitrust violations? Let us know in the comments.

The Google antitrust cases are U.S., et al. v. Google LLC, Case No. 1:20-cv-03010, and State of Colorado, et al. v. Google LLC, Case No. 1:20-cv-03715, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 

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