Judge Says Google Will Not Be Forced To Sell Chrome In Antitrust Case Ruling
In a major ruling, a U.S. federal judge has decided that, in a major victory for Google in a long-running antitrust case, that the tech giant will not be forced to sell its Chrome web browser. Following a previous ruling that Google had established an illegal monopoly in online search, the U.S. Department of Justice had sought more extreme penalties, including the forced divestiture of Chrome and its Android operating system. However, Judge Amit Mehta deemed these demands an "over-reach" and a "poor fit for this case," referencing the rapid changes in the industry brought on by artificial intelligence.
While Google gets to keep its core products, the company is not without new restrictions. The judge ruled that Google cannot enter into exclusive contracts for the distribution of its services, including Google Search, Chrome, and its Gemini app, which was a central issue in the case. This means that device manufacturers and other partners can now promote rival search engines and AI assistants alongside Google's. However, the ruling still allows Google to make payments to companies like Apple for default placement, a practice that has been a major source of revenue for its partners.
The decision has been met with mixed reactions. Google's parent company, Alphabet, saw its shares rise significantly, signaling that investors view the outcome as favorable. Gene Munster, a managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, called the ruling "good news for big tech." On the other hand, competitors and advocacy groups were critical. Gabriel Weinberg, the CEO of DuckDuckGo, said the order failed to "force the changes necessary to address Google's illegal behaviour" and that "consumers will continue to suffer." The ruling is not the end of Google's legal battles, as the company faces a separate trial later this month over its online advertising monopoly.
