Google would not need to promote Chrome, choose in monopoly case guidelines

Google won’t need to divest its Chrome browser however must change a few of its enterprise practices, a federal choose has dominated. The ruling comes greater than a yr after the identical choose dominated that Google had acted illegally to keep up a monopoly in web search.

Following the ruling final yr, the Division of Justice had proposed that Google must be compelled to promote Chrome. However in a 230-page decision, Decide Amit Mehta mentioned the federal government had “overreached” in its request. “Google won’t be required to divest Chrome; nor will the court docket embody a contingent divestiture of the Android working system within the last judgment,” Mehta wrote. “Plaintiffs overreached in searching for compelled divesture of those key belongings, which Google didn’t use to impact any unlawful restraints.”

Google will, nevertheless, not be permitted to strike unique offers across the distribution of search, Google Assistant, Gemini or Chrome, Mehta dominated. For instance, Google cannot require gadget makers to pre-load its apps with a view to get entry to the Play Retailer. It can also’t situation revenue-sharing preparations on the location of its apps. However Google will have the ability to proceed to pay companions — like Apple — for pre-loading search and different apps into their merchandise. Mehta mentioned that ending these preparations may trigger “downstream harms to distribution companions, associated markets, and customers.”

Mehta additionally dominated that Google might want to share a few of its search knowledge with opponents going ahead. “Making knowledge obtainable to opponents would cut the dimensions hole created by Google’s unique distribution agreements and, in flip, the standard hole that adopted,” he wrote. The corporate shouldn’t be required at hand over knowledge associated to its adverts.

Mehta’s ruling is basically a win for the search large, which had argued that divesting Chrome or Android “would hurt People and America’s world know-how management.” In a statement Tuesday, Google mentioned it had “issues” about some elements of the ruling.

“At the moment’s resolution acknowledges how a lot the trade has modified by means of the appearance of AI, which is giving folks so many extra methods to seek out info,” the corporate mentioned. “Now the Courtroom has imposed limits on how we distribute Google companies, and would require us to share Search knowledge with rivals. We have now issues about how these necessities will impression our customers and their privateness, and we’re reviewing the choice intently.”

The corporate beforehand indicated it plans to appeal Mehta’s unique resolution, however mentioned in June it might look ahead to a last resolution within the case.

Replace, September 2, 2025, 4:28PM PT: This put up has been up to date so as to add a press release from Google on the ruling.