In August, Google lost its antitrust lawsuit against the United States Department of Justice, which targeted its search engine. “After carefully reviewing and weighing the testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it acted as such to maintain its monopoly.”explained Judge Amit Metha. American justice must now decide on the “remedies” that must be imposed on Google, in order to put an end to this situation.
And for the government, which is Google's adversary in this matter, the solution must be radical: force the sale of the Google Chrome browser. The Department of Justice filed a list of proposals addressed to the judge. In this document he explains that the separation between Google and Chrome “will permanently end Google's control over this critical access point to search and allow competing search engines access to the browser that, for many users, is a gateway to the internet.”
In addition to this, the Department of Justice also calls for a ban on agreements between the search engine and companies like Apple or Google. As a reminder, Google pays Apple so that its search engine is offered by default to iPhone users. Otherwise, according to CNBC, the government also explained, in the document sent to the judge, that a forced separation between Google and Android could also be a solution. But he admits that such a measure “could raise significant objections from Google or other market participants.”
What consequences for Google?
At the moment, we do not know what decision the judge will make. For example, it is possible that the American justice system will be satisfied with measures which give more chances to other search engines, without forcing the sale of Google Chrome. However, a forced sale of Google Chrome could be catastrophic for Google, whose search engine is one of the main sources of revenue. In the third quarter of 2024, the “Google Search and others” business generated $49.38 billion, out of total revenue of $88.26 billion.
But beyond that, a separation from Google Chrome would hugely affect Google's ability to compete with OpenAI in the AI space. Indeed, Chrome is one of the entry points for Internet users to access the AI Overview functionality, which presents search results generated by generative artificial intelligence. In addition, Chrome allows Internet users to have quick access to Gemini, ChatGPT's competitor. Otherwise, rumors also suggest that Google is working on an “AI agent” called “Jarvis” which would be able to take control of Google Chrome to carry out actions for the user, such as ordering an item online or making a reservation.
Google already reacted before the Department of Justice's proposals were made official, when rumors were circulating on the web. “The Department of Justice continues to advance a radical agenda that goes well beyond the legal issues raised in this case”declared a Google manager, quoted by the BBC. “The government putting its thumb on the scale in this way would harm consumers, developers, and America’s technology leadership just when it needs it most.”
- Google lost the antitrust trial targeting its search engine in the United States and now the courts must decide what measures to take against the tech giant
- The Department of Justice, Google's adversary in this case, requests the forced sale of Google Chrome
- Justice must now decide, but a separation between Google and Chrome would seriously affect the finances of
- Google and its ability to compete in the field of AI
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