The American government on Wednesday asked the federal courts to order Google, among others, to part with its Chrome Internet browser to “anti-competitive practices“. This request marks a profound change on the part of the American competition authorities who have long been gentle with the technology giants since their failure to dismantle Microsoft around twenty years ago.
In a court document, the Ministry of Justice calls for a split of the activities of the subsidiary of the Alphabet group, also prohibiting Google from signing agreements with manufacturers to impose the default use of its search engine on smartphones.
The authorities also want to prevent Google from taking advantage of its Android mobile operating system to promote its other products. They are even demanding that the technological giant sell Android for failure to propose developments in this direction.
“Illegal practices”
Google was found guilty last summer of illegal practices to establish and maintain its monopoly in online search by Amit Mehta, a federal judge in Washington. The next step is now to decide on the penalty imposed on the company and therefore the responses to be made to its dominant position.
After receiving the official request from the authorities on Wednesday, the judge is now awaiting Google’s proposals next month before hearing both sides at a special hearing scheduled for April. But the changes, if they take place, will undoubtedly take years, Google having planned to appeal and denouncing the hypothesis of a dismantling as “radical».
The case risks ending up in the hands of the Supreme Court and remains suspended until Donald Trump comes to power in January. The Republican billionaire will place a new team at the head of the competition authorities and has blown hot and cold about his intentions regarding the power of the technological giants.
He has appointed Brendan Carr to head the American telecoms regulator, the FCC, who says he wants to dismantle what he calls “the censorship cartel» composed by the tech giants Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft. But the president-elect also signaled that dismantling would be excessive.
Amazing sums
The Justice Department wants Google to divest itself of Chrome, the world’s most widely used Internet browser, because it is a major access point to the search engine, undermining the chances of potential competitors. According to the site StatCounterGoogle had, in September, 90% of the global online search market and even 94% on smartphones.
The ten weeks of trial revealed the staggering sums paid by the Alphabet subsidiary to ensure the default installation of Google Search, particularly on smartphones manufactured by Apple and Samsung. The prosecutions were launched during Donald Trump’s first term (2017-2021) and continued under the presidency of Joe Biden.
If the judge accepts the authorities’ proposals, they could reshape the online search market. Google is facing a broader legal offensive over alleged violations of competition laws in both the United States and the European Union.
In October, a federal judge in California ordered Google to authorize the installation of application stores competing with the Google Play Store, ruling in favor of the creator of the online game Fortnite, Epic Games.
Par Le360 (with AFP)
11/21/2024 at 8:03 a.m.
