In response to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) call to divest Chrome as part of its antitrust lawsuit, Google has submitted a list of alternative remedies. The DOJ ruling found Google’s search dominance to be anti-competitive and proposed drastic measures, including the potential divestiture of Chrome, Android, or Google Play.
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Instead of these drastic measures, Google’s proposed solutions focus on:
- Reforming Search Distribution Contracts.
- Blocking deals that link licenses for Chrome, Search, and Google Play with the placement or preinstallation of other Google apps.
- Allowing multiple search placement deals across different platforms and browsing modes.
Requiring annual reviews of existing search placement agreements.
These proposals primarily target Google’s agreements with companies like Apple and Mozilla, which grant Google preferential placement for its services.
Google’s regulatory VP, Lee-Anne Mulholland, emphasizes that the company’s proposed remedies align with the core issue raised in the DOJ’s ruling, which focused on search distribution contracts.
Notably, Google’s proposal does not address the DOJ’s suggestion that Google should share its valuable search data with competitors to foster a more competitive market.
While Google plans to appeal Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling declaring the company a monopolist, it will submit a revised proposal on March 7th, ahead of a two-week trial scheduled for April.
