Google LLC has proposed imposing restrictions on its search partnerships to resolve antitrust violations in its search business. This proposal is an alternative to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) proposal to sell the Chrome browser.
Lee-Anne Mulholland, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Google, explained the proposal Friday. It followed a U.S. District Court ruling in August, which ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly on search engines and search advertising.
Chrome browser
Last month, the DOJ and a group of states that brought the case proposed forcing Google to sell the Chrome browser. They also want Google to stop exclusive search agreements with companies such as Apple and to open its search results to competing search engines. In addition, they are demanding that Google spin off its Android operating system.
Mulholland criticized the DOJ’s proposal as “interference” beyond the court’s ruling. She argued that the proposal would harm consumers and undermine the U.S. technological edge because it would force Google to share user data with competitors. This, she says, would limit Google’s ability to innovate and improve search algorithms.
Non-exclusive basis
In her counterproposal, Mulholland suggests that Google should be allowed to retain partnerships such as with Apple, but on a non-exclusive basis. Also, Android manufacturers should be given more flexibility to pre-install multiple search engines, making Google stop mandating the installation of apps such as Google Search and Chrome.
Breakup
Competing search engines such as Bing (Microsoft), DuckDuckGo and Qwant would benefit greatly from a possible sale of Chrome. However, how any breakup would play out is still unclear.
Judge Amit Mehta has scheduled an April hearing where both sides may present their proposals. A final decision is expected in August. Meanwhile, Google has announced it will appeal the original ruling, which could potentially delay the resolution for years.
Also read: U.S. DOJ is gunning for Google: what would a breakup mean?