The US government is putting pressure on Google to spin off Chrome, raising questions about the tech giant. A federal judge previously determined that Google had violated antitrust laws and held an illegal monopoly over search services.
Timeline
A two-week trial is scheduled for April 2025 to determine the remedy. Google plans to file its own proposals next month and appeal its original loss in court.
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Background
In August 2024, a federal judge determined that Google had violated antitrust laws and held an illegal monopoly over search services. The DOJ has suggested that Google must divest Chrome or submit to government oversight.
Consequences for Google
The sale of Chrome would be a worst-case scenario for Google. The browser is the second stone in the company’s lucrative ad business, with Google search being the cornerstone. Without Chrome, Google would lose the extremely valuable youth market, which is crucial for its future growth.
Chrome’s Importance to Google
Chromebooks are a low-cost item for schools that distribute laptops to students. Those laptops use Chrome OS, an operating system designed for web browsing and web-based tasks. Children introduced to one company’s products become accustomed to using them, and may seek out that company’s products as an adult.
Google’s Response
Google plans to file its own proposals next month and appeal its original loss in court. The tech giant is likely to resist the DOJ’s proposal, arguing that it would hurt consumers and America’s global technological leadership.
The Justice Department’s Goal
The DOJ’s goal is to increase competition by prying open markets from Google’s exclusionary conduct. Its attorneys have written that a remedy for Google’s unlawful monopolization must simultaneously unfetter these markets from Google’s exclusionary conduct, deny Google the fruits of its statutory violations, and prevent Google from monopolizing these and related markets in the future.
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A two-week trial is scheduled for April 2025 to determine the remedy.
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Google plans to file its own proposals next month.
