Google does not should promote Chrome, decide in monopoly case guidelines

Google won’t should divest its Chrome browser however must change a few of its enterprise practices, a federal decide has dominated. The ruling comes greater than a 12 months after the identical decide dominated that Google had acted illegally to keep up a monopoly in web search.

Following the ruling final 12 months, the Division of Justice had proposed that Google must be compelled to promote Chrome. However in a 230-page decision, Choose Amit Mehta mentioned the federal government had “overreached” in its request. “Google won’t be required to divest Chrome; nor will the courtroom embrace a contingent divestiture of the Android working system within the ultimate judgment,” Mehta wrote. “Plaintiffs overreached in searching for compelled divesture of those key property, which Google didn’t use to impact any unlawful restraints.”

Google will, nonetheless, now not be permitted to strike unique offers across the distribution of search, Google Assistant, Gemini or Chrome, Mehta dominated. For instance, Google cannot require system makers to pre-load its apps to be able to get entry to the Play Retailer. It can also’t situation revenue-sharing preparations on the position of its apps. However Google will be capable to proceed to pay companions — like Apple — for pre-loading search and different apps into their merchandise. Mehta mentioned that ending these preparations might trigger “downstream harms to distribution companions, associated markets, and shoppers.”

Mehta additionally dominated that Google might want to share a few of its search knowledge with rivals going ahead. “Making knowledge obtainable to rivals would cut the dimensions hole created by Google’s unique distribution agreements and, in flip, the standard hole that adopted,” he wrote. The corporate will not be required handy over knowledge associated to its advertisements.

Mehta’s ruling is essentially a win for the search big, which had argued that divesting Chrome or Android “would hurt Individuals and America’s international know-how management.” In a statement Tuesday, Google mentioned it had “considerations” about some elements of the ruling.

“As we speak’s choice acknowledges how a lot the business has modified by way of the arrival of AI, which is giving folks so many extra methods to seek out info,” the corporate mentioned. “Now the Court docket has imposed limits on how we distribute Google companies, and would require us to share Search knowledge with rivals. We have now considerations about how these necessities will affect our customers and their privateness, and we’re reviewing the choice carefully.”

The corporate beforehand indicated it plans to appeal Mehta’s authentic choice, however mentioned in June it could anticipate a ultimate choice within the case.

Replace, September 2, 2025, 4:28PM PT: This submit has been up to date so as to add an announcement from Google on the ruling.