US District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google will not be forced to divest its Chrome browser or Android operating system. Google must make certain search data available to qualified competitors to promote competition and is barred from entering into or maintaining exclusive distribution contracts for services including Chrome, Search, the Google Assistant and Gemini. The court accepted parts of Google's proposed remedies. The case examined Google's core search business amid emerging AI competition and followed a separate ruling that found its online advertising business an illegal monopoly. Google expressed concerns about privacy impacts and said it is reviewing the decision.
Although Google will not be forced to sell of its Chrome browser or Android, it will have to make certain search data available to qualified competitors to promote competition. It will also be barred from entering into or maintaining exclusive contracts related to the distribution of services like Chrome, Search, the Google Assistant and its Gemini app. Those agreements provide a significant source of revenue for Google and broad access to its services,
The trial put Google's core business under a microscope at a time when it is already under threat of being toppled by AI chatbots. And it comes as the company is also gearing up to defend the operation of its online advertising business after it, too, was found to be an illegal monopoly earlier this year. "Google will not be required to divest Chrome; nor will the court include a contingent divestiture of the Android operating system in the final judgment," the filing read.
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