It’s a big day for Google, as Judge Amit Mehta has ruled in its favor in several areas:
- Google will not have to sell off Chrome
- Google will not have to sell off Android
- Google can continue paying Apple and others for search engine placement
However, will be barred from exclusive contracts for placement in other products. Jennifer Elias has more at CNBC:
“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 decision states. “Plaintiffs overreached in seeking forced divesture of these key assets, which Google did not use to effect any illegal restraints.”
The company can make payments to preload products, but they cannot have exclusive contracts, the decision showed.
The DOJ asked Google to stop the practice of “compelled syndication,” which refers to the practice of making certain deals with companies to ensure its search engine remains the default choice in browsers and smartphones.
She continues:
Google pays Apple billions of dollars per year to be the default search engine on iPhones. It’s lucrative for Apple and a valuable way for Google to get more search volume and users.
“Google will not be barred from making payments or offering other consideration to distribution partners for preloading or placement of Google Search, Chrome, or its GenAI products. Cutting off payments from Google almost certainly will impose substantial — in some cases, crippling — downstream harms to distribution partners, related markets, and consumers, which counsels against a broad payment ban.”
(This is a huge win for Mozilla, as roughly 85% of its revenue comes from a search deal with Google.)
This comes after Mehta ruled in 2024 that Google had an illegal monopoly in search. That case is still under appeal.