Court documents show Google faces US government attempt to break it up | Google

The U.S. government could ask a judge to force the breakup of Google’s business as it seeks to challenge the tech giant’s monopoly on the Internet search market.

The Justice Department has filed court documents saying it is considering enforcing “structural remedies” that would prevent Google from using some of its products such as Chrome, Android and Play, which the Justice Department believes gives the company an advantage over competitors .

Other measures being considered include blocking payments for Google’s pre-installation of the search engine on smartphones and other devices.

Google, owned by Alphabet, said it would challenge any Justice Department case and that the proposals represented a “government overreach” that would harm consumers.

The latest filing comes after a court ruling in August in favor of the Justice Department, which found that Google, which controls 90% of the world’s search market, violated antitrust laws and spent billions building an illegal monopoly. The ruling paved the way for the Justice Department’s current lawsuit, which will decide on possible measures to combat Google’s market dominance.

The filing said Google’s conduct resulted in “interlinked and harmful harm” to users and that the importance of restoring competition to a market that is “indispensable” to Americans cannot be overstated.

The ruling states: “Plaintiffs are considering conduct and structural remedies that would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to take advantage of Google Search and Google Search-related products and features – including new ones Search access points and features such as artificial intelligence – versus competitors or new entrants.”

The move could also prevent Google from paying major phone companies like Apple and Samsung to make Chrome the default browser on their devices. In 2021, Google paid companies $26.3 billion to ensure its search engine was the default option in products.

The filing states: “For more than a decade, Google has controlled the most popular distribution channels, leaving competitors little or no incentive to compete for users.” To fully repair this damage, not only must Google’s control over distribution end today “but also to ensure that Google cannot control the distribution of tomorrow.”

Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs, said the DoJ’s “radical and sweeping” proposals risk harming consumers, businesses and developers.

She said: “This case involves a series of search distribution contracts. Instead of focusing on this, the administration appears to be pursuing a far-reaching agenda that will impact numerous industries and products and have significant unintended consequences for consumers, businesses and American competitiveness.”

The US Department of Justice is expected to submit a set of more detailed proposals by November 20th, while Google will submit its proposed remedies by December 20th.