Google doesn’t have to sell Chrome, judge in monopoly case rules

Google is not going to should divest its Chrome browser however should 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 needs to be compelled to promote Chrome. However in a 230-page decision, Choose Amit Mehta mentioned the federal government had “overreached” in its request. “Google is not going to be required to divest Chrome; nor will the court docket embrace a contingent divestiture of the Android working system within the closing judgment,” Mehta wrote. “Plaintiffs overreached in looking for compelled divesture of those key belongings, 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 so as 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 of proceed to pay companions — like Apple — for pre-loading search and different apps into their merchandise. Mehta mentioned that ending these preparations may trigger “downstream harms to distribution companions, associated markets, and customers.”

Mehta additionally dominated that Google might want to share a few of its search information with rivals going ahead. “Making information out there to rivals would cut the size 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 information associated to its advertisements.

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

“At this time’s resolution acknowledges how a lot the business has modified by way of the appearance of AI, which is giving folks so many extra methods to seek out data,” the corporate mentioned. “Now the Courtroom has imposed limits on how we distribute Google providers, and would require us to share Search information with rivals. We’ve considerations about how these necessities will impression our customers and their privateness, and we’re reviewing the choice carefully.”

The corporate beforehand indicated it plans to appeal Mehta’s authentic resolution, however mentioned in June it might await a closing resolution within the case.

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