Google suggests fixing its search monopoly
Alphabet’s Google has proposed new limits to revenue-sharing agreements with companies including Apple that make Google’s search engine the default on their devices and browsers.
The suggestions stem from the US search giant’s ongoing antitrust battle over its online search business.
In August, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google illegally crushed its competition in search – a decision the company vowed to appeal.
In a legal filing submitted Friday, Google said it should be allowed to continue entering into those contracts with other companies while expanding the options it offers.
These options include allowing different default search engines to be assigned to different platforms and browsing modes.
Google’s suggested measures also call for the ability for partners to change their default search provider at least every 12 months.
These proposals are in sharp contrast to the broader measures suggested last month by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which recommended that Judge Mehta force the firm to stop entering into revenue-sharing contracts.
DOJ lawyers also demanded that Google sell Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser.
According to the Web Traffic Analysis Platform, Google’s search engine accounts for approximately 90% of all online searches globally StatCounter,
In a statement, Google called the DOJ’s measures “overbroad” and said that even its own counterproposals, which were filed in response to the court-imposed deadline, would cost its partners. .
Judge Mehta is expected to issue a decision in the treatment phase of this landmark case by August, following the trial.
